Goofs

In an on-air report, George Farber states, "after the sixth ballot, still only black smoke from the window of the Sistine Chapel." As a preceding shot demonstrated, the smoke rises from a stove pipe on the roof of the Sistine Chapel, not from a window.

When Cardinal Leone is expressing his condolences about the death of Fr. Telemond, to Pope Kiril, he implores the pope to listen to his confession. The pope agrees but does not put on the purple stole for the rite of reconciliation (Confession). Every priest carries one at all times in case they are called upon to hear confession, even the pope.

George Faber said that the last non Italian pope was Adrian IV. It was Adrian VI, Adriaan Boeyens, Dutch (1522-1523). (Alexander VI - Rodrigo Borgia, Spanish - died in 1503, so he was not the last non-Italian.)

Kiril Lakota is often identified as a Russian, when in fact he is an Ukrainian, a different ethnic group. Ukraine was then part of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Westerners - especially Americans - typically referred to the Soviet Union as "Russia" and did not distinguish between various nationalities within the Soviet Union, referring to all of them as "Russians."

TV reporter George Faber (David Janssen) reacts with surprise when Lakota appears on the balcony after his election and declares, "It's Lakota. They've elected a Russian pope." But the identity of a new pope is always announced from the balcony before his first appearance as pontiff.

When Dr. Faber starts to place her dying patient's arm under the bed sheets, he reaches under the covers by himself.

A map of Indo-China labelled in Cyrillic, which can be seen in the movie's trailer, appears to have the word Kambodzha, the Russian for Cambodia, written over the country of Laos.

Kiril Lakota is taken from a Siberian labor camp to Moscow over a water route during winter. This is a very slow and impractical route.

As the narrator of Kemenev's briefing film on Chinese military intentions says: "and a simultaneous takeover of Hong Kong," the accompanying arrow is directed at northern South Vietnam near Hue.