(footsteps walking briskly)
(panting softly)
(bell tolling in distance)
(automated female voice
speaking Italian over speakers)
(elevator doors open)
(quiet greetings)
(quiet chatter)
(Adeyemi speaking Latin)
(men speaking Latin in unison)
(Adeyemi speaking Latin)
(men speaking Latin in unison)
ALL:
Amen.
TREMBLAY:
He is with God.
(breath trembling)
(metallic hammering)
(speaks Latin)
The throne of the Holy See
is vacant.
-LAWRENCE: Aldo.
-BELLINI: Hmm?
(quiet chatter)
Hey. Do you think that anybody
would mind if I took that?
-As a keepsake.
-Of course. Take it.
He would have wanted you
to have it.
Because we used to play
quite often in the evenings.
He said it helped him to relax.
(chuckles)
-And who won?
-Oh, he did.
-(chuckles) -He was
always eight moves ahead.
Mm.
Aldo, I'm sorry.
Mm.
(stammers) What happened?
Do you know?
No. They say
a heart attack, but...
There had been warnings.
Oh, I hadn't heard that.
Yeah. He didn't want
anyone to know.
He was afraid that if word
got out that they would start
circulating rumors
that he was going to resign.
(whispers):
The Curia.
Yes.
Okay.
LAWRENCE:
Janusz.
I know this is hard for you,
but we will have to prepare
a-a detailed statement.
Who discovered
the Holy Father's body?
WOZNIAK:
I did, Your Eminence.
And then what did you do?
I called
the Holy Father's doctor.
Mm-hmm.
-But it was too late.
-Mm.
And what time was this?
At around 11:30, Eminence.
We would have called you
earlier, but...
Thomas, I'm so sorry.
I know His Holiness had
no colleagues closer than
you and Aldo,
but I asked Janusz
to hold off calling you.
I wanted to ascertain
all the facts.
You know how rumor spreads.
I-I've prepared a time line
of His Holiness's last day.
And these are the Holy Father's
most recent medical records.
ADEYEMI:
And who was the last to have
a scheduled meeting with him?
TREMBLAY: I believe
that may have been me.
Father Wozniak,
I was the last one?
You were, Eminence Tremblay.
ADEYEMI: Put in all
the meetings he had that day.
It will show how hard he was
working right to the very end.
Well, it might look like
we were placing a huge burden
on a sick man.
The papacy is a huge burden.
Especially for an older man.
(softly):
Mm.
Well, Dean, it seems the
responsibility for the conclave
falls upon you.
(vehicle doors close)
(engine starts)
(sirens wailing)
(sirens fade)
(soft rhythmic thumping)
-(tools whirring loudly)
-(busy chatter)
Security say they'd like
to test the electronic jammers
one last time, Your Eminence.
Well, then they'd better
be quick.
I mean, is this
really necessary, Willi?
Apparently so.
They say eavesdroppers
can use lasers
to read the vibrations
on the glass.
Really? Well, let's hope
none of our brothers
suffer from claustrophobia.
And who knows how long
we're going to be in here?
Can you reassure me that
we will be finished on time?
They will work through
the night if they have to.
It will be fine, Your Eminence.
It always is.
-Italy, you know.
-I'm sorry to fuss.
Well, Eminence, I'd say this is
a pretty fair vision of hell.
Well, don't be blasphemous, Ray.
Hell arrives tomorrow
when we bring in the cardinals.
(chuckles softly)
Now, how do I pronounce this?
Kahl-koh, Your Eminence.
He's Indian.
Oh, Kahl-koh. Thank you.
Archbishop Wozniak has asked if
he might have a word, Eminence.
Well, I don't think
that's possible.
The cardinals will be arriving
in an hour.
-What's it about?
-Uh, he didn't say.
I-I wouldn't have brought it up.
It's just, he seemed so upset.
Ray, we're going to be
sequestered from 6:00.
He should've come to me earlier.
Yes, Your Eminence.
I'll let him know.
No, Ray, tell him
that I will see him
after I've met the cardinals.
The poor fellow will be
worrying about his future.
(tools buzzing loudly)
(quiet chatter)
(choir singing faintly
in distance)
(Italian newscast
playing quietly)
(indistinct chatter)
(helicopter passing overhead)
(laughs)
LAWRENCE:
So how many is that, Willi?
MANDORFF:
103, Eminence Lawrence.
Well, I wonder
where Tedesco has got to.
Perhaps he's not coming.
(chuckles) Well, that'd be
too much to hope for.
(laughter)
We could wait inside
if you prefer.
No, let's stay out here
and get some fresh air
while we can.
Ah.
Father Bellini.
Aldo.
-Am I the last?
-Not quite. How are you?
-Oh, well, you know,
fairly dreadful. -(chuckles)
-Have you seen the papers?
-Mm-hmm.
Apparently, it's already
decided it's to be me.
And I happen to agree with them.
(sighs)
What if I don't want it?
-(chuckles) -No sane man
would want the papacy.
Some of our colleagues
seem to want it.
What if I know in my heart
that I am not worthy?
-You are more worthy
than any of us. -I'm not.
Well, then tell your supporters
not to vote for you,
to pass the chalice.
And let it go to him?
I could never live with myself.
(helicopter whirring)
(both laugh)
Ah. Sorry, my train
was delayed from Venice.
(chuckles) But don't worry.
My friends have kept me
well-informed.
Mah.
