The New Pope (2019–…): Season 1, Episode 4 - Episode #1.4 - full transcript
- Beautiful baby, your nephew.
- Thank you, Holy Father.
Appreciate that.
Sorry, I brought a gift for you.
A painting that I did.
- Interesting, thank you.
- You're welcome.
So...
You look a bit older,
and it might just be the beard.
I have had a beard
since I was 31.
I remember that amazing speech
you gave in Venice,
but I don't remember
you having a beard, then.
That was Pius XIII.
- So who are you ?
- I'm John Paul III.
Forgive me Holy Father.
You gotta understand,
I've been in the studio
holed up for months
and I don't really keep track
of the news so...
What helps ?
Potassium phosphate
mixed with a capsule of Xabol.
So you're quite
the pharmaceutical adventurer.
- So you are not Pius XIII ?
- No, I'm the new pope.
May I asked
what happened to the old pope ?
He is in coma
and he had a successor, Francis II,
and he died.
Have you gone to visit him ?
- Who ?
- The pope in a coma.
No, not yet.
Maybe you should.
THE NEW POPE
Episode 4
What is it ? What is it ?
That makes us feel so good together ?
What is it ? What is it ?
This great emotion ?
God who tells you I have loved you
And he's happy if he has shown it.
Many, far too many
members of the clergy
believe that love
is an infinite meadow
and they are allowed to pick
all the flowers they want.
But they are not picking flowers,
they are ripping plants
from the earth
and assuring by their actions
that in the scorched
and barren soil they've defiled,
nothing more will ever grow.
This is what our Church
risks becoming.
The world wants to see
pedophile priests hanged.
But Jesus would not want this.
Jesus is civility
and the Church can not,
must not abandon her children,
especially if they are ill.
But if they are ill,
she must distance them
from the heart
of the ecclesiastical life forever.
Forever.
I know it sounds trite, but seeing you
surrounded by all these men,
makes me swell with pride.
Is that what we're calling it now ?
Pride ?
Your Holiness,
when you have a minute,
I would like to show you something.
A gift, from me to you,
Your Holiness.
They told me
you only love Bentleys.
So, this is the way
the real world works.
Yes, this is how it works.
I hope that you are not offended,
Your Holiness.
It's only a welcome gift.
One that expects nothing in return.
What could I possibly give in return,
Eminence ?
I am only a primus inter pares.
To be concrete,
you need to make appointments.
I am never concrete.
Do you remember when we slept
in the same room after the seminary ?
What happy memories.
We were young then.
All I remember
about my youth is my brother Adam.
Do you still sleep with that silver box
next to your bed ?
Actually you're right, of course,
we did sleep in the same room,
I recall you had an endless stream
of young visitors, day and night, no ?
If you allow me, Holy Father,
I'd be happy to inform you sometime
of certain habits inside the Vatican.
I very much allow you,
Eminence.
Do it now, do tell,
straight away, I'm curious.
In the Vatican, the choice is between
blackmail and benevolence.
I always prefer the second option.
Don't you ?
I never answer important questions
in the evening, Eminence.
Especially after three glasses
of champagne.
SECRETARIAT OF STATE
Don't make me uncomfortable, get up.
What's happening today ?
Please accept
my resignation, Eminence.
Cut the bullshit ! Who's Lisette ?
She's a nun who wanted
to confer with you,
together with the abbess
from the convent of St. Therese.
I did not consider it
necessary to ask you.
Right, I do not deal
with minor matters,
only with high, ethereal,
supernatural power.
From the ethereal to the mire
is a short step.
- Napoleon ?
- No, me.
As they couldn't confer with you,
the nuns have gone on strike.
- They've occupied the Sistine Chapel.
- Jesus, you should have told me !
Since I've been in charge
there's never been a strike !
What do those
wretched women want ?
- It's a trifling matter.
- Couldn't you have dealt with it ?
I thought I had with the usual wall
of indifference, but I was wrong.
Let me speak to this abbess.
- What does she want from me ?
- 200 euros.
Matter resolved.
A quid pro quo in the chain of command.
- May I swear ?
- Just once.
Like fuck it is !
The matter is not resolved at all.
Reverend Mother,
Don Cavallo informed me
that you had requested 200 euro,
in order to take Lisette's mother
to Lourdes.
And I have just given you
200 euro.
What we want now
is not what we wanted before.
Our requests have changed.
You don't understand.
I understand everything,
but you need to be more clear.
We sisters have joined together,
and we now understand the difference
between charity and rights.
- I am all ears.
