Conclave (2024)

1. He is with God.

2. The throne of the Holy See

3. is vacant.

4. Aldo.

5. Hey, do you think that anybody would mind

6. if I took that, as a keepsake? - Of course, take it.

7. He would've wanted you to have it.

8. Because we used to play quite often in the evenings.

9. He said... it helped him to relax.

10. And who won?

11. Oh, he did.

12. He was always eight moves ahead.

13. Hmm.

14. Aldo...

15. I'm sorry.

16. Hmm.

17. No, go on. What happened, do you know?

18. No. They say a heart attack, but...

19. there had been warnings.

20. I don't know. I hadn't heard that.

21. Yeah. He didn't want anyone to know.

22. He was afraid that if word got out

23. that they would start circulating rumours

24. that he was going to resign.

25. The Curia.

26. Yes.

27. Okay.

28. I know this is hard for you, but...

29. we will have to prepare a detailed statement.

30. Who discovered the Holy Father's body?

31. I did, Your Eminence.

32. And then what did you do?

33. I... called the Holy Father's doctor.

34. Mm-hmm.

35. But it was too late.

36. Mm-hmm.

37. And what time was this?

38. Around... 11:30, Eminence.

39. We would have called you earlier, but...

40. Thomas, I'm so sorry.

41. I know His Holiness had no colleagues

42. closer than you and Aldo.

43. But I asked Janusz to hold off calling you.

44. I wanted to ascertain all the facts.

45. You know how rumour spreads.

46. I've prepared a timeline of His Holiness's last day,

47. and these are the Holy Father's most recent medical records.

48. And who was the last to have a scheduled meeting with him?

49. I believe that may have been me.

50. Father Wozniak, I was the last one?

51. You were, Eminence Tremblay.

52. Put in all the meetings he had that day.

53. It will show how hard he was working right to the very end.

54. Well...

55. it might look like we were placing

56. a huge burden on a sick man.

57. The Papacy is a huge burden,

58. especially for an older man.

59. Well, Dean,

60. it seems the responsibility for the Conclave

61. falls upon you.

62. Seal the room.

63. Security say they'd like to test

64. the electronic jammers one last time, Your Eminence.

65. Well, then they'd better be quick.

66. Is this really necessary, Willi?

67. Apparently so.

68. They say eavesdroppers can use lasers

69. to read the vibrations of the glass.

70. Really? Well, let's hope none of our brothers

71. suffer from claustrophobia.

72. And who knows how long we're going to be in here?

73. Can you reassure me that we will be finished on time?

74. They will work through the night if they have to.

75. It will be fine, Your Eminence. It always is.

76. - Italy, you know. - I'm sorry to fuss.

77. Well, Eminence, I'd say this is a pretty fair vision of hell.

78. Well, don't be blasphemous, Ray.

79. Hell arrives tomorrow

80. when we bring in the cardinals.

81. Now, how do I pronounce this?

82. Kahl-koh, Your Eminence. He's Indian.

83. Oh, Kahl-koh, thank you.

84. Archbishop Wozniak has asked if he might have a word, Eminence.

85. Well, I don't think that's possible.

86. The cardinals will be arriving in an hour.

87. What's it about? - He didn't say.

88. I... I wouldn't have brought it up,

89. it's just he seemed so... upset.

90. Ray, we're going to be sequestered from six o'clock.

91. He should've come to me earlier.

92. Yes, Your Eminence. I'll let him know.

93. No, Ray...

94. tell him that I will see him

95. after I've met the cardinals.

96. The poor fellow will be

97. worrying about his future.

98. So, how many is that, Willi?

99. 103, Eminence Lawrence.

100. I wonder where Tedesco has got to.

101. Perhaps he's not coming.

102. Well, that'd be too much to hope for.

103. We could wait inside, if you prefer.

104. No, let's stay out here and get some fresh air

105. while we can.

106. Ah.

107. Father Bellini.

108. Aldo.

109. - Am I the last? - Not quite. How are you?

110. Oh, well, you know, fairly dreadful.

111. - Have you seen the papers? - Mm-hmm.

112. Apparently it's already decided it's to be me.

113. And I happen to agree with them.

114. What if I don't want it?

115. No sane man would want the Papacy.

116. Some of our colleagues seem to want it.

117. What if I know in my heart that I am not worthy?

118. You are more worthy than any of us.

119. - I'm not. - Well, then tell your supporters

120. not to vote for you. Pass the chalice.

121. And let it go to him?

122. I could never live with myself.

123. Eminence Tedesco.

124. Dean Lawrence!

125. How are you?

126. I'm well, Goffredo.

127. Sorry, my train was delayed from Venice.

128. We've missed you. - Yes.

129. No doubt.

130. But don't worry, my friends have kept me well informed.

131. Are you well?

132. No one is ever well at our age.

133. True.

134. And you, huh?

135. How do you feel with your new,

136. er, responsibility?

137. Everything under control?

138. Yes, I believe so.

139. Eminence Tedesco, may I? - No.

140. See you later.

141. You're welcome. See you later, Eminence.

142. Tell you what, that's enormous.

143. Apparently Pope John the 23rd was too fat

144. to fit into the biggest cassock, so they had to

145. split the seam at the back

146. for him to get into it.