No one is ever well
at our age, no?
-(chuckles)
-And you?
Huh? How do you feel
with your new-- huh?--
responsabilit? (chuckles)
Everything under control?
No!
See you later.
(helicopter whirring)
BELLINI:
Dear Lord.
That's enormous.
Apparently, Pope John the 23rd
was too fat to fit into
the biggest cassock,
so they had to split the seam
at the back
for him to get into it.
(both laugh)
(Lawrence groans)
You look tired.
Well, all this is
a duty I never thought
I'd have to perform.
I thought he would
outlive all of us.
We didn't part well.
I asked for his permission
to resign as dean.
Join an order.
What did he say?
He refused my resignation.
Said some were chosen
to be shepherds
and some to manage the farm.
Apparently, I am a manager.
He told me about
your crisis of faith.
But you should know that he had
his own doubts towards the end.
Well, the pope had doubts
about God?
No.
Never about God.
What he had lost faith in
was the Church.
-Father Wozniak?
-(chatter outside)
WOZNIAK: In the name
of the Father, the Son
and the Holy Ghost.
-My last confession
was four weeks ago. -Janusz.
Janusz, I haven't got time
to hear your confession.
There's still so much to do.
Have you been drinking?
What's troubling you? Tell me.
I should have
come to you before.
But I promised
not to say anything.
-Promised who?
-Cardinal Tremblay.
Janusz, the doors close soon
and you'll have to leave.
Now, if you promised
Cardinal Tremblay,
then perhaps it isn't right
that you're...
The day the pope died,
the last person to have an
official appointment with him
was Cardinal Tremblay.
Yes, I know.
It's on the official time line.
At that meeting,
the Holy Father dismissed him.
What?
He sacked him.
Why?
For gross misconduct.
And you tell me this now?
We're about to be
sequestered, Janusz.
Forgive me, but it wasn't
until the last few days
when I started to hear
the rumors.
What rumors?
He may be elected pope.
Oh, and you see it as your duty
to prevent that, do you?
I-I no longer know
what my duty is.
Were you there at this meeting?
No, Your Eminence.
The Holy Father told me
about it afterwards,
when we had supper.
Did he tell you why he had
dismissed Eminence Tremblay?
No.
He said the reasons
would become clear soon enough.
(gate creaking)
(shutters clanking)
RAY:
Ah. Dean Lawrence.
An issue.
Oh, dear God.
One of them's died?
-I'm sorry?
-Have we lost a cardinal?
No, Your Eminence.
We seem to have acquired one.
I mean it literally.
Another cardinal
has just turned up.
Well, then we left someone
off the list.
He was never on our list,
Eminence.
He says he was created
in pectore.
Oh, no, then he has to be
an imposter, surely.
Well, that's what I thought,
Eminence.
But Archbishop Mandorff has
spoken to him and thinks not.
Well, what's this I'm hearing?
(speaks Italian)
His name is Vincent Benitez,
Your Eminence.
He's the archbishop of Kabul.
Archbishop of where?
Kabul.
But he is Mexican.
The Holy Father
appointed him last year.
Last year? So how has this been
kept a secret for so long?
I thought perhaps you would be
aware of his elevation.
No, I'm not.
Ray, ask Eminence Bellini
to join us.
Maybe he knows
something of this.
-Yes, Your Eminence.
-Thank you.
He has a letter of appointment
from the pope
addressed to
the Archdiocese of Kabul,
which they kept secret
at the Holy Father's request.
Mm-hmm.
You don't think
he could have forged it?
Uh, where is he now?
BELLINI (hushed):
A cardinal in Afghanistan?
-LAWRENCE: Mm.
-It's absurd.
How many Catholics are there
in Afghanistan?
LAWRENCE: Uh, he was head of
the Catholic mission there
until his elevation.
But how can we possibly
ensure his safety?
Well, presumably,
that's why the Holy Father
wanted it kept a secret.
-Well, it won't be
in pectore now. -Mm.
I don't think we have
any choice but to admit him.
Wait, wait. Thomas.
Are we sure that the Holy Father
was entirely competent
when he made this appointment?
I believe this man is
legally a cardinal, Aldo,
and I... I think he has a right
to take part in the election.
(lively chatter)
(silverware tapping on glass)
LAWRENCE:
Eminences, before we eat,
I'd like to introduce, uh,
a new member of our order,
whose existence was
not known to any of us,
uh, until only a few hours ago.
This is because our brother
was made a cardinal
by the perfectly
legitimate procedure
known as creation in pectore.
Now, the reason why
it had to be done this way
is known only to God
and to the late Holy Father.
But I think
we can guess well enough,
as our new brother's ministry
is an extremely dangerous one.
Welcome to our order,
Vincent Benitez,
cardinal archbishop of Kabul.
(scattered applause building)
Eminence, please,
would you bless our meal?
Of course.
Bless us, O Lord,
and these, your gifts,
which we are about to receive
from your bounty.
ALL:
Amen.
(speaking Spanish):
ALL:
Amen.
Amen.
-Please come.
-(lively chatter)
This is your...
Here, come.
(cardinals conversing
in Spanish)
Lawrence!
Oh, I have...
-Goffredo.
-Tommaso.
Take some wine.
(sighing)
Grazie.
You look anxious.
(laughs)
Our new brother...
-(laughing)
-Hmm?
(laughs)
Divided by language.
Ecco...
(chuckles)
Things fall apart.