- We demand respect.
Social, moral, and economic recognition
for the duties we sisters perform.
We want to be welcomed
into the bosom of the Church,
to be granted a more active ministry,
including administering the sacraments.
And, in general,
we expect the male clergy
to adopt
a psychologically mature attitude
in its relations
with us female members.
Please clarify
this last point for me.
Do you need me to elaborate on the sort
of things your brothers are capable of ?
Not now, I don't have time.
But a detailed, written account
would prove most useful.
- That you shall have.
- No ! You won't.
It's a trap, Reverend Mother.
We will be dismissed as tattlers,
and he will have a record
of all his accomplices' depravities,
the better to blackmail them with.
Spectacular, the talent !
This will be a long war,
though it will end as they all do:
with my victory.
But you, Sister Lisette,
will make a formidable adversary.
You can bet on that.
- Now what are you doing ?
- I'm dismissing you.
Then we will carry on
with our strike.
Fine. And we priests
will learn how to cook,
and wash, and iron our robes;
it's about time.
Be careful, Sister Lisette.
Your rights are one thing,
the rites of the Church are another.
The former are negotiable,
for they belong to man,
but the latter are not,
for they belong to God.
That's better.
You haven't joined
your sisters' protest ?
No. Me, no.
Why not ?
Because I decided
to believe in you.
What are your sisters
asking for ?
Respect.
Don't you need respect ?
I have always had it.
I work with popes.
Are you mad at me ?
I couldn't.
You're just
a Sunday morning Christian.
What does that mean ?
Ready to do good only if you don't
have to get your hands dirty.
You're like those philanthropists
who think they'll go to heaven
if they give away a tiny fraction
of their dirty money.
- You are being unfair. I tried.
- No, you didn't try, Ester.
You just deluded some people
who are truly suffering.
When will I see you again ?
Happy birthday to you !
I need the convent of St. Therese
to be monitored,
with particular focus
on Sister Lisette.
Here I am, Holy Father.
Forgive me for being a little late,
but the Napoli coach's press conference
dragged on and on.
Brevity of speech
is not his strong point.
You Voiello have the great gift
of informing me
of things that would not interesting me
even if I were you.
So, what is this about the nuns
occupying the Sistine Chapel ?
Every six months or so,
the sisters remember that somewhere,
in some parallel universe,
they, too, could say mass.
But don't worry,
I have the situation under control.
Don't be too hard on them, Voiello.
The proper amount, that way
they will not be too hard on me.
Marilyn Manson
doesn't know who I am.
Marilyn Manson
doesn't know who he is.
The Church I have in mind
must be better at informing people.
Every Marilyn in the world should
know reflexively who the pope is.
This is not vanity,
this is necessity.
As for them knowing who they are,
there's always time for that.
Emory Kitsworth
wants to interview you.
An in-depth,
wide-ranging conversation.
Exclusive coverage
on the Times web site, live,
then rebroadcast, an hour later,
on every TV channel in the world.
So, now every Marilyn in the world
will know you.
An appealing idea.
I have another one.
I wish to pay a visit to Pius XIII.
- Dutiful.
- Dangerous.
To have two popes,
Pius XIII and John Paul III,
together in one photograph, wouldn't
do much to clear up the confusion.
That photograph will never be taken.
My visit to Pius XIII will be private.
My face will only be seen in public
on my way to and from the hospital.
In storytelling,
that is called "powerful deference".
My admiration for well-read women
will never fade.
Perhaps that's why
I don't miss Megan.
Is there any possibility
he could wake up ?
Based on the knowledge
we have now, no. No possibility.
His hand was so warm !
I found that comforting.
He is still alive,
even though he doesn't know it.
In Venice, my authority
did not turn into authoritativeness.
If I may, Your Holiness,
it is actually the opposite.
Your authoritativeness
did not turn into authority.
- What should I have done ?
- Never mingle with idolaters.
Had you asked my advice,
that is what I would have told you.
What do you think, Sofia ?
You cannot please everyone,
Holy Father.
If I do not please,
I cannot seduce.
If I do not seduce,
I cannot influence.
If I do not influence,
I repent.
- Of what ?
- Of everything.
- Do I please you ?
- Immensely.
May I ask you
an indiscreet question ?
I will never tell you what the woman
whispered in my ear, Eminence.
Appointments !
Our dear Sofia, reconfirmed
as Director of Communications.
The masterful Voiello,
reconfirmed as Secretary of State.
Gutierrez will be my advisor.
And now, an innovation !