147. No.

148. You look tired.

149. Well, all this is...

150. a duty I thought I'd never have to perform.

151. I thought he would outlive all of us.

152. We didn't part well.

153. I asked for his permission to resign as Dean,

154. join an order.

155. What did he say?

156. He refused my resignation.

157. Said some were chosen to be shepherds

158. and some to manage the farm.

159. Apparently I am a manager.

160. He told me about your crisis of faith.

161. But you should know that he had his own doubts...

162. towards the end.

163. Wow, the Pope had doubts about God?

164. No.

165. Never about God.

166. What he had lost faith in was the church.

167. Father Wozniak?

168. In the name of the Father, the Son,

169. and the Holy Ghost.

170. - My last confession was... - Janusz.

171. four weeks ago. - Janusz,

172. I haven't got time

173. to hear your confession.

174. There's still so much to do.

175. Have you been drinking?

176. What's troubling you? Tell me.

177. I should have come to you before,

178. but I promised not to say anything.

179. Promised who?

180. Cardinal Tremblay.

181. Janusz, the doors close soon and you'll have to leave.

182. Now, if you promised Cardinal Tremblay,

183. then perhaps it isn't right that you're...

184. The day the Pope died,

185. the last person to have an official appointment with him

186. was Cardinal Tremblay. - Yes, I know,

187. it's on the official timeline. - At that meeting,

188. the Holy Father dismissed him.

189. What?

190. He sacked him!

191. Why?

192. For gross misconduct.

193. And you tell me this now?

194. We're about to be sequestered, Janusz.

195. Forgive me, but it wasn't until the last few days

196. when I started to hear the rumours.

197. What rumours?

198. That he may be elected Pope.

199. Oh, and you see it as your duty to prevent that, do you?

200. I... I no longer know what my duty is.

201. Were you there at this meeting?

202. No, Your Eminence.

203. The Holy Father told me about it afterwards,

204. when we had supper.

205. Did he tell you why

206. he had dismissed Eminence Tremblay?

207. Err... no.

208. He said the reasons would become clear soon enough.

209. Dean Lawrence...

210. an issue.

211. Oh, dear God.

212. One of them's died? - I'm sorry?

213. Have we lost a cardinal?

214. No, Your Eminence.

215. We seem to have acquired one.

216. I mean it literally.

217. Another cardinal has just turned up.

218. Well, then, we've left someone off the list.

219. He was never on our list, Eminence.

220. He says he was created in pectore.

221. Oh no, then he has to be an imposter, surely.

222. Well, that's what I thought, Eminence.

223. But Archbishop Mandorff has spoken to him

224. and he thinks not.

225. Er, what's this I'm hearing?

226. His name is Vincent Benitez, Your Eminence.

227. He's the Archbishop of Kabul.

228. Archbishop of where?

229. Kabul.

230. But he's Mexican.

231. The Holy Father appointed him last year.

232. Last year? So, how has this been kept a secret for so long?

233. I thought perhaps you would be aware of his elevation.

234. No, I'm not. Ray, ask Eminence Bellini to join us,

235. maybe he knows something of this.

236. - Yes, Eminence. - Thank you.

237. He has a letter of appointment from the Pope,

238. addressed to the archdiocese of Kabul,

239. which they kept secret at the Holy Father's request.

240. Mm-hmm.

241. You don't think he could've forged it?

242. Well, err, where is he now?

243. A cardinal in Afghanistan?

244. - Hmm. - It's absurd.

245. How many Catholics are there in Afghanistan?

246. He was head of the Catholic mission there

247. until his elevation.

248. But how can we possibly ensure his safety?

249. Well, presumably that's why the Holy Father

250. wanted it kept a secret.

251. Well, it won't be in pectore now.

252. I don't think we have any choice but to admit him.

253. Wait, wait. Thomas.

254. Are we sure...

255. that the Holy Father was entirely...

256. competent...

257. when he made this appointment?

258. I believe this man is legally a cardinal, Aldo, and I...

259. I think he has a right to take part in the election.

260. Eminences, before we eat,

261. I'd like to introduce a new member of our order,

262. whose existence was not known to any of us

263. erm, until only a few hours ago.

264. This is because our brother

265. was made a cardinal by the perfectly legitimate procedure

266. known as creation in pectore.

267. Now, the reason why it had to be done this way

268. is known only to God and to the late Holy Father.

269. But I think we can guess well enough,

270. as our new brother's ministry

271. is an extremely dangerous one.

272. Welcome to our order,

273. Vincent Benitez,

274. Cardinal Archbishop of...

275. Kabul.

276. Eminence, please would you bless our meal?

277. Of course.

278. Bless us, oh Lord,

279. and these, your gifts,

280. which we are about to receive from your bounty.

281. Amen.

282. Bless all those

283. who cannot share this meal with us

284. and help us, O Lord, as we wat and drink,

285. to remember the hungry,

286. the thirsty,

287. the sick,

288. and the lonely,

289. and the sisters who prepared this food for us.

