How long do you think he intends to just sit there?
Until we are convinced it was him.
Have you noticed he makes no claim of responsibility for the attack?
That's unprecedented on their part.
OK, he convinced me.
It was him.
When you don't have proof, you don't have proof.
Why did you set Essence on Sofia Dubois?
Essence is a ghostly figure, he knows how to point the way.
Nice move.
You wanted the terrible triad to crash and burn
but I did instead.
Fortunately, I landed on flowers.
A temporary and calculated setback.
The terrible triad will be crashed even more
and you'll be right back in there.
It's time to take stock, Your Eminence.
You will have to direct your questions elsewhere, I am a floriculturist now.
And I am, at least officially, property-less
yet I manage a large part of the world out of my hotel room.
I'm sure you do the same from your glasshouse here.
I don't manage a thing, Bauer. I merely offer advice now and then.
Much heeded advice, it would seem.
Your Sofia leaked some photos of the young Brannox
to an English newspaper.
Did you know he was a pathetic punk
who hung around other losers just like himself?
What a scoop.
- Let's see where it leads. - A brilliant move.
The world needs to feel some tenderness toward our current pontiff.
No, the world needs to forget about the other one.
Which is why we have to help John Paul III.
He's weak, unresponsive.
What are you worried about, exactly?
Exactly what am I...?
You don't know?
You don't know.
Wow.
OK... The way he acted in that interview
he was in withdrawal, Voiello.
He's a drug addict.
I am unacquainted with addictive behaviour
except regarding Napoli.
Spalletta has known for years, that's how he's been blackmailing him.
You are slipping, Voiello. You are seriously uninformed.
Brannox is a lazy, self-centred coward.
He let things fall apart
and now the evil triad has the run of the roost, in business and in perversion
always and exclusively illegal.
Sooner or later, some reporter
will get a whiff of the stench and it will all blow sky high.
We've reached the point of no return, my friend.
We can't keep piling problems on other problems.
We can't.
But I will need your approval first.
I need to think about it.
Think fast, please.
We need the Vatican strong again right now.
Probability calculation and history are both against you.
There will be another attack, you can count on that
and there will be a proliferation of sex scandals, dozens more
given the fact that truth for some people
is an ineradicable vice.
I need to go now.
But first, let me tell you two more things that will surprise you.
Don't you think you have surprised me enough for one day?
No.
Number one
Francis II...
That wasn't us, we got there too late.
Falsehood is my own ineradicable vice
therefore, I would beg you not to inform me of any covert operations.
Oh, you'll be interested in this one, alright.
It was Lenny Belardo.
What are you saying?
Lenny Belardo, in a coma
inexplicably moves his finger
and two seconds later, Francis II is dead.
We ran a cross-check on the times.
It was a miracle, Voiello.
And the second surprise? Another miracle, I suppose.
Exactly.
Lenny Belardo has woken up...
and is coming back.
Ciao, Voiello.
We prepared a few surprises for you.
Cherry Coke Zero, Your Holiness.
Your favourite drink.
He used to hide, now he shows his face.
Just like you, Your Holiness.
I'm not gonna tell you who we are and neither will your attorney.
I will ask you this only once.
Then I'm gonna count to seven.
By the time I reach seven, I expect an answer.
Now, I'm not a huge fan of suspense
so I will kindly ask you to let me have an answer by the time I reach four
at the very most five.
Not gonna tell you what happens if I have to count up to seven, for two reasons.
One: even a prisoner has the right to surprise.
Two: I seldom make threats.
Threats are a vulgar tool
in the hands of organised crime and we're not criminals.
That's our perception, at least
and perception, my dear Faisal, is everything.
All the rest is the prerogative of that monotony
simpletons insist on calling reality.
At any rate
my question is disconcertingly simple:
was it...
you?
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
As far as I'm concerned
that's an answer.
Is he here?
- Who? - The Pope.
John Paul III, I mean.
No, he left.
- Where did he go? - To another Vatican property.
Eminence, please, might you be a little more precise?
The Vatican owns more than 100,000 properties.
To a chalet. In the Dolomites.
Have you seen him?
- Who? - Pius XIII.
- Not yet. - What do you think?
I was expecting this.
Catch me if you can.
I am aware that you had a rather
privileged relationship with Pius XIII.
I advise you not to renew it.
For the moment, Pius XIII must be kept in isolation
and it is not necessary
that he have any contact with the cardinals.
That is all, Gutierrez.
How is your toy boy?
His name is Freddie
and I think he's fine.
Did he leave you?
I deduce that he has.
Have you read my most recent circular?
Severe measures will be taken against anyone engaging
in questionable or unseemly relations.
I read it and complied.
Did you?
You have a visitor.
Death does not announce his arrival, so who is it?
It's a form of life.