The center cannot hold.
-Mm.
-(chuckles)
(quiet chatter)
SABBADIN: It was shrewd of him
to stay away from Rome
until today.
One outspoken
newspaper interview
could have written Tedesco off.
But instead, he will do well
tomorrow, I think.
LAWRENCE:
Which means?
SABBADIN:
I would say...
he's worth 15 votes
on the first ballot.
LAWRENCE:
And Bellini?
BELLINI: Why do I feel like a
cow being priced by the farmer?
SABBADIN:
First ballot?
Between 20 and 25.
But it is tomorrow night
that the real work begins.
Somehow we have to get him
a two-thirds majority.
BELLINI: By "real work,"
you mean what exactly?
CARDINAL:
But, Eminence Bellini,
those who seek the papacy...
-I don't seek the papacy. I...
-(door opens)
(clears throat)
SABBADIN: Listen, you don't
have to do anything.
Just leave it to us.
BELLINI: Tell them I stand for
a commonsense approach
to such issues as
gays and divorce.
Tell them I stand for
never returning to the days
of the Latin liturgy
or families of ten children
because mama and papa
didn't know any better.
That was an ugly
and repressive time,
and I'm glad that it's over.
Tell them I stand for
respecting other faiths,
for tolerating other views
within our own Church,
and tell them that I believe
women should play
more of a role in the Curia.
Let's, uh...
let's not mention women.
Why?
Brother, I have no intention
of concealing my views
or pretending to be anything
other than I am
in order to sway any of
our number who are undecided.
So...
if you want to canvass
on my behalf,
then make sure
that my message is clear.
I stand for everything
that Tedesco does not.
Okay. If you'll excuse me.
SABBADIN:
All right.
Rocco, you talk
to the Americans.
Villanueva, I leave
the South Americans to you.
Gianmarco,
you take the Africans.
Aldo doesn't want it.
Any of it.
You know that, don't you?
SABBADIN: Of course I do.
That's why I support him.
The men who are dangerous
are the ones who do want it.
(lock beeps)
I'm enjoying
all this mystery, Thomas.
And I suppose you should tell
me what you want to talk about.
Your last meeting
with the Holy Father.
Oh, what about it?
Well, I've been told
it was difficult.
-Was it?
-Difficult? No.
Not that I can recall.
Well, I'm sorry
to have to ask you this, Joe,
but to be specific, I was told
that the Holy Father
demanded your resignation.
What?
That's absurd. I...
I don't know what--
Wh-Who told you that?
-Archbishop Wozniak.
-Why would he say such a thing?
So there isn't any truth
in the allegation?
Oh, God, no, of course not.
It's absurd.
You don't think that...
-No, well, I-I had to ask.
-Oh, I understand, but no.
Y-You can ask Monsignor Morales.
He was at the meeting.
Well, I would,
but at the moment,
we happen to be sequestered.
Oh.
(cups clinking)
Can you think of any reason why
Archbishop Wozniak would
circulate such a story?
No, I can't.
I really...
D-Do you want a coffee?
-No.
-(coffee maker buzzing)
I'm shocked.
-He told you this himself?
-Yes.
(buzzing stops)
You don't think...
What?
The drinking.
I don't like to bring it up,
but we both know
his drinking has been
getting much heavier.
And perhaps it's affecting
his judgment, h-his mind even.
And... (sighs)
I know my name has been
mentioned as a future pope,
and if the archbishop
doesn't approve of that idea,
maybe he's...
I don't know. I-I'm just
trying to make sense of this.
And the poor man.
He was shattered by
the Holy Father's death.
Yes, indeed.
Again, Joe, uh, my apologies.
No, not at all.
I completely understand.
Um...
What did you discuss
with the Holy Father
in that final meeting?
Forgive me, Thomas.
It was a private conversation.
And very precious.
Those were the last words
I ever exchanged
with the Holy Father.
Yes, of course.
Good night, Joe.
Good night, Thomas.
(lock clicks)
-ADEYEMI: Decano.
-Ah.
Oh, we are neighbors, Joshua.
Ah. It appears so.
-I thought that I should, uh...
-(lock beeps)
do a little more work
on my homily for tomorrow.
Ah, yes, of course.
I look forward to it.
I understand the trick is
to offend no one.
(both laugh)
-(door closes)
-(lock beeps)
(door closes)
(Lawrence murmuring quietly)
(faint singing in other room)
(Lawrence grunts softly)
(grunting)
(panting)
You're a manager.
Manage.
Decano Lawrence?
-Eminenza.
-Tutto bene, grazie.
(speaking Italian):
But you know all that.
Let me speak from the heart
for a moment.
Saint Paul said,
"Be subject to one another
out of reverence for Christ."
To work together,
to, uh, to grow together,
we must be tolerant.
No one person or-or faction
seeking to dominate another.
And speaking to the Ephesians,
who were of course a mixture
of Jews and gentiles,
Paul reminds us
that God's gift to the Church
is its variety.
It is this variety, this
diversity of people and views,
which gives our Church
its strength.
(in distance): And over
the course of many years,
in the service of our mother
the Church, let me tell you,
there is one sin which I have
come to fear above all others.
Certainty.
Certainty is
the great enemy of unity.
Certainty is the deadly enemy
of tolerance.
Even Christ was not certain
at the end.
He cried out in his agony
at the ninth hour on the cross.
Our faith is a living thing
precisely because it walks
hand in hand with doubt.