290. Through Christ Our Lord.

291. Amen.

292. Amen.

293. Please, come.

294. This is your...

295. Dean!

296. Goffredo.

297. Thomas.

298. Come.

299. Take some wine.

300. Thank you.

301. You look anxious.

302. Oh...

303. And we haven't even begun yet.

304. Our new brother...

305. Did I hear correctly, Afghanistan?

306. Yes.

307. A marvellous testament to the Universal Church,

308. So many men of different cultures, races,

309. bound together by their faith in God.

310. Hmm?

311. Look around you.

312. Notice how everyone gravitates to their fellow countrymen.

313. Italians over here.

314. Spanish speakers there,

315. Mm-hmm.

316. English there.

317. Yes.

318. French.

319. Divided by language.

320. When we were boys and the Tridentine Mass

321. was still the only true liturgy of the world,

322. we would all have been speaking Latin.

323. But then your fellow liberals insisted we get rid of that

324. "dead" language.

325. Without Rome, without the tradition of Rome...

326. Things fall apart.

327. The centre cannot hold.

328. So what, the next pope must be Italian?

329. Why not?

330. We haven't had an Italian pope for more than 40 years. 40 years, Tommaso.

331. Can you seriously imagine the alternative?

332. Excuse me, I must circulate amongst our brothers.

333. The abyss calls out.

334. It was shrewd of him to stay away

335. from Rome until today.

336. One outspoken newspaper interview

337. could have written Tedesco off.

338. But instead, he will do well tomorrow, I think.

339. Which means?

340. I would say...

341. he's worth 15 votes on the first ballet.

342. And Bellini?

343. Why do I feel like a cow being priced by the farmer?

344. First ballot...

345. Between 20 and 25.

346. But it is tomorrow night that the real work begins.

347. Somehow we have to get him a two thirds majority, hmm?

348. By real work you mean what, exactly?

349. But Eminence Bellini, those who seek the Papacy...

350. I don't "seek" the Papacy. I...

351. Thank you, Sisters.

352. Listen, you don't have to do anything.

353. Just leave it to us.

354. Tell them I stand for a common-sense approach

355. to such issues as gays and divorce.

356. Tell them I stand for never returning to the days

357. of the Latin liturgy,

358. or families of ten children

359. because Mama and Papa didn't know any better.

360. That was an ugly and repressive time

361. and I'm glad that it's over.

362. Tell them I stand for...

363. respecting other faiths,

364. for tolerating other views within our own church.

365. And tell them that I believe

366. women should play more of a role in the Curia.

367. Let's, um...

368. Let's not mention women.

369. Why?

370. Brother, I have no intention of concealing my views

371. or pretending to be anything other than I am

372. in order to sway any of our number who are undecided.

373. So...

374. if you want to canvas on my behalf,

375. then make sure that my message is clear.

376. I stand for everything that Tedesco does not.

377. - Okay. - If you'll excuse me.

378. Alright.

379. Rocco, you talk to the Americans.

380. Villanueva, I'll leave the South Americans to you.

381. Gianmarco, you take the Africans.

382. Aldo doesn't want it.

383. Any of it.

384. You know that, don't you?

385. Of course, I do.

386. That's why I support him.

387. The men who are dangerous

388. are the ones who do want it.

389. I'm enjoying all this mystery, Thomas.

390. And I suppose you should tell me what you want to talk about.

391. Your last meeting with the Holy Father.

392. Oh, what about it?

393. Well, I've been told it was difficult.

394. - Was it? - Difficult? No.

395. Not that I can recall.

396. Well, I... I'm sorry to have to ask you this, Joe,

397. but to be specific,

398. I was told that the Holy Father

399. demanded your resignation.

400. What?

401. - That's absurd. - I...

402. I don't know what we... who... who told you that?

403. Archbishop Wozniak.

404. Why would he say such a thing?

405. So, there isn't any truth in the allegation?

406. Oh God, no, of course not. It's absurd.

407. Hmm.

408. - You don't think that... - No, well, I... I had to ask.

409. I understand, but no.

410. You... you can ask Monsignor Morales.

411. He was at the meeting.

412. Well, I would,

413. but at the moment

414. we happen to be sequestered.

415. Oh.

416. Can you think of any reason why Archbishop Wozniak

417. would circulate such a story?

418. No, I can't.

419. I really... do you want a coffee?

420. No.

421. I'm shocked.

422. He told you this himself?

423. Yeah.

424. You don't think...?

425. Well, what?

426. The drinking?

427. I don't like to bring it up, but we both know

428. his drinking has been getting much heavier.

429. And perhaps it's affecting his judgement, hi- his mind even.

430. And...

431. I know my name has been mentioned as a future Pope.

432. And if the Archbishop doesn't approve of that idea,

433. maybe he's...

434. I don't know, I... I'm just trying to make sense of this.

435. And the poor man.

436. He was shattered by the Holy Father's death.

437. Yes, indeed.

438. Again, Joe, er, my apologies.

439. No, not at all.

440. I completely understand.

441. Erm...

442. what did you discuss with the Holy Father

443. in that final meeting?