My new personal secretary,
in charge of creativity:
the most eminent Cardinal Spalletta.
- What would you have me to do ?
- Everything I do not wish to do.
Which I can assure you,
will be rather a lot.
In terms of creativity,
what do you propose Spalletta ?
I would commission Christo
to make a gigantic contemporary cross,
to be exhibited
in Saint Peter's square.
A classic extemporary operation,
Holy Father, and also quite costly.
Nor is it devoid of the age,
old stench of corruption.
So not a good idea.
Spalletta ?
A momentous diplomatic visit
to North Korea ?
That's already been done.
I would be the second and I have been
playing second fiddle my whole life.
So not a good idea, Spalletta.
A smashing success, Spalletta.
And now I will instruct
my personal secretary in private.
- Disappointed ?
- No. Not in the least, Holy Father.
I won't deny that I had aspired
to become Secretary of State,
but personal secretary
allows me to work closely with you,
which is what really matters.
I am only thinking of your own good,
Holy Father,
for your good coincides
with the good of the Church.
So, Francis II's death.
What do you make of it ?
Did he really die
of natural causes ?
Do you really want to know
what I think ?
Probably not.
Voiello probably had a hand in it.
So we share the same suspicion.
What do you say we look into it ?
Just to keep us from getting bored, and
to keep me from meeting the same fate.
May I offer you some impartial advice,
Holy Father ?
Of course.
I would let it drop.
I will not deny
my longstanding antipathy for Voiello,
yet I feel I must warn you
that making enquiries about him
would mean setting yourself
against him,
which is the last thing you want to do
here in the Vatican.
- Even the walls know that.
- What makes him so dangerous ?
No one really knows.
But the fact is,
every time someone tries to oppose him,
he has ended up in pieces.
Literally.
Literally.
Voiello is helped by the Lord,
Holy Father.
But what is difficult
to understand is:
who is this lord ?
Is he divine ?
Or is he Human ?
Power and mortal sin
are the same thing, Girolamo.
I've always known that.
The others arrive all bright
and dewy-eyed
and delude themselves
they can break this indissoluble bond.
It's a bond that God has established,
without telling anyone.
I've seen so many who've tried,
they've all gone out of fashion.
Only I never go out of fashion,
like Kinder chocolate bars.
What do you think
about this Napoli lineup ?
In terms of their acquisitions strategy
they could have done more.
Don't you think ?
But we'll see.
John !
Sir John,
what did that woman in Venice
say to you ?
How did you prevent the nuns' strike
from leaking to the press ?
Four well-placed surveillance cameras,
a discreet stills camera
and someone tailing them
have yielded interesting results.
Sister Judith and Sister Angela
engage in sexual relations,
with fetishistic perversions.
Sister Melanie is a kleptomaniac,
Sister Valeria, Sister Hasanati,
Sister Penelope
harass and sexually abuse
young Sister Ivanka.
Young Sister Caterina meets up
in a gardener's shed to kiss a boy.
The abbess is worried about
something she has under a breast,
she doesn't sleep at night.
Sister Lisette
is the protest leader
and uses social media
to mobilize nuns outside.
For now that is all.
I'm learning so much
from this silence of yours...
So very much.
Good day, sisters.
You wanted to see me ?
Actually, we wanted to see you
five hours ago.
Forgive me for having kept you waiting.
The consequences of the strike.
Everything is moving more slowly now.
So, what can I do for you ?
- To start: fix the wi-fi.
- If only I could !
But the server is down,
that happens occasionally,
and a nun usually repairs it,
but that nun is currently on strike.
Are you saying we have to suspend
our strike if we want internet ?
It would seem that I am.
Why don't you call in
an outside technician ?
Because here in the Vatican,
we don't like waste,
and because we can live just fine
without wi-fi.
We are the oldest institution
in the world, Sister Lisette,
not the Apple campus.
Reverend Mother, you seem tired.
So am I.
I'm not sleeping well.
Are you ?
Try this. Chamomile.
It helps, I've found.
If we suspend our strike,
what will you give us in exchange ?
Wi-fi.
And our other demands,
what about them ?
I will bring them
to the Holy Father's attention.
As I do with every request
that comes across my desk.
Do not overestimate my power,
Sister Lisette.
I am merely a paper pusher.
We would like to meet
with the Holy Father ourselves.
- To explain our position.
- A sacrosanct right.
You merely need to file
an official request to see him.
- Filed with whom ?
- With me.
Don't touch them.
They're for God.
I am confused. What exactly
is the purpose for this meeting,
which you have defined as both
urgent and highly confidential ?