If there was only certainty
and no doubt,
there would be no mystery.
And therefore no need for faith.
Let us pray that God will
grant us a pope who doubts.
And let him grant us
a pope who sins
and asks for forgiveness
and who carries on.
(cardinals whispering
indistinctly)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
RAY:
Dean Lawrence,
your homily has caused
quite the stir.
I don't think
anyone expected you to...
What, to say
something interesting?
-I'll have a transcript made
of the recording. -Mm-hmm.
If, uh...
if there's nothing else.
-Grazie. Grazie.
-Eminence.
Yes, um...
I, uh, I need you
to do something for me.
Monsignor Morales.
I'm sure he's still in Rome.
-Could you try and see him?
-Today? Well, I...
Use my authority.
I'd like to know what happened
in the final meeting
between Cardinal Tremblay
and the Holy Father.
What happened?
Specifically, did anything occur
that might render Tremblay
unfit for the papacy?
Of course, Your Eminence.
Bless you.
(footsteps receding)
(indistinct
police radio chatter)
(speaking Latin):
(cameras clicking)
(Guttoso speaking Latin)
(lights clank)
-(lights clank)
-(cardinal coughing)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
(church bell tolls)
-(quiet chatter)
-(choir singing in distance)
(clank echoes)
-(pen writing)
-(cardinal coughing)
(speaking Latin):
(cardinal coughs)
(cardinal reciting vow
in Latin)
(cardinal reciting vow
in Latin)
(speaking Italian):
Cardinale Tremblay.
Cardinale Tedesco.
Cardinale Adeyemi.
Cardinale Lawrence.
Cardinale Bellini.
Cardinale Bellini.
Cardinale Villanueva.
Cardinale Tremblay.
Cardinale Adeyemi.
Cardinale Tremblay.
Cardinale Tedesco.
Cardinale Bellini.
Cardinale Adeyemi.
(quiet chatter)
(speaks Italian)
(hissing)
(crowd murmuring excitedly)
(crowd groaning, quieting)
RAY: The media have noticed
the presence of a cardinal
who doesn't appear
on the official list, Dean,
Cardinal Benitez,
so I've taken the liberty
of putting together
a draft statement.
I've also put together
some biographical details
for yourself.
Ministries in Veracruz,
the Congo,
where he established a hospital
for the female victims
of genocidal sexual violence
during the first
and second wars.
-Then Baghdad and finally
the mission in Kabul. -Right.
There was some question of his
resigning on health grounds,
but apparently the Holy Father
convinced him to continue.
He's certainly served
his ministry
-in some terrible places.
-Yes.
Health grounds?
Uh, look into that,
would you, Ray?
It's the kind of thing
the press like to get hold of.
Of course.
And the, um...
the other matter, the...
Yes.
I spoke to Monsignor Morales.
He was emphatic
that he knows of no reason
why Cardinal Tremblay
should not be pope.
-Thank you.
-However,
will you forgive me if I say
I did not entirely believe
the good monsignor?
He was just...
so emphatic.
My Spanish is quite poor,
and I may have accidentally
given him the impression
that you had seen a document
that contradicts that,
and he said
you weren't to worry, that--
and his exact words were...
(speaks Spanish)
A report? A report about what?
Withdrawn when?
That I couldn't say, Eminence.
Mm.
(sighs)
(vehicle door closes)
Third place.
Not what we had hoped.
Your sermon didn't exactly
help us, and your five votes.
You have far too little support
to emerge as
a serious candidate.
Well, my position is
an embarrassment to me.
If I find out
who my supporters are,
I'll plead with them
to vote for someone else.
I'll tell them
I'll be voting for Aldo.
All right.
That leaves 31 votes available.
We simply have to pick up
most of them.
(sirens wailing)
LAWRENCE:
The Holy Father's turtles.
He was very fond of them.
A gift from Angola.
I thought I was imagining them.
I love them. They're so clever.
Well, here they keep escaping
and being run over. (chuckles)
We should go back.
The evening curfew.
And your health,
how are you bearing up?
My health is perfect.
Thank you.
I only meant: Have you
recovered from your journey?
-I have indeed.
-Good.
And in the Sistine,
you found someone to vote for?
Yes. I voted for you.
Forgive me.
Am I not supposed to say?
No, no, it's not that you...
No, I'm honored,
but, my dear Vincent--
May I call you Vincent?
I'm not a serious candidate.
My vocation lies
in a different...
After the conclave,
I hope to resign as dean
and then leave Rome altogether.
Why?
I've been
experiencing difficulties.
With your faith?
Prayer.
I only mention it to illustrate
my point that I'm in no way
worthy to be pope.
Come.
(automated female voice
speaking Italian)
(elevator doors open)
Aldo.
Aldo?
I-I feel wretched that
my-my meager tally of votes
may have come at your expense.
Hmm.
I had no idea
you were so ambitious.
Oh, that's
a ridiculous thing to say.
Is it?
Is it?
I thought we had your support.
If we liberals are not united,
Tedesco will become pope.
You have no idea
how bad it became, Thomas.
The way he and his circle
attacked the Holy Father
towards the end.
The smears,
the leaks to the press.
It was savage.
He fought him every single day
of his pontificate.
And now that he's dead,
he wants to destroy
his life's work.
If Tedesco becomes pope,
he will undo
60 years of progress.
Y-You talk as if you are
the only alternative.