444. Forgive me, Thomas.

445. It was a private conversation,

446. and very precious.

447. Those were the last words I ever exchanged

448. with the Holy Father.

449. Yes, of course.

450. Goodnight, Joe.

451. Goodnight Thomas.

452. - Decano. - Ah!

453. Oh, we're neighbours, Joshua.

454. Ah, it appears so.

455. I thought that I should, er...

456. do a little more work on my homily for tomorrow.

457. Ah, yes, of course. I look forward to it.

458. I understand the trick

459. is to offend no one.

460. You're a manager.

461. Manage.

462. Decano Lawrence?

463. Dear Brothers in Christ,

464. at the moment of great uncertainty,

465. in the history of the Holy Church,

466. we must think first of the late Holy Father,

467. whose brilliant pontificate was a gift from God,

468. now we must ask our Lord to send us a new Holy Father,

469. through the pastoral solicitude of the cardinal fathers.

470. And we must pray to God for that loving assistance,

471. and ask Him to guide us

472. to the right choice.

473. But you know all that.

474. Let me speak from the heart for a moment.

475. St Paul said, 'Be subject to one another

476. out of reverence for Christ.'

477. To work together, and to, er...

478. to grow together, we must be tolerant.

479. No one person or... or faction seeking to dominate another.

480. And speaking to the Ephesians,

481. who were of course a mixture of Jews and gentiles,

482. Paul reminds us that God's gift to the church...

483. is its variety.

484. It is this variety, this diversity of people and views

485. which gives our church its strength.

486. And over the course of many years

487. in the service of our Mother the Church,

488. let me tell you, there is one sin,

489. which I have come to fear above all others.

490. Certainty.

491. Certainty is the great enemy of unity.

492. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance.

493. Even Christ was not certain at the end.

494. My God, My God, why are you forsaken me?

495. He cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the cross.

496. Our faith is a living thing,

497. precisely because it walks hand-in-hand with doubt.

498. If there was only certainty...

499. and no doubt...

500. there would be no mystery...

501. and therefore no need... for faith.

502. Let us pray that God will grant us a Pope who doubts.

503. And let him grant us a Pope who sins and asks for forgiveness,

504. and who carries on.

505. Dean Lawrence...

506. your homily has caused quite the stir.

507. I don't think anyone expected you to...

508. To say something interesting?

509. I'll have a transcript made of the recording.

510. Mm-hmm.

511. If, erm, if there's nothing else...

512. Eminence.

513. Yes, erm...

514. I... I need you to do something for me.

515. Monsignor Morales...

516. I'm sure he's still in Rome.

517. Could you try and see him?

518. - Today? I... I... - Use my authority.

519. I'd like to know what happened

520. in the final meeting between Cardinal Tremblay

521. and the Holy Father.

522. What happened?

523. Specifically, did anything occur that might

524. render Tremblay unfit for the Papacy?

525. Of course, Your Eminence.

526. Bless you.

527. And I, Irumbus Cardinal Nakitanda,

528. I promise, I vow and I swear so God will help me

529. and these Holy Gospels of God, which I touch with my hand.

530. Out, everyone.

531. Cardinal brothers,

532. we will now proceed to the first ballot.

533. You will find in front of you your ballot paper.

534. On the top half is written, "I elect as Supreme Pontiff."

535. Please make sure your handwriting is legible.

536. I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge

537. that my vote is given to the one who, before God,

538. I think should be elected.

539. The first vote is cast for Cardinal Tedesco.

540. The second vote is cast for Cardinal Tedesco.

541. Cardinal Tremblay.

542. Cardinale Tremblay.

543. Cardinale Tedesco.

544. Cardinale Adeyemi.

545. Cardinale Lawrence.

546. Cardinale Bellini.

547. Cardinale Bellini.

548. Cardinale Villanueva.

549. Cardinale Tremblay.

550. Cardinale Adeyemi.

551. Cardinale Tremblay.

552. Cardinale Tedesco.

553. Cardinale Bellini.

554. Cardinale Adeyemi.

555. And finally, Cardinal Benitez.

556. The results of the first ballot are...

557. Cardinal Adeyemi, 21 votes.

558. Cardinal Tedesco, 18 votes.

559. Cardinal Bellini, 17 votes.

560. Cardinal Tremblay, 16 votes.

561. Cardinal Lawrence, 5 votes.

562. Other cardinals assigned a single vote, 31 votes

563. My brother cardinals,

564. that concludes the first ballot.

565. No candidate having achieved

566. the necessary majority of 72 votes,

567. we shall adjourn for the evening,

568. and resume voting in the morning.

569. Thank you.

570. The media have noticed the presence of a cardinal

571. who doesn't appear on the official list, Dean,

572. Cardinal Benitez.

573. So, I've taken the liberty of

574. putting together a draft statement.

575. I've also put together some biographical details

576. for yourself.

577. The ministries in Veracruz, the Congo,

578. where he established a hospital for the female victims

579. of genocidal sexual violence

580. during the first and second wars.