We are repealing
the "eight per thousand" law.
The tax the Italian people pay
to maintain the clergy.
This is a declaration
of war on the Church.
No, it is a necessary step
toward saving the Italian people.
How ?
Our finances are in incredible disarray.
The EU won't grant us any relief.
A surmountable problem.
I will talk with the EU.
We were elected on the basis of a clear
and simple platform:
to do away with privilege.
Which is exactly
what we have done.
We put the Church at the bottom
of the list, but now your time is up.
I see. So, the issue is not
my confusion but your conviction.
- I take that as a compliment.
- Take it as a threat.
Your conviction
conveys a distinct lack of respect
for the only thing that matters to us
here in the Vatican.
- And what is that ?
- Mystery.
If they go through it,
it will be the end of us.
The Church will be poor.
What do you advise we do,
Holy Father ?
Nothing. As the great
Cardinal Newman used to say:
"Christian virtues are poetic.
Gentleness and grace, compassion,
joy, and modesty.
Where is common,
coarse sentiments are rhetorical tools.
Anger and indignation, emulation,
a combative spirit,
the love of independence."
We must fly high.
We should hold on to the poetry,
and leave the rhetoric to others.
Holy Father,
with all due respect,
I am afraid that Newman
may not be enough.
What a shame, Eminence.
What a shame !
The world once again confirms
it has no use for poetry.
But I am not the world.
That is not me.
You are back.
Yes Ester, I came back.
To test your righteousness.
It's a bluff,
election propaganda.
You may frighten the Pope,
who is a holy man, but not me.
If you repeal
the "eight per thousand" tax law,
you'll make a paltry billion euro
for your coffers.
What can you develop with that ?
Nothing.
In exchange you'll alienate Catholics.
What's this really about ?
Should I be afraid ?
How often have I played this game...
I'd show the folder and on it
I'd write: private life of Cardinal...
They'd be panic-stricken
and do whatever I wanted.
Sometimes,
I didn't put anything in the folder,
or I put 50 copies
of the Napoli game schedule.
- I'm listening.
- No more backroom deals.
Politics have changed,
the only one who hasn't noticed is you.
You keep putting forward procedures
that are old, obsolete and dishonest.
- Are you telling me I'm old ?
- I wouldn't dream of it.
I'm simply saying
that you're outdated.
I should have stayed home,
to loll about my own house,
rather having to loll about
in someone else's.
This is your house. And I will
make it more comfortable for you.
Listen: I can convince
the Minister of the Economy
to delay the measure.
Delay it until the government falls,
but which point we will be safe.
Holy Father, the eight per thousand
is not the only source
of the money Guicciardini needs.
- It can be found elsewhere.
- Where ?
In our own backyard:
we have our own financial organization.
Which is free and easy:
I gather ?
See, Holy Father, you can be concrete
when you want to be.
Don't alter my nature.
It might kill me.
So give me a free hand. I will continue
to deal with the stench of the body.
And you with the perfume
of the spirit.
An admirable poetic utterance,
Eminence. What must I do ?
Tomas Altbruck's.
Sofia Dubois' husband.
Appoint him
head of our financial organization.
It would appear
we are outdated, my dear.
You and I are the same,
we're prehistoric.
Thank you, Holy Father,
for receiving me at this late hour.
I shall always have time for you,
Gutierrez. You are dear to my heart.
I am ready
to hear your confession.
Freddie was dressed nicely tonight.
When we were in the hallway,
he took out his keys.
And, with the calmness of youth,
he opened the door to his room.
But first he turned
and looked at me...
Once inside,
he knew what to do.
I didn't, though.
His confidence excited me.
He got undressed
in front of the mirror...
He wasn't looking at me.
But he knew I was looking at him.
His back. His bare back...
It was too much.
I could barely bring myself
to look at it, it excited me so...
But at the same time,
I wanted more.
And it was as if there
was a wall between us.
But it wasn't an obstacle,
that wall.
- Please, that's enough.
- Yes, enough. Holy Father, enough.
Freddie satisfied my body.
God satisfies my spirit.
So why do I always feel so empty ?
But you are not alone, my friend.
That is all I can say to you.
This constant sense
of feeling inadequate...
Makes us constantly nervous.
I know.
I absolve you of all your sins.
But now you will have to hear
my confession.
In order to stroke my pride,
soothe my insecurities,
satisfy my vanity,
and salvage my limping papacy,
I have taken the first step
in the everlasting garden of sin.
And coward that I am,
I pretend not to see,
not to understand,
not to know.