-Well... -But Adeyemi has
the wind behind him.
-Adeyemi? Adeyemi?
-Mm-hmm.
The man who believes
that h*m* should be
sent to prison in this world
and hell in the next?
Adeyemi's not the answer
to anything, and you know it.
If you want to defeat Tedesco...
"Defeat"?
This is a conclave, Aldo.
It's not a w*r.
It is a w*r!
And you have to commit
to a side!
Save your precious doubts
for your prayers.
You can't seriously believe
that I have the slightest
desire to become pope.
Oh, come on!
Every cardinal has that desire.
Every cardinal, deep down,
has already chosen the name
by which he would like
his papacy to be known.
Well, I haven't.
Deny it if you like.
But search your heart,
and then tell me it isn't so.
(groans softly)
(inhales deeply)
(muffled voices of man
and woman arguing in distance)
(woman shouting)
(arguing continues)
-(woman shouting)
-(door opens)
(door slams)
(footsteps walking briskly)
(cardinal reciting vow
in Latin)
(quiet chatter)
(building rumbling softly)
(cardinals murmuring)
(rumbling stops)
(murmuring quiets)
(metallic squeaking)
(bird chirping)
-(quiet chatter)
-(sirens wailing in distance)
Well, I take it
something has happened.
There's been an expl*si*n,
Your Eminence,
in the Piazza Barberini.
-A b*mb?
-It's unclear at the moment.
There are injuries.
No talk of fatalities, though.
We must say nothing
to the cardinal electors
about this, Ray.
We are sequestered,
and they must be shielded
from all news that may
influence their judgment.
-You understand?
-Of course, Your Eminence.
(helicopter whirring
in distance)
(lively chatter)
This is exactly what I believe.
SABBADIN: What am I supposed
to tell them in Milan
when they start to discover
our new pope's social views?
BELLINI: Tell your congregation
that they should celebrate
the first African pope
in the history of the Church.
If Adeyemi was white,
we'd be all condemning him as
more reactionary than Tedesco.
Just only because
he's not white...
It's too late for all that.
-It's too late.
-(Adeyemi shouting angrily)
(clamoring, dishes clatter)
(nun sobbing)
What happened?
(pots clanking)
-(water running)
-(knives chopping food)
(knock on door)
(speaks quietly)
LAWRENCE:
Oh, good afternoon, sister.
I would like to speak to the nun
-who dropped her tray just now.
-She's safe with me.
I'm dealing with
the situation, Dean.
I'm sure you are, Sister Agnes,
but I must see her myself.
I hardly think a dropped tray
should concern the dean
of the College of Cardinals.
LAWRENCE:
Even so, I...
The welfare of the sister
is my responsibility.
And this conclave is mine.
(bird chirping)
Please sit, my child.
My name is Cardinal Lawrence.
How are you feeling?
She's feeling much better.
Could you tell me your name?
Shanumi. Her name is Shanumi.
Please, please do sit down.
I-I really think
it would be better
if you let me deal
with the situation...
Would you be so good as to
leave us now, Sister Agnes?
(door opens)
(bird chirping)
(door closes)
Sister Shanumi,
I want you to understand
that, first of all,
you are not
in any kind of trouble.
The fact of the matter is
that I have a responsibility
before God to ensure that
the decisions that we make here
are the right ones.
Now, it's important you tell me
anything that is in your heart
or that is troubling you,
insofar as it relates
to Cardinal Adeyemi.
Can you do that for me?
Even if I give you my assurance
it will go no further
than this room?
Would you like me to hear
your confession?
ADEYEMI: I'll be ready
in a moment, Dean.
(objects clinking quietly)
(Adeyemi sniffs, clears throat)
-Shouldn't we be going?
-In a moment.
That sounds ominous.
If this is about
the incident downstairs,
I have no desire
to talk about it.
(sighs)
I am the victim
of a disgraceful plot
to ruin my reputation.
Someone brought that woman here
and staged this melodrama.
She'd never left Nigeria before,
and suddenly she's here
in the Casa Santa Marta...
Well, with respect, Joshua,
how she came here is secondary
to the issue of
your relationship with her.
I have no relationship to her!
I hadn't set eyes on her
in 30 years
until she turned up
outside my room last night!
(sighs)
It was a lapse, Dean.
A lapse.
"Let God grant us
a pope who sins
and asks forgiveness
and carries on."
-Your words.
-And the child?
The child?
(chuckling)
The child was raised
in a Christian household.
And to this day, he has no idea
who his father is,
if indeed it is me.
That is the child.
We were very young.
No, no, no, Joshua.
She was very young.
She was 19 years old.
-You were 30.
-Thomas.
Thomas.
Listen to me. Please.
I sensed the presence of
the Holy Spirit this morning,
I swear it.
I am ready to take this burden.
D-Does a single...
single mistake 30 years ago
disqualify me?
Thomas, please.
I was a different man.
Please, I-I beg you,
d-do not use this to ruin me.
Joshua, that thought's
not worthy of you.
Shanumi will say nothing
to protect her son.
And I am bound by
the vows of the confessional.
(Adeyemi sighs)
So I still have hope.
No.
There is no hope.
After such a public scene,
there will be rumors,
and you know
what the Curia is like.
Nothing terrifies
our colleagues more than
the thought of
yet more sexual scandals.
I am more sorry than I can say.
-You will never be pope.
-(stifled sob)
You must begin again.
But you are a good man.