581. Then Baghdad, and finally, a mission in Kabul.

582. Right.

583. There was some question of his resigning

584. on health grounds,

585. but apparently the Holy Father

586. convinced him to continue.

587. He's certainly served his ministry

588. in some terrible places.

589. - Yes. - Health grounds.

590. Look into that, would you, Ray?

591. It's the kind of thing

592. the press like to get hold of.

593. Of course.

594. And the, erm... other matter. The...

595. Yes.

596. I spoke to Monsignor Morales.

597. He was emphatic that he knows of no reason why

598. Cardinal Tremblay should not be Pope.

599. - Thank you. - However...

600. will you forgive me if I say...

601. I did not entirely believe...

602. the good monsignor?

603. He was just...

604. so... emphatic.

605. My Spanish is quite poor

606. and I may have accidentally given him the impression

607. that you had seen a document that contradicts that.

608. And he said you weren't to worry,

609. that... and his exact words were,

610. 'El informe ha sido retirado.'

611. A report? A report about what?

612. Withdrawn when?

613. That... I couldn't say, Eminence.

614. Hmm.

615. Third place.

616. Not what we had hoped.

617. Your sermon didn't exactly help us and you have five votes.

618. You have far too little support to emerge

619. as a serious candidate.

620. Well, my position is an embarrassment to me.

621. If I find out who my supporters are,

622. I'll plead with them to vote for someone else.

623. I'll tell them I'll be voting for Aldo.

624. Alright.

625. That leaves 31 votes available.

626. We simply have to pick up most of them.

627. The Holy Father's turtles.

628. He was very fond of them.

629. A gift from Angola.

630. I thought I was imagining them.

631. I love them. They're so clever.

632. Well, here they keep escaping and being run over.

633. We should go back, the evening curfew.

634. And your health, how are you bearing up?

635. My health is perfect, thank you.

636. I only meant have you recovered from your journey?

637. - I have, indeed. - Good.

638. And in the Sistine, you found someone to vote for?

639. Yes. I voted for you.

640. Forgive me, am I not supposed to say?

641. No, no, it's not that you...

642. No, I'm honoured, but... my dear Vincent,

643. may I call you Vincent?

644. I'm not a serious candidate.

645. My vocation lies in a different... um...

646. After the Conclave, I hope to resign as Dean,

647. and then leave Rome altogether.

648. Why?

649. I've been experiencing difficulties.

650. With your faith?

651. Prayer.

652. I only mention it to illustrate my point

653. that I'm in no way worthy to be Pope.

654. Come.

655. Aldo.

656. Aldo.

657. I... I feel wretched that my my meagre tally of votes

658. may have come at your expense.

659. Hmm.

660. I had no idea you were so ambitious.

661. Well, that's a ridiculous thing to say.

662. Is it?

663. Is it?

664. I thought we had your support.

665. If we liberals are not united, Tedesco will become Pope.

666. You have no idea how bad it became, Thomas.

667. The way he and his circle attacked the Holy Father

668. towards the end.

669. The smears,

670. the leaks to the press.

671. It was savage.

672. He fought him every single day of his pontificate.

673. And now that he's dead,

674. he wants to destroy

675. his life's work.

676. If Tedesco becomes Pope,

677. he will undo 60 years of progress.

678. You talk as if you're the only alternative,

679. but Adeyemi has the wind behind him.

680. - Adeyemi? - Mm-hmm.

681. Adeyemi, the man who believes that homosexuals

682. should be sent to prison in this world,

683. and hell in the next.

684. Adeyemi's not the answer to anything.

685. And you know it.

686. If you want to defeat Tedesco...

687. Defeat? This is a Conclave, Aldo,

688. it's not a war. - It is a war!

689. And you have to commit to a side.

690. Save your precious doubts for your prayers.

691. You can't seriously believe

692. that I have the slightest desire to become Pope.

693. Come on!

694. Every cardinal has that desire.

695. Every cardinal deep down has already chosen

696. the name by which he would like his Papacy to be known.

697. Well... I haven't.

698. Deny it if you like,

699. but search your heart and then tell me it isn't so.

700. Oh, oh, Mother, an evil...

701. The results of the second ballot are...

702. Cardinal Adeyemi, 34 votes.

703. Cardinal Tedesco, 25 votes.

704. Cardinal Bellini, 18 votes.

705. Cardinal Tremblay, 16 votes.

706. Cardinal Lawrence, 9 votes.

707. Cardinal Benitez, 2 votes.

708. My brothers, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution,

709. we proceed immediately to the next vote.

710. Thank you.

711. The results of the third ballot are...

712. Cardinal Adeyemi, 52 votes.

713. Cardinal Tedesco, 30 votes.

714. Cardinal Tremblay, 10 votes.

715. Cardinal Bellini...

716. Brothers.

717. Please.

718. Thank you.

719. Cardinal Bellini, 9 votes.

720. Cardinal Lawrence, 5 votes.

721. Cardinal Benitez, 4 votes.

722. Well, I take it something has happened.

723. There's been an explosion, Your Eminence,

724. in the Piazza Barberini.