But I do see, I do understand.
I know.
- Thank you, Holy Father.
Appreciate that.
Sorry, I brought a gift for you.
A painting that I did.
- Interesting, thank you.
- You're welcome.
So...
You look a bit older,
and it might just be the beard.
I have had a beard
since I was 31.
I remember that amazing speech
you gave in Venice,
but I don't remember
you having a beard, then.
That was Pius XIII.
- So who are you ?
- I'm John Paul III.
Forgive me Holy Father.
You gotta understand,
I've been in the studio
holed up for months
and I don't really keep track
of the news so...
What helps ?
Potassium phosphate
mixed with a capsule of Xabol.
So you're quite
the pharmaceutical adventurer.
- So you are not Pius XIII ?
- No, I'm the new pope.
May I asked
what happened to the old pope ?
He is in coma
and he had a successor, Francis II,
and he died.
Have you gone to visit him ?
- Who ?
- The pope in a coma.
No, not yet.
Maybe you should.
THE NEW POPE
Episode 4
What is it ? What is it ?
That makes us feel so good together ?
What is it ? What is it ?
This great emotion ?
God who tells you I have loved you
And he's happy if he has shown it.
Many, far too many
members of the clergy
believe that love
is an infinite meadow
and they are allowed to pick
all the flowers they want.
But they are not picking flowers,
they are ripping plants
from the earth
and assuring by their actions
that in the scorched
and barren soil they've defiled,
nothing more will ever grow.
This is what our Church
risks becoming.
The world wants to see
pedophile priests hanged.
But Jesus would not want this.
Jesus is civility
and the Church can not,
must not abandon her children,
especially if they are ill.
But if they are ill,
she must distance them
from the heart
of the ecclesiastical life forever.
Forever.
I know it sounds trite, but seeing you
surrounded by all these men,
makes me swell with pride.
Is that what we're calling it now ?
Pride ?
Your Holiness,
when you have a minute,
I would like to show you something.
A gift, from me to you,
Your Holiness.
They told me
you only love Bentleys.
So, this is the way
the real world works.
Yes, this is how it works.
I hope that you are not offended,
Your Holiness.
It's only a welcome gift.
One that expects nothing in return.
What could I possibly give in return,
Eminence ?
I am only a primus inter pares.
To be concrete,
you need to make appointments.
I am never concrete.
Do you remember when we slept
in the same room after the seminary ?
What happy memories.
We were young then.
All I remember
about my youth is my brother Adam.
Do you still sleep with that silver box
next to your bed ?
Actually you're right, of course,
we did sleep in the same room,
I recall you had an endless stream
of young visitors, day and night, no ?
If you allow me, Holy Father,
I'd be happy to inform you sometime
of certain habits inside the Vatican.
I very much allow you,
Eminence.
Do it now, do tell,
straight away, I'm curious.
In the Vatican, the choice is between
blackmail and benevolence.
I always prefer the second option.
Don't you ?
I never answer important questions
in the evening, Eminence.
Especially after three glasses
of champagne.
SECRETARIAT OF STATE
Don't make me uncomfortable, get up.
What's happening today ?
Please accept
my resignation, Eminence.
Cut the bullshit ! Who's Lisette ?
She's a nun who wanted
to confer with you,
together with the abbess
from the convent of St. Therese.
I did not consider it
necessary to ask you.
Right, I do not deal
with minor matters,
only with high, ethereal,
supernatural power.
From the ethereal to the mire
is a short step.
- Napoleon ?
- No, me.
As they couldn't confer with you,
the nuns have gone on strike.
- They've occupied the Sistine Chapel.
- Jesus, you should have told me !
Since I've been in charge
there's never been a strike !
What do those
wretched women want ?
- It's a trifling matter.
- Couldn't you have dealt with it ?
I thought I had with the usual wall
of indifference, but I was wrong.
Let me speak to this abbess.
- What does she want from me ?
- 200 euros.
Matter resolved.
A quid pro quo in the chain of command.
- May I swear ?
- Just once.
Like fuck it is !
The matter is not resolved at all.
Reverend Mother,
Don Cavallo informed me
that you had requested 200 euro,
in order to take Lisette's mother
to Lourdes.
And I have just given you
200 euro.
What we want now
is not what we wanted before.
Our requests have changed.
You don't understand.
I understand everything,
but you need to be more clear.
We sisters have joined together,
and we now understand the difference
between charity and rights.
- I am all ears.
- We demand respect.
Social, moral, and economic recognition
for the duties we sisters perform.
