ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Conciliabulum

A conciliabulum is like a secret hiding place where people come together to talk about things in secret. It is usually used by groups of people who feel like they are not allowed to meet openly and talk about things freely, maybe because they are afraid of being punished or misunderstood.

Imagine a group of kids who want to talk about something secret, like a surprise party for their friend. They might choose to meet in a conciliabulum, like a secret treehouse or a clubhouse. This way, they can talk about their plans without anyone else hearing and ruining the surprise.

Similarly, in the past, certain groups of people were not allowed to talk about certain things, for example, during the time of the Roman Empire, Christians were not allowed to talk about their religion freely. So, they would meet in secret places called conciliabula, where they could talk about their beliefs without any danger of punishment.

In summary, a conciliabulum is like a secret hiding place where people can meet and talk about things in secret that they are not allowed to discuss publicly.