725. - A bomb? - It's unclear at the moment.

726. There are injuries, but no talk of fatalities.

727. We must say nothing to the cardinal

728. electors about this, Ray.

729. We are sequestered,

730. and they must be shielded from all news

731. that may influence their judgement.

732. - You understand? - Of course, Your Eminence.

733. This is exactly what I mean.

734. What am I supposed to tell them in Milan

735. when they start to discover our new Pope's social views?

736. Tell your congregation that they should celebrate

737. the first African Pope in the history of the church.

738. If Adeyemi was white,

739. we would be all condemning him

740. as more reactionary than Tedesco?

741. It's only because he's not white...

742. It's too late for all that.

743. It's too late.

744. What happened?

745. Good afternoon, Sister.

746. I would like to speak to the nun who dropped her tray just now.

747. She's safe with me, I'm dealing with the situation, Dean.

748. I'm sure you are, Sister Agnes, but I must see her myself.

749. I hardly think a dropped tray should concern

750. the Dean of the College of Cardinals.

751. Even so, I...

752. The welfare of the sister

753. is my responsibility.

754. And this Conclave is mine.

755. Please sit, my child.

756. My name is Cardinal Lawrence.

757. How are you feeling?

758. She's feeling much better.

759. Could you tell me your name?

760. Shanumi, her name is Shanumi.

761. Please, please do sit down.

762. I... I really think it would be better

763. if you let me deal with the situation.

764. Would you be so good as to leave us now, Sister Agnes?

765. Sister Shanumi,

766. I want you to understand that, first of all,

767. you are not in any kind of trouble.

768. The fact of the matter is that I have

769. a responsibility before God

770. to ensure that the decisions that we make here

771. are the right ones.

772. Now, it's important you tell me anything that is in your heart

773. or that is troubling you,

774. insofar as it relates to Cardinal Adeyemi.

775. Can you do that for me?

776. Even if I give you my assurance

777. it will go no further than this room.

778. Would you like me to hear your confession?

779. I'll be ready in a moment, Dean.

780. Shouldn't we be going?

781. In a moment.

782. That sounds ominous.

783. If this is about the incident downstairs,

784. I have no desire to talk about it.

785. I am the victim of a disgraceful plot

786. to ruin my reputation.

787. Someone brought that woman here and staged this melodrama.

788. She'd never left Nigeria before,

789. and suddenly she's here in the Casa Santa Marta.

790. With respect, Joshua, ow she came here

791. is secondary to the issue

792. of your relationship with her.

793. I have no relationship to her!

794. I hadn't set eyes on her in 30 years

795. until she turned up outside my room last night!

796. It was a lapse, Dean.

797. A lapse.

798. 'Let God grant us a Pope who sins and asks forgiveness

799. and carries on.'

800. - Your words. - And the child?

801. The child?

802. The child was raised in a Christian household,

803. and to this day he has no idea who his father is,

804. if, indeed, it is me.

805. That is the child.

806. We were very young.

807. No, no, no, Joshua,

808. she was very young, she was 19 years old.

809. You were 30. - Thomas.

810. Thomas.

811. Listen to me... please.

812. I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit this morning,

813. I swear it.

814. I am ready to take this burden.

815. Do... does a single... single mistake 30 years ago

816. disqualify me?

817. Thomas, please, I was a different man.

818. Please, I... I beg you, do... do not use this to ruin me.

819. Joshua, that thought's not worthy of you.

820. Shanumi will say nothing to protect her son,

821. and I am bound by the vows of the confessional.

822. So, I still have hope?

823. No.

824. There is no hope.

825. After such a public scene, there will be rumours,

826. and you know what the Curia is like.

827. Nothing terrifies our colleagues more

828. than the thought of yet more... sexual scandals.

829. I am more sorry than I can say.

830. You will never be Pope.

831. You must begin again.

832. But you are a good man.

833. I know you to be a good man,

834. and you will find a way to atone.

835. Will you pray with me?

836. Yes, of course.

837. The results of the fifth ballot are...

838. Cardinal Tremblay, 40 votes.

839. Cardinal Tedesco, 34 votes.

840. Cardinal Bellini, 13 votes.

841. Cardinal Lawrence, 11 votes.

842. Cardinal Adeyemi, 9 votes.

843. Cardinal Benitez, 6 votes.

844. My brothers...

845. My brothers, that concludes the fifth ballot.

846. No candidate having achieved the necessary majority,

847. we shall resume voting tomorrow morning.

848. Yes, Ray?

849. The... incident this morning, Your Eminence.

850. I have more information, if...

851. No, I too must be shielded from any knowledge

852. which could act as an interference

853. in the process of this Conclave.

854. Of course, Your Eminence.

855. Anything else?

856. Erm...

857. Oh, Cardinal Benitez... who has health problems?

858. He was issued a round-trip ticket to Geneva

859. paid for by the Pope's own account.

860. I checked his visa application,

861. the purpose for travel was given as 'medical treatment'.