- Sofia Dubois. - No.
- I suggest "yes". - Why, Danny?
Because this is your chance to return to what you have always been.
- A failure? - No.
A seductive man.
How's Voiello?
Suffering. Voiello's only concern is for the good of the Church.
Good for the Church may not coincide with what is good for me.
Please, Holy Father, Voiello is good.
It's the others who are bad, you have to believe me...
seeing as how my husband is one of the bad ones.
I'm going to do something incredibly intimate, Holy Father.
Close your eyes.
What are you doing?
Trying to make you feel like you're back at your castle.
The thing that I miss about my castle
is the sense of imprisonment
what others call freedom.
Are you trying to make me look handsome?
Make-up is not about looking better
it's about starting anew.
I can no longer see a beginning.
I utterly embarrassed myself on worldwide telly.
Which is why I had to abandon everything.
Look at this.
My goodness.
Where did they get these photos?
Oh, a mystery.
One of the castle's servants must have found it worthwhile to sell them.
But that's not the big news.
What, is the big news is The Sex Pistols have reunited
and have a plan to do me in?
No, the big news is that people like them.
These photographs have revealed the Holy Father's tender side.
And his ridiculous side simply glossed over?
Yes, because we all feel ridiculous.
We have all been embarrassed.
Embarrassment leads not to abandonment, though, but to unity.
The tangible result?
Travel agencies are experiencing a marked increase in the number
of pilgrims requesting to come to Rome for the Angelus on Sunday.
Your enthusiasm for life's rather contagious
but I've no intention of returning to Rome for the Angelus.
- Why not? - Because in point of fact
I'm no longer the Pope.
I think that's something you ought to discuss directly with Pius XIII.
Sofia.
Do you know how to ski?
What's all this?
All the mail that children sent to you while you were in a coma.
The letters from adults, we keep in another warehouse.
Have you read any of them?
I read all of them.
Would you read me one
that particularly struck you?
This is from Nadja
12 years old, from Auckland.
"Hi, Lenny.
Ever since you fell asleep
my eight-year-old brother Mike
can't get to sleep without you.
He's afraid.
Please, wake up, Pope.
Mike needs to rest so he can go to school in the morning."
Forgive me.
I can't tolerate the thought of children suffering.
I need to see Voiello.
One day, when we were young
my twin brother Adam and I were skiing.
Adam had a bad fall
and careened headlong into a tree.
His head was bleeding profusely but all I would have had to have done
was get him off the mountain and he would have lived, but I could not.
- Are you hurt? - I was scared.
And I still am.
How are you?
Much better.
And me, how am I?
Much better.
I was too strung out on heroin so I just sat there
and watched him bleed to death.
I was destroying a family, my one, by doing nothing.
'Tis by doing nothing that we destroy
those precious jewel boxes that are our families.
After Adam's death, our parents abandoned me.
I respected them for that, and hated them for the rest of my life.
It is burdensome to feel
profoundly alone for a lifetime.
It has been, in fact, a dead life.
And God was not enough
nor was God's wisdom, nor God's grace, nor God's presence.
I have not been consoled.
- Compassion... I understand, yes. - No.
- You feel compassion. - No, that's not the right word.
In my first address to the cardinals
I said that the problem is love
the world suffers from distortions of love.
But I never imagined until today
that I would be in the world.
Sick loves cannot be treated, which is why I need
to feel your breath on my face once again.
Right here, at the corner of my mouth.
After which, I will be compelled
to keep my distance from you, forever.
In a moment, you will feel it.
What am I?
An emeritus Pope.
Like an honorary president.
- In general, they don't count. - That makes two of us, Your Holiness.
You will always count, Voiello.
Popes will come and go, but you will remain.
You're not gonna ask me anything?
How I woke up? Why I woke up?
No, because even you don't know the answer and I am a pragmatic man.
In order to come see you, I left Girolamo home alone
a rather dangerous situation
so, if I am here, it's not for a chitchat or to reminisce about the good old days.
- Why did you come? - For the same reason you asked me here.
For love of the Church and to be operational again.
- We have to lend the Church a hand. - Exactly.
Good.
Assente?
Nomen omen...
Assente in English means absent.
Let's leave him where he is for the moment.
We can work best behind the scenes, you and I.
You wrote that dreadful book on this very topic
- "The Man Behind the Scenes." - 300,000 copies sold.
Eleven re-printings, Your Holiness.
To label it dreadful
seems rather ungenerous of you.
Let's proceed.
The real problems...
- is... - Terrorism?
Exactly.
First Lourdes, then St. Peter's.
They're targeting the most vital centres of Catholicism.
What do you intend to do?
I intend to spark a revolution.
An old obsession of yours.
They dared violate the Basilica of St. Peter.
Doesn't that seem sufficient cause to you?