We want to be welcomed
into the bosom of the Church,
to be granted a more active ministry,
including administering the sacraments.
And, in general,
we expect the male clergy
to adopt
a psychologically mature attitude
in its relations
with us female members.
Please clarify
this last point for me.
Do you need me to elaborate on the sort
of things your brothers are capable of ?
Not now, I don't have time.
But a detailed, written account
would prove most useful.
- That you shall have.
- No ! You won't.
It's a trap, Reverend Mother.
We will be dismissed as tattlers,
and he will have a record
of all his accomplices' depravities,
the better to blackmail them with.
Spectacular, the talent !
This will be a long war,
though it will end as they all do:
with my victory.
But you, Sister Lisette,
will make a formidable adversary.
You can bet on that.
- Now what are you doing ?
- I'm dismissing you.
Then we will carry on
with our strike.
Fine. And we priests
will learn how to cook,
and wash, and iron our robes;
it's about time.
Be careful, Sister Lisette.
Your rights are one thing,
the rites of the Church are another.
The former are negotiable,
for they belong to man,
but the latter are not,
for they belong to God.
That's better.
You haven't joined
your sisters' protest ?
No. Me, no.
Why not ?
Because I decided
to believe in you.
What are your sisters
asking for ?
Respect.
Don't you need respect ?
I have always had it.
I work with popes.
Are you mad at me ?
I couldn't.
You're just
a Sunday morning Christian.
What does that mean ?
Ready to do good only if you don't
have to get your hands dirty.
You're like those philanthropists
who think they'll go to heaven
if they give away a tiny fraction
of their dirty money.
- You are being unfair. I tried.
- No, you didn't try, Ester.
You just deluded some people
who are truly suffering.
When will I see you again ?
Happy birthday to you !
I need the convent of St. Therese
to be monitored,
with particular focus
on Sister Lisette.
Here I am, Holy Father.
Forgive me for being a little late,
but the Napoli coach's press conference
dragged on and on.
Brevity of speech
is not his strong point.
You Voiello have the great gift
of informing me
of things that would not interesting me
even if I were you.
So, what is this about the nuns
occupying the Sistine Chapel ?
Every six months or so,
the sisters remember that somewhere,
in some parallel universe,
they, too, could say mass.
But don't worry,
I have the situation under control.
Don't be too hard on them, Voiello.
The proper amount, that way
they will not be too hard on me.
Marilyn Manson
doesn't know who I am.
Marilyn Manson
doesn't know who he is.
The Church I have in mind
must be better at informing people.
Every Marilyn in the world should
know reflexively who the pope is.
This is not vanity,
this is necessity.
As for them knowing who they are,
there's always time for that.
Emory Kitsworth
wants to interview you.
An in-depth,
wide-ranging conversation.
Exclusive coverage
on the Times web site, live,
then rebroadcast, an hour later,
on every TV channel in the world.
So, now every Marilyn in the world
will know you.
An appealing idea.
I have another one.
I wish to pay a visit to Pius XIII.
- Dutiful.
- Dangerous.
To have two popes,
Pius XIII and John Paul III,
together in one photograph, wouldn't
do much to clear up the confusion.
That photograph will never be taken.
My visit to Pius XIII will be private.
My face will only be seen in public
on my way to and from the hospital.
In storytelling,
that is called "powerful deference".
My admiration for well-read women
will never fade.
Perhaps that's why
I don't miss Megan.
Is there any possibility
he could wake up ?
Based on the knowledge
we have now, no. No possibility.
His hand was so warm !
I found that comforting.
He is still alive,
even though he doesn't know it.
In Venice, my authority
did not turn into authoritativeness.
If I may, Your Holiness,
it is actually the opposite.
Your authoritativeness
did not turn into authority.
- What should I have done ?
- Never mingle with idolaters.
Had you asked my advice,
that is what I would have told you.
What do you think, Sofia ?
You cannot please everyone,
Holy Father.
If I do not please,
I cannot seduce.
If I do not seduce,
I cannot influence.
If I do not influence,
I repent.
- Of what ?
- Of everything.
- Do I please you ?
- Immensely.
May I ask you
an indiscreet question ?
I will never tell you what the woman
whispered in my ear, Eminence.
Appointments !
Our dear Sofia, reconfirmed
as Director of Communications.
The masterful Voiello,
reconfirmed as Secretary of State.
Gutierrez will be my advisor.
And now, an innovation !
My new personal secretary,
in charge of creativity:
the most eminent Cardinal Spalletta.