(sobs)
I know you to be a good man,
and you will find a way
to atone.
(whimpering softly)
(Adeyemi sobbing)
Will you pray with me?
(sobbing)
-Yes, of course.
-(whimpering)
(sobbing)
(sobbing continues)
(sobbing continues)
(Adeyemi reciting vow in Latin)
(metallic clanking)
(cardinals whispering)
(cardinal reciting vow
in Latin)
(cardinal reciting vow
in Latin)
(Ray clears throat)
Yes, Ray?
RAY: The incident this morning,
Your Eminence.
I have more information if...
No, I, too, must be shielded
from any knowledge which could
act as an interference in
the process of this conclave.
Of course, Your Eminence.
-Anything else?
-Uh...
Oh. Cardinal Benitez.
-His health problems.
-Mm-hmm.
He was issued
a round-trip ticket to Geneva,
paid for by
the pope's own account.
I checked his visa application.
The purpose for travel was
given as "medical treatment."
Anyways, whatever it was,
it can't have been serious.
The ticket was canceled.
He never went.
All right. Thank you.
Forgive me, Your Eminence.
I know you said we should
forget about the matter
-of the withdrawn report.
-Yes.
But I-I wondered,
in light of Cardinal Tremblay's
current position...
...I-I could see
if I could find out...
-No, no, I'm not a witchfinder.
-(stammers)
It's not my job
to go hunting for secrets
in my colleagues' pasts.
Forgive me.
Please, no more investigations.
I...
...think we've heard
enough secrets.
Let God's will be done.
Yes, of course.
Good night then, Your Eminence.
(knock on door)
LAWRENCE:
Well, is this really necessary?
I feel as if I'm at some
American political convention.
SABBADIN: Well, it isn't
going to take long.
Our friend here doesn't have
sufficient support
amongst our colleagues
to be elected pope.
LAWRENCE:
Well, it isn't over yet.
BELLINI: Well, I'm afraid,
as far as I'm concerned, it is.
So, now the question arises:
If I can't win,
whom do I advise my supporters
to vote for?
Thomas, I am
no more an enthusiast
for Tremblay than you are.
But we have to face
the fact that...
(door opens in distance)
(door closes in distance)
We have to face the fact
that he has demonstrated
broad appeal.
-Maybe he'll be
a unifying force. -No, no.
-What?
-Is this what we're reduced to?
Considering
the least worst option?
But the field has narrowed.
If we don't change our vote,
we will be here for weeks.
And that's exactly
what Tedesco wants.
SABBADIN: We had a pope
who was in the Hitler Youth
and fought for the Nazis.
We had popes
accused of colluding
with communists and fascists.
We had popes
who have ignored reports
of most appalling
sexual abuse of children!
BELLINI:
Shh. Okay, shush.
We take the point.
SABBADIN: The point is
we will never find a candidate
who doesn't have any kind of
black mark against them.
We're mortal men.
We serve an ideal.
We cannot always be ideal.
BELLINI:
Then we're agreed.
We urge all our supporters
to back Tremblay.
Good.
The other night,
you were kind enough
to say that
you had voted for me.
Now, I don't know
if you've continued to do so,
but if you have, then I must
repeat my plea to you to stop.
BENITEZ:
Why?
Well, firstly, I lack
the spiritual depth to be pope.
Secondly,
I couldn't possibly win.
A long, drawn-out conclave
would be seen by the media
as proof that
the Church is in crisis.
You have come to ask me to vote
for Cardinal Tremblay?
Yes, I have and to urge
your supporters to do the same.
Cardinal Tremblay already
spoke to me about this.
Oh, well, I'm sure he has.
You want me to vote for a man
you see as ambitious?
I do not want to see
Tedesco as pope.
He would take our Church back
to-to an earlier era.
I'm sorry,
but I cannot vote for a man
unless I deem him
the most worthy to be pope.
And for me,
that is not Tremblay.
It's you.
I don't want your vote!
Nevertheless, you have it.
Sister Shanumi is
on her way home to Nigeria.
There was a flight to Lagos
this evening,
and I thought it was best
for everyone if she was on it.
LAWRENCE: How did Sister Shanumi
come to be in Rome?
I received notification
from the office
of the Superioress General
that she would be joining us.
The arrangement
were made in Paris.
You should ask Rue de Bac,
Your Eminence.
I would except, of course,
I am sequestered for
the duration of the conclave.
Then you should
ask them afterwards.
Uh, the information is
of value to me now.
Sister Agnes, I know that you
were close to the Holy Father.
When I tried to resign as dean,
he wouldn't let me.
I couldn't understand why at
the time, but now I think I do.
I think the Holy Father
knew he was dying,
and for some reason, he wanted
me to run this conclave.
Which is what I'm trying to do.
For him.
(typing on keyboard)
(mouse clicks)
(door closes)
(bird chirping)
(sniffs)
I would like you to withdraw
your name from the next ballot.
(laughs)
You are not the right man
to be pope.
Well, 40 of our colleagues
would disagree with you on that.
That's because
they don't know you as I do.
This is sad, Thomas.
I shall pray for you.
I know there was some kind of
report into your activities.
I know the Holy Father
raised the matter with you
hours before he died
and that he dismissed you
from all your posts,
and I know that
somehow you discovered
Adeyemi's surrender
to temptation 30 years ago
and that you arranged
for the woman involved
to be brought to Rome
with the express intention
of destroying Adeyemi's chances
of becoming pope.