How shall I make my return?
You should begin with a discreet appearance in the Vatican gardens.
A visit to the sisters of the convent of Santa Teresa, perhaps.
Someone is bound to see you.
Rumours will start flying.
I will steal a photo of you, blurry, from a distance
which I will then leak to the media.
Everyone will get all stirred up.
Sofia Dubois will call a press conference and deny everything.
But will they believe her?
Not on your life.
Next, someone will try to interview Lindegard.
He will be elusive, enigmatic and the world will be plagued with doubts.
Did he wake up? Did he die?
Or did he rise from the dead?
You are very persuasive, Voiello.
And now, get back to your friend Girolamo.
Right away, Your Holiness.
One last thing, Your Holiness.
When you were in coma, did you find out anything about Napoli?
Will we win the Serie A? The Champions League, perhaps?
The Europa League?
Yes, I did. I know everything.
Do you remember Adam's millipede?
Mm-hm.
He thought it was God, but he was wrong: it was Satan.
Even Adam made mistakes.
I think it is time, Danny
that we return to Rome.
So, what is it this time?
You would like to say Mass?
You want a female Pope?
Cardinal Voiello granted our institute official authorisation
to welcome orphans.
You revoked that authorisation.
Which is well within my jurisdiction.
But why did you do it?
The convent of Saint Teresa has long had
a much more important mission:
to serve and assist the Pope and the cardinals of the Curia.
A euphemism for washing and ironing
your underwear and socks for free.
We're perfectly capable of taking care of the Pope, the cardinals
and orphans, all at the same time.
No.
We will move ahead regardless, with or without your authorisation.
I highly doubt it.
I'm unshakeable.
And contrary to my predecessor
I'm not fond of diplomacy or negotiating.
The question is closed.
Any step you take to counter my revocation
will be severely punished.
You really don't care about orphans.
Do you?
Someone else can care about them.
I have no intention
of seeing a herd of screaming children grazing in the Vatican gardens.
I detest both children and orphans.
First, they took Faisal
and now they're going to take my baby away, too.
How did it go?
Splendidly.
I detest both children and orphans.
My condolences, Eminence.
I heard a friend of yours passed away.
My only friend. Thank you.
My mentor, Cardinal Newman
wrote that the specific duty of the Christian is to oppose the world.
However, I cannot do it alone
but with you at my side, I can try.
On two conditions.
One: with your permission
I will eliminate Guicciardini
Spalletta and Thomas Altbruck.
And no government will take anything from the Church.
You will risk nothing.
Your private life will remain private.
You are the Pope
and no one blackmails the Pope.
No one touches the Pope, no one questions the Pope.
Not as long as I am here to protect him
which is why, Holy Father
I was the longest-standing Secretary of State in the history of the Church.
And the second condition?
You must do me a favour.
If you do, I will return as your Secretary of State.
Hello, my dear.
Might you have half a minute for me?
♪ Requiem aeternam ♪
♪ Dona eis ♪
♪ Domine et lux perpetua ♪
♪ Luceat eis ♪
♪ Lux perpetua luceat eis ♪
Amen.
"Love your neighbour as yourself"
Jesus says.
I only have one neighbour: you, Girolamo.
I am not very good at speaking in front of so many people.
With Girolamo, I spent many a simple, serene hour.
We didn't need to do grandiose things in order to be happy
we didn't need to make grand speeches
because between friends, silence is golden.
Why did I ask you all here today in memory of Girolamo?
To repair an injustice.
Because I am the only one who had the great good fortune
of spending time with him.
I intend to right that wrong.
Which means I need to tell you who Girolamo is.
Girolamo is the world that suffers.
Girolamo is grace.
Girolamo is goodness and virtue.
Girolamo, I say this for all of you who were not fortunate enough to know him
is kind and cheerful
joyous and full of life.
You are probably wondering: what does Girolamo like to do?
Girolamo loves to talk
but he also likes to listen and to give me advice.
He likes to watch TV and to listen to the radio together with me.
Girolamo loves to run and dance
to walk and sing and pray.
He loves to swim at the sunset
and flirt with the girls.
Because Girolamo is a good-looking boy
and he loves to give them flowers
because Girolamo loves kindness.
Girolamo is everything we are not.
Which is why we have gathered here today
to celebrate him
because we are not like him
and because we would like to be.
Which is why we contemplate and adore him
because Girolamo knows how to love
and how to be a true friend.
Which is why his friends have come here today
and why they are so many.
Girolamo is a moral guide
which is why the leaders of his country
are all here today.
Girolamo, my brothers and sisters
is a saint.
Which is why the Pope himself
wanted to say Mass today.
Girolamo is the world that suffers.
Girolamo is the world that loves.
And I thank God for giving me the extraordinary opportunity
to be his best friend.