- What would you have me to do ?
- Everything I do not wish to do.
Which I can assure you,
will be rather a lot.
In terms of creativity,
what do you propose Spalletta ?
I would commission Christo
to make a gigantic contemporary cross,
to be exhibited
in Saint Peter's square.
A classic extemporary operation,
Holy Father, and also quite costly.
Nor is it devoid of the age,
old stench of corruption.
So not a good idea.
Spalletta ?
A momentous diplomatic visit
to North Korea ?
That's already been done.
I would be the second and I have been
playing second fiddle my whole life.
So not a good idea, Spalletta.
A smashing success, Spalletta.
And now I will instruct
my personal secretary in private.
- Disappointed ?
- No. Not in the least, Holy Father.
I won't deny that I had aspired
to become Secretary of State,
but personal secretary
allows me to work closely with you,
which is what really matters.
I am only thinking of your own good,
Holy Father,
for your good coincides
with the good of the Church.
So, Francis II's death.
What do you make of it ?
Did he really die
of natural causes ?
Do you really want to know
what I think ?
Probably not.
Voiello probably had a hand in it.
So we share the same suspicion.
What do you say we look into it ?
Just to keep us from getting bored, and
to keep me from meeting the same fate.
May I offer you some impartial advice,
Holy Father ?
Of course.
I would let it drop.
I will not deny
my longstanding antipathy for Voiello,
yet I feel I must warn you
that making enquiries about him
would mean setting yourself
against him,
which is the last thing you want to do
here in the Vatican.
- Even the walls know that.
- What makes him so dangerous ?
No one really knows.
But the fact is,
every time someone tries to oppose him,
he has ended up in pieces.
Literally.
Literally.
Voiello is helped by the Lord,
Holy Father.
But what is difficult
to understand is:
who is this lord ?
Is he divine ?
Or is he Human ?
Power and mortal sin
are the same thing, Girolamo.
I've always known that.
The others arrive all bright
and dewy-eyed
and delude themselves
they can break this indissoluble bond.
It's a bond that God has established,
without telling anyone.
I've seen so many who've tried,
they've all gone out of fashion.
Only I never go out of fashion,
like Kinder chocolate bars.
What do you think
about this Napoli lineup ?
In terms of their acquisitions strategy
they could have done more.
Don't you think ?
But we'll see.
John !
Sir John,
what did that woman in Venice
say to you ?
How did you prevent the nuns' strike
from leaking to the press ?
Four well-placed surveillance cameras,
a discreet stills camera
and someone tailing them
have yielded interesting results.
Sister Judith and Sister Angela
engage in sexual relations,
with fetishistic perversions.
Sister Melanie is a kleptomaniac,
Sister Valeria, Sister Hasanati,
Sister Penelope
harass and sexually abuse
young Sister Ivanka.
Young Sister Caterina meets up
in a gardener's shed to kiss a boy.
The abbess is worried about
something she has under a breast,
she doesn't sleep at night.
Sister Lisette
is the protest leader
and uses social media
to mobilize nuns outside.
For now that is all.
I'm learning so much
from this silence of yours...
So very much.
Good day, sisters.
You wanted to see me ?
Actually, we wanted to see you
five hours ago.
Forgive me for having kept you waiting.
The consequences of the strike.
Everything is moving more slowly now.
So, what can I do for you ?
- To start: fix the wi-fi.
- If only I could !
But the server is down,
that happens occasionally,
and a nun usually repairs it,
but that nun is currently on strike.
Are you saying we have to suspend
our strike if we want internet ?
It would seem that I am.
Why don't you call in
an outside technician ?
Because here in the Vatican,
we don't like waste,
and because we can live just fine
without wi-fi.
We are the oldest institution
in the world, Sister Lisette,
not the Apple campus.
Reverend Mother, you seem tired.
So am I.
I'm not sleeping well.
Are you ?
Try this. Chamomile.
It helps, I've found.
If we suspend our strike,
what will you give us in exchange ?
Wi-fi.
And our other demands,
what about them ?
I will bring them
to the Holy Father's attention.
As I do with every request
that comes across my desk.
Do not overestimate my power,
Sister Lisette.
I am merely a paper pusher.
We would like to meet
with the Holy Father ourselves.
- To explain our position.
- A sacrosanct right.
You merely need to file
an official request to see him.
- Filed with whom ?
- With me.
Don't touch them.
They're for God.
I am confused. What exactly
is the purpose for this meeting,
which you have defined as both
urgent and highly confidential ?
We are repealing
the "eight per thousand" law.