I deny that accusation.
Well, you deny asking
our superioress
to transfer
one of her sisters to Rome?
No. I asked her.
-But not on my own behalf.
-Well, on whose behalf, then?
The Holy Father's.
Oh, you would libel the
Holy Father in his own home?
It isn't libel.
It's the truth.
The Holy Father gave me
the name of a sister
and asked me to make a private
request to bring her to Rome.
I have no idea why,
and now you have chosen to...
You should be careful, Thomas.
Your own ambition
has not gone unnoticed.
This might be seen as a tactic
to blacken the name of a rival.
Well, that's
a despicable accusation.
Is it?
I wonder...
if you really are
so very reluctant
to have the chalice
passed to you.
I shall pretend this
conversation never took place.
But it has taken place!
(elevator bell dings)
(automated female voice
speaks Italian)
(cracking)
(light switch clicks)
(drawer closes)
(pills rattle softly)
(gasps softly)
(automated female voice
speaks Italian in distance)
(elevator doors closing)
(gasps softly)
(light switch clicks)
(gasps softly)
(footsteps receding)
(light switch clicks)
(sighs heavily)
(sighs)
(breath trembling)
(sobs softly)
(sobbing)
(sobbing loudly)
(sobbing continues)
(sobbing stops)
(sniffles)
(sighs)
LAWRENCE: It's the report
on the activities of Tremblay.
It's an overwhelming
prima facie case
that he is guilty of simony,
which of course
is an offense stipulated
in the Holy Scriptures...
BELLINI: I'm aware of
what simony is. Thank you.
He only obtained all those
votes in the first ballot
because he bought them.
Cardenas, Diene,
Figarella, Baptiste.
And all this
in the last 12 months
when he must have guessed
the Holy Father's pontificate
was-was coming to an end.
How do we know that
this money wasn't used
for completely
legitimate purposes?
Because I've seen
no bank statements.
Dear God.
Seems the Holy Father was
spying on all of us.
He didn't trust anyone.
Where did you get this?
You broke the seals.
I felt I didn't have a choice.
I suspected Tremblay of
bringing that poor woman from
Africa to embarrass Adeyemi.
You must continue
with your candidacy, Aldo.
(papers rustling)
Put them back.
Put them back.
Or burn them or...
Just put them back.
I could never become pope
in these circumstances.
A stolen document, the smearing
of a brother cardinal?
(chuckles): I'd be
the Richard Nixon of popes.
Then stay clear of this.
Leave it to me.
I'm willing to handle
the consequences.
You know who's gonna benefit
most from this?
Tedesco.
The whole basis of his candidacy
is that the Holy Father
led the Church to disaster
by his attempts at reform.
If you reveal this report,
it isn't Tremblay's reputation
that's going to suffer.
It's the Church's.
Accusing the Curia
of institutional corruption.
I thought we were here
to serve God, not the Curia.
Oh, don't be naive.
Put them back.
And have Tremblay as pope?
We've had worse.
What has he offered you?
Secretary of state?
Five times I cast my vote
for you, Aldo.
But I was wrong.
You lack the courage required
to be pope.
(door opens)
(door closes)
(copier whirring)
(copier beeps)
(sighs)
AGNES: I will do that for you,
Your Eminence.
Oh.
How many copies do you require?
Uh, 108.
(copier whirring
and clicking rhythmically)
-(copier stops)
-(cardinals murmuring)
TREMBLAY: You are responsible
for this, I believe.
No, Eminence. You are.
(sighs)
This report is
entirely mendacious!
It would never have seen
the light of day if you had not
broken into the Holy Father's
apartment to remove it!
If the report is mendacious,
then why did the Holy Father,
in his last official act
as pope, ask you to resign?
He did no such thing.
As Monsignor Morales,
who was at the meeting...
And yet Archbishop Wozniak
insists the Holy Father...
The Holy Father,
may his name be numbered
among the high priests,
was a sick man
toward the end of his life,
as those of us who saw him
regularly can attest.
(Tedesco laughing)
Blacked out!
If Cardinal Tremblay
requested their votes
in return for the money...
(cardinals groaning, clamoring)
Let each man examine
his conscience as I have.
(cardinals clamoring angrily)
I have no desire to create
bitterness in this conclave,
and I will be happy
to stand down as dean.
-(clamoring continues)
-(laughing)
TREMBLAY:
You see? You see?
AGNES (under clamoring):
Eminenze!
-Eminenze!
-(clamoring stops)
Eminences.
Although we sisters are
supposed to be invisible,
God has nevertheless given us
eyes and ears.
I know what prompted
the dean of the College
to enter
the Holy Father's rooms.
He was concerned
that the sister from my order
that made that regrettable scene
might have been brought to Rome
with the deliberate intention
of embarrassing
a member of this conclave.
His suspicions were correct.
She was indeed here
at the specific request
of Cardinal Tremblay.
My brothers,
it's true.
But the Holy Father asked me to.
I had no knowledge
who this woman was,
I swear to you.
(cardinals whispering)
(footsteps approaching)
(Bellini grunts)
Seems that we're running
out of favorites.
You must take over
the supervision
of this election, Aldo.
Oh, no, thank you. (chuckles)
You are steering this conclave.
Exactly where, I do not know.
But that firm hand of yours
has its admirers.
Thomas, I've come to ask
for your forgiveness.