862. Anyway, whatever it was, it can't have been serious.

863. The ticket was cancelled, he never went.

864. Alright. Thank you.

865. Forgive me, Your Eminence.

866. I know you said we should forget about the matter

867. of the withdrawn report.

868. But I... I wondered...

869. in light of Cardinal Tremblay's current position...

870. I... I could see if I could find out...

871. No, I'm not a witch-finder.

872. It's not my job to go hunting for secrets

873. in my colleagues' pasts.

874. Forgive me.

875. Please, no more investigations, I...

876. I think we've heard enough secrets.

877. Let God's will be done.

878. Yes, of course.

879. Goodnight then, Your Eminence.

880. Was this really necessary?

881. I feel as if I'm at some

882. American political convention.

883. Well, it isn't going to take long.

884. Our friend here doesn't have sufficient support

885. amongst our colleagues to be elected Pope.

886. It isn't over yet.

887. Well, I'm afraid,

888. as far as I'm concerned, it is.

889. So, now the question arises,

890. if I can't win,

891. whom do I advise my supporters to vote for?

892. Thomas,

893. I am no more an enthusiast

894. for Tremblay than you are.

895. But... we have to face the fact that...

896. We have to face the fact

897. that he has demonstrated broad appeal.

898. Maybe he'll be a unifying force.

899. - What? - Is this what we're reduced to,

900. considering the least worst option?

901. But the field has narrowed.

902. If we don't change our vote, we will be here for weeks.

903. And that's exactly what Tedesco wants.

904. We've had a Pope who was in the Hitler Youth

905. and fought for the Nazis.

906. We've had Popes accused of

907. colluding with communists and fascists.

908. We've had Popes who have ignored reports

909. of most appalling sexual abuse of children!

910. Shh. Okay. Shh-shh!

911. We take the point.

912. The point is we will never find a candidate

913. who doesn't have any kind of black mark against them.

914. We're mortal men.

915. We serve an ideal.

916. We cannot always be ideal.

917. Then we're agreed.

918. We urge all our supporters to back Tremblay.

919. Good.

920. The other night, you were kind enough

921. to say that you had voted for me.

922. Now, I don't know if you've continued to do so,

923. but if you have, then I must repeat my plea to you to stop.

924. Why?

925. Well, firstly, I lack the spiritual depth

926. to be Pope.

927. Secondly, I couldn't possibly win.

928. A long, drawn-out Conclave

929. would be seen by the media as proof

930. that the Church is in crisis.

931. You have come to ask me to vote for Cardinal Tremblay?

932. Yes, I have, and to urge your supporters to do the same.

933. Cardinal Tremblay already spoke to me about this.

934. Oh, well, I'm sure he has.

935. You want me to vote for a man you see as ambitious?

936. I do not want to see Tedesco as Pope.

937. He would take our church back to... to an earlier era.

938. I'm sorry, but I cannot vote for a man

939. unless I deem him the most worthy to be Pope.

940. And for me, that is not Tremblay.

941. It's you.

942. I don't want your vote!

943. Nevertheless... you have it.

944. Sister Shanumi is on her way home to Nigeria.

945. There was a flight to Lagos this evening,

946. and I thought it was best for everyone if she was on it.

947. How did Sister Shanumi come to be in Rome?

948. I received notification from the office

949. of the Superioress General that she would be joining us.

950. The arrangements were made in Paris.

951. You should Rue de Bac, Your Eminence.

952. I would, except of course, I am

953. sequestered for the duration of the Conclave.

954. Then you should ask them afterwards.

955. Err, the information is of value to me now.

956. Sister Agnes, I know that you were close to the Holy Father.

957. When I tried to resign as Dean, he wouldn't let me.

958. I couldn't understand why at the time, but...

959. now I think I do.

960. I think the Holy Father knew he was dying,

961. and for some reason he wanted me to run this Conclave.

962. Which is what I'm trying to do.

963. For him.

964. I would like you to withdraw your name

965. from the next ballot.

966. You are not the right man to be Pope.

967. Er, well...

968. 40 of our colleagues

969. would disagree with you on that.

970. That's because they don't know you as I do.

971. This is sad, Thomas.

972. I shall pray for you.

973. I know there was some kind of

974. report into your activities.

975. I know the Holy Father raised the matter with you

976. hours before he died.

977. And that he dismissed you from all your posts.

978. And I know that somehow you discovered

979. Adeyemi's surrender to temptation 30 years ago,

980. and that you arranged for the woman involved

981. to be brought to Rome,

982. with the express intention

983. of destroying Adeyemi's chances

984. of becoming Pope.

985. I deny that accusation.

986. Will you deny asking our Superioress to transfer

987. one of her sisters to Rome?

988. - No. I asked her. - Hmm.

989. - But not on my own behalf. - Well, on whose behalf then?

990. The Holy Father's.

991. You would libel the Holy Father in his own home?

992. It isn't libel, it's the truth!

993. The Holy Father gave me the name of a sister

994. and asked me to make a private request to bring her to Rome.