The tax the Italian people pay
to maintain the clergy.
This is a declaration
of war on the Church.
No, it is a necessary step
toward saving the Italian people.
How ?
Our finances are in incredible disarray.
The EU won't grant us any relief.
A surmountable problem.
I will talk with the EU.
We were elected on the basis of a clear
and simple platform:
to do away with privilege.
Which is exactly
what we have done.
We put the Church at the bottom
of the list, but now your time is up.
I see. So, the issue is not
my confusion but your conviction.
- I take that as a compliment.
- Take it as a threat.
Your conviction
conveys a distinct lack of respect
for the only thing that matters to us
here in the Vatican.
- And what is that ?
- Mystery.
If they go through it,
it will be the end of us.
The Church will be poor.
What do you advise we do,
Holy Father ?
Nothing. As the great
Cardinal Newman used to say:
"Christian virtues are poetic.
Gentleness and grace, compassion,
joy, and modesty.
Where is common,
coarse sentiments are rhetorical tools.
Anger and indignation, emulation,
a combative spirit,
the love of independence."
We must fly high.
We should hold on to the poetry,
and leave the rhetoric to others.
Holy Father,
with all due respect,
I am afraid that Newman
may not be enough.
What a shame, Eminence.
What a shame !
The world once again confirms
it has no use for poetry.
But I am not the world.
That is not me.
You are back.
Yes Ester, I came back.
To test your righteousness.
It's a bluff,
election propaganda.
You may frighten the Pope,
who is a holy man, but not me.
If you repeal
the "eight per thousand" tax law,
you'll make a paltry billion euro
for your coffers.
What can you develop with that ?
Nothing.
In exchange you'll alienate Catholics.
What's this really about ?
Should I be afraid ?
How often have I played this game...
I'd show the folder and on it
I'd write: private life of Cardinal...
They'd be panic-stricken
and do whatever I wanted.
Sometimes,
I didn't put anything in the folder,
or I put 50 copies
of the Napoli game schedule.
- I'm listening.
- No more backroom deals.
Politics have changed,
the only one who hasn't noticed is you.
You keep putting forward procedures
that are old, obsolete and dishonest.
- Are you telling me I'm old ?
- I wouldn't dream of it.
I'm simply saying
that you're outdated.
I should have stayed home,
to loll about my own house,
rather having to loll about
in someone else's.
This is your house. And I will
make it more comfortable for you.
Listen: I can convince
the Minister of the Economy
to delay the measure.
Delay it until the government falls,
but which point we will be safe.
Holy Father, the eight per thousand
is not the only source
of the money Guicciardini needs.
- It can be found elsewhere.
- Where ?
In our own backyard:
we have our own financial organization.
Which is free and easy:
I gather ?
See, Holy Father, you can be concrete
when you want to be.
Don't alter my nature.
It might kill me.
So give me a free hand. I will continue
to deal with the stench of the body.
And you with the perfume
of the spirit.
An admirable poetic utterance,
Eminence. What must I do ?
Tomas Altbruck's.
Sofia Dubois' husband.
Appoint him
head of our financial organization.
It would appear
we are outdated, my dear.
You and I are the same,
we're prehistoric.
Thank you, Holy Father,
for receiving me at this late hour.
I shall always have time for you,
Gutierrez. You are dear to my heart.
I am ready
to hear your confession.
Freddie was dressed nicely tonight.
When we were in the hallway,
he took out his keys.
And, with the calmness of youth,
he opened the door to his room.
But first he turned
and looked at me...
Once inside,
he knew what to do.
I didn't, though.
His confidence excited me.
He got undressed
in front of the mirror...
He wasn't looking at me.
But he knew I was looking at him.
His back. His bare back...
It was too much.
I could barely bring myself
to look at it, it excited me so...
But at the same time,
I wanted more.
And it was as if there
was a wall between us.
But it wasn't an obstacle,
that wall.
- Please, that's enough.
- Yes, enough. Holy Father, enough.
Freddie satisfied my body.
God satisfies my spirit.
So why do I always feel so empty ?
But you are not alone, my friend.
That is all I can say to you.
This constant sense
of feeling inadequate...
Makes us constantly nervous.
I know.
I absolve you of all your sins.
But now you will have to hear
my confession.
In order to stroke my pride,
soothe my insecurities,
satisfy my vanity,
and salvage my limping papacy,
I have taken the first step
in the everlasting garden of sin.
And coward that I am,
I pretend not to see,
not to understand,
not to know.
But I do see, I do understand.
I know.