I had the temerity
to tell you
to examine your heart,
when all the time,
it was my own that...
It's shameful.
To be this age
and still not know yourself.
Ambition, the moth of holiness.
I'm sorry.
So, perhaps it's time
you decided upon a name.
As the next most senior member
of this conclave,
it will fall to me to ask you
how you wish
to be known as pope.
For better or for worse,
it would seem
that Tremblay is finished.
This is a contest
between Tedesco and you.
You're the only one
who can stop him now.
John.
I would choose John.
(reciting vow in Latin)
-(loud rumbling)
-(cardinals shouting)
(debris clattering)
(footsteps approaching)
RAY:
Everyone has been taken back
to the Casa Santa Marta,
Your Eminence.
No one was seriously hurt.
Some cuts, that's all.
LAWRENCE: Outside in the city,
how bad is it?
Oh, dear God.
(paper rustles)
LAWRENCE:
At 11:20 this morning,
a car b*mb exploded in
-the Piazza del Risorgimento.
-(quiet murmuring)
Shortly afterwards, as people
were fleeing the scene,
an individual with expl*sives
strapped to his body
-detonated himself.
-(quiet gasping)
There are reports
of further attacks
in Leuven and Munich.
The current death toll stands...
at 52.
(cardinals murmuring)
Hundreds have been injured.
-You should be ashamed.
-Ashamed?
-Ashamed.
-We should all be ashamed!
-(scattered applause)
-(cardinals murmuring)
...who fights these animals!
(clamoring)
CARDINAL: Is this the man
you want to lead us?
-BENITEZ: My brother cardinal.
-(clamoring continues)
My brother cardinal.
(clamoring stops)
With respect...
...what do you know about w*r?
I carried out my ministry
in the Congo.
In Baghdad, in Kabul.
I've seen the lines
of the dead and wounded,
Christian and Muslim.
When you say we have to fight,
what is it you think
we're fighting?
You think it's those deluded men
who have carried out
these terrible acts today?
No, my brother.
(quiet chatter)
LAWRENCE (speaking Latin):
ALL:
Amen.
(pen clicks)
(wind whooshing softly)
(bird chirping)
(pen writing)
(sets down pen)
(indistinct whispering)
LOMBARDI (faintly):
Bellini.
Benitez.
Lawrence.
Tedesco.
Lawrence.
(applause)
Monsignor.
I'm sorry to interrupt.
Ray.
I think you should gather up
the cardinals' notes.
The sooner we light the stove,
the sooner the world will know
we have a new pope.
(chuckles):
What is it?
It wasn't...
wasn't the outcome I expected.
No, but it's wonderful
all the same.
If it's my position
you're worried about,
I can reassure you
I feel nothing but relief.
Our new Holy Father will make
a much better pope
than I would ever have done.
I wonder if I could have
a word in private.
I should have told you
this morning when I found out,
but with everything that--
and I didn't dream
that Cardinal Benitez
would become...
Ray, please tell me
what's troubling you.
I found out...
Switzerland.
Cardinal Benitez's trip
to Switzerland.
Switzerland. The-the hospital
in Geneva, yes?
It wasn't a hospital.
It was a clinic.
A clinic for what?
(busy chatter)
-May I speak to you alone?
-Of course.
(footsteps departing)
(door closes)
I was waiting for you to come.
You must tell me
about this treatment
at the clinic in Geneva.
-Must I, Dean?
-Yes, you must.
Within the hour, you'll be the
most famous man in the world,
so please tell me.
What is your situation?
My situation, as you put it,
is the same as when
I was ordained a priest.
And when I was made a cardinal.
But the treatment in Geneva?
There was no treatment.
I considered it.
I prayed for guidance
and decided against it.
But what would it have been,
this treatment?
It was called
a laparoscopic hysterectomy.
(sighs softly)
(sighs softly)
You have to understand.
When I was a child,
there was no way of knowing
my situation was
more complicated.
And life in the seminary is,
as you know, a very modest one.
The truth is, there simply was
no reason to think
I was physically different
from the other young men.
Then, in my late 30s,
I had a surgery
to remove my appendix.
And that was
when the doctors discovered
that I had a uterus.
And ovaries.
Some would say
my chromosomes would define me
as being a woman.
And yet I'm also as you see me.
It was a very dark time for me.
I felt as if
my entire life as a priest
had been lived
in a state of sin.
Of course, I offered my
resignation to the Holy Father.
I flew to Rome,
and I told him everything.
He knew?
Yes. He knew.
And he thought it acceptable
for you to continue
as an ordained minister?
We considered surgery to remove
the female parts of my body.
But the night before
I was due to fly,
I realized I was mistaken.
I was who I had always been.
It seemed to me more of a sin
to change his handiwork
than to leave my body
as it was.
So you are still, um...
I am what God made me.
And perhaps it is my difference
that will make me more useful.
I think again of your sermon.
I know what it is to exist
between the world's certainties.
(crowd murmuring faintly
in distance)
(soft chirp nearby)
(flame whooshes)
(smoke hissing)
(crowd murmuring and singing
in distance)
(crowd cheering)
(cheering continues faintly
in distance)
(shutters whirring)
(whirring stops)
(grunts softly)
(birds chirping)
(door opens in distance)
(nuns chattering in distance)
(chattering happily)
(laughter)
(music ends)
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Conclave (2024)
Moderators: Maskath3, sidolanters, GabrielAlejo2341