Thank you, Girolamo.
You and only you who knew intimately
the anguish of suffering
the beauty of sacrifice
and the power of love.
I will never forget you, Girolamo.
Never.
I brought you something.
Go ahead...
scroll through them.
Oh, there must be a video of the evening somewhere as well.
We filmed it all with a camera hidden among all these expensive bottles.
- What do you want, Essence? - Oh, just one thing, one thing...
times three.
Your resignations.
You, as Minister of the Economy.
You, Altbruck
as head of the Vatican financial structure.
And you, Spalletta
will be defrocked in two hours.
In exchange for what?
In exchange for nothing.
Who the hell are you?
Oh, for you, I am God.
I am the one who can save your asses
by letting these photos simply sit on my phone
or I can drown you in shit
by posting them and turning them over to the magistrate.
Now, in order to avoid any misunderstanding
let me remind you that my friend here is a minor.
And finally...
a little warning:
if any of you dare try
and blackmail the Holy Father, I will simply...
Jesus Christ, Bauer, how silly of you.
I was just about to issue a threat.
OK, here's what's gonna happen.
I'm gonna count to seven and then it'll be up to you to decide.
In theory, of course, not in practice.
In practice, I will decide, because I am God.
Just...
don't let word get around.
It's a sensitive issue.
Ha!
Ha.
You see, Lisette, what you've been saying
is that society is progressing
and the Church must keep pace with society.
But we are not champions of progress
we are champions of faith, we have a duty to be different
which is why we live with privations and sacrifices
while beyond these walls, life is comfort and pleasure.
At times, these privations and sacrifices
seem incomprehensible...
wrong to us.
They are neither. In truth, they are mysterious.
And we have a duty to be mysterious, as well.
This is our strength.
Out there, society is predictable.
And whatever is predictable is also puerile.
Am I saying that everything must remain exactly as it is?
Not at all.
But you, sisters, are already different and mysterious.
The priests, on the other hand
have moved too close to civil society.
So it is not a matter of extending to you sisters
the rights and privileges of the priests, but rather extending to the priests
the duties and the privations of you nuns.
This is the only equality that is truly feasible in the church.
The priests must do your laundry, just as you do theirs.
They must look within themselves to find your grace
your generosity
your intelligence
and your love.
Your righteousness will become their righteousness
but that's not to say that their sins will become your sins.
Which of you is without sin?
Fine.
"Whoever is without sin
shall cast the first stone."
This would be a "psychologically mature relationship"
as you would call it
between men and women, Lisette.
Tomorrow at noon, I want that photo everywhere.
Fine.
Are you happy we did in that idiot ex-husband of yours?
Up to a point.
But he will go unpunished for what he did.
True punishment is served not in prison, Sofia
but in one's soul.
Sir John must make up his mind
to meet Pius XIII.
- I agree. - And you will have to convince him.
No, not me.
Fine. I'll convince him, then.
The Catholic world is in total turmoil. A photograph...
"What is to be done?" As Lenin used to ask.
I have two ideas.
The first: an official denial so as to calm agitated souls.
We can release a statement:
"That picture of Lenny Belardo is nothing but an old photograph."
- That will convince no one. - True, but it will insinuate doubt.
- And doubt is a weapon. - And your second idea?
- To reinforce you, Holy Father. - How?
With the golden opportunity that you are being offered: your Angelus.
The popularity of those photos of you as a punk
leads us to believe that hordes of people will come on Sunday.
Regardless, Holy Father
even though it is not our habit
we have to make a decision about the future.
What do you mean?
We cannot confine Pius XIII to an apartment his whole life.
What do you recommend we do?
That is a decision only you and Pius XIII can decide.
But how?
By meeting.
♪ If simple habit had a tale to tell ♪
♪ And if the wires could reveal themselves ♪
♪ We could begin to trace the ins and outs ♪
♪ The horizon of our length ♪
♪ As if the force of it can be controlled ♪
♪ As if sight is an object we can hold ♪
♪ Our voices float above the depths of it ♪
♪ What we cannot permeate ♪
♪ Come to my door ♪
♪ Won't you liven me up with colour? ♪
♪ Put your pen and paper away ♪
♪ I have no need for you to guess my age ♪
♪ I can tie my own laces ♪
♪ Find the solace I seek in other places ♪
♪ But I cannot need you more ♪
♪ Too far gone for the semaphore ♪
♪ And if the force of it will be revealed ♪
♪ We are beholden to it even still ♪
♪ What we cannot keep and we cannot kill ♪
♪ What we cannot communicate ♪
♪ It is the quiet voice that says it best ♪
♪ There is no certainty to preciousness ♪
♪ We have a friend who holds us in his grasp ♪
♪ And someday he'll be gone ♪