995. I have no idea why.

996. And now you have chosen to...

997. You should be careful, Thomas.

998. Your own ambition has not gone unnoticed.

999. This might be seen as a tactic to blacken the name of a rival.

1000. Well, that's a despicable accusation.

1001. Is it?

1002. I wonder...

1003. if you really are so very reluctant

1004. to have the chalice passed to you.

1005. I shall pretend this conversation never took place.

1006. But it has taken place!

1007. It's the report on the activities of Tremblay.

1008. It's an overwhelming prima facie case that he is guilty

1009. of simony, which, of course, is an offence stipulated

1010. in the Holy Scriptures... - I'm aware of what simony is,

1011. thank you. - He only obtained

1012. all those votes in the first ballot

1013. because he bought them.

1014. Cardenas, Diene, Figarella, Baptiste...

1015. And all this in the last twelve months

1016. when he must have guessed the Holy Father's

1017. pontificate was... was coming to an end.

1018. How do we know that this money wasn't used

1019. for completely legitimate purposes?

1020. Because I have seen their bank statements.

1021. - Dear God. - Seems the Holy Father

1022. was spying on all of us.

1023. He didn't trust anyone.

1024. Where did you get this?

1025. You broke the seals.

1026. I felt I didn't have a choice.

1027. I suspected Tremblay of bringing

1028. that poor woman from Africa to embarrass Adeyemi.

1029. You must continue with your candidacy, Aldo.

1030. Put them back.

1031. Put them back, or burn them, or... just... put them back.

1032. I could never become Pope in these circumstances.

1033. A stolen document, the smearing of a brother cardinal.

1034. I'd be the Richard Nixon of Popes.

1035. Then stay clear of this, leave it to me.

1036. I'm willing to handle the consequences.

1037. You know who's gonna benefit most from this?

1038. Tedesco.

1039. The whole basis of his candidacy

1040. is that the Holy Father led the church to disaster

1041. by his attempts at reform.

1042. If you reveal this report,

1043. it isn't Tremblay's reputation that's going to suffer,

1044. it's the Church's.

1045. Accusing the Curia of institutional corruption...

1046. I thought we were here to serve God, not the Curia.

1047. Oh, don't be naïve!

1048. Put them back.

1049. And have Tremblay as Pope?

1050. We've had worse.

1051. What has he offered you?

1052. Secretary of State?

1053. Five times I cast my vote for you, Aldo.

1054. But I was wrong.

1055. You lack the courage required to be Pope.

1056. I will do that for you, Your Eminence

1057. Oh.

1058. How many copies do you require?

1059. Er, 108.

1060. You are responsible for this, I believe.

1061. No, Eminence. You are.

1062. This report is entirely mendacious.

1063. It would never have seen the light of day

1064. if you had not broken into

1065. the Holy Father's apartment to remove it!

1066. If the report is mendacious,

1067. then why did the Holy Father

1068. in his last official act as Pope

1069. ask you to resign?

1070. He did no such thing.

1071. As Monsignor Morales, who was at the meeting...

1072. And yet Archbishop Wozniak insists the Holy Father...

1073. The Holy Father,

1074. may his name be numbered

1075. among the high priests,

1076. was a sick man toward the end of his life,

1077. as those of us who saw him regularly can attest.

1078. If I may join this amiable dialogue.

1079. I want to remind you that

1080. the names of eight cardinals have been obscured.

1081. I assume the dean can tell us who they are?

1082. Let them tell us themselves

1083. here and now.

1084. Here and now!

1085. If Cardinal Tremblay requested their votes

1086. in return for the money...

1087. No, I won't do that.

1088. Let each man examine his conscience, as I have.

1089. I have no desire to create bitterness in this Conclave,

1090. and I will be happy to stand down as Dean.

1091. Eminences.

1092. Although we sisters are supposed to be invisible,

1093. God has nevertheless given us eyes and ears.

1094. I know what prompted the Dean of the College

1095. to enter the Holy Father's rooms.

1096. He was concerned that the sister from my order

1097. that made that regrettable scene

1098. might have been brought to Rome

1099. with the deliberate intention

1100. of embarrassing a member of this Conclave.

1101. His suspicions were correct.

1102. She was indeed here at the specific request

1103. of Cardinal Tremblay.

1104. My brothers...

1105. it's true.

1106. But the Holy Father asked me to.

1107. I had no knowledge

1108. who this woman was, I swear to you.

1109. Judas.

1110. Traitor.

1111. It seems that we're running out of favourites.

1112. You must take over the supervision

1113. of this election, Aldo.

1114. Oh, no thank you.

1115. You are steering this Conclave.

1116. Exactly where, I do not know.

1117. But that firm hand of yours has its admirers.

1118. Thomas I've come to ask... for your forgiveness.

1119. I had the temerity...

1120. to tell you to examine... your heart,

1121. when all the time it was my own that...

1122. It's shameful...

1123. to be this age and still not know yourself.

1124. Ambition, 'The moth of holiness.'

1125. I'm sorry.

1126. So, perhaps it's time you decided... upon a name.

1127. As the next most senior member of this Conclave,

1128. it will fall to me to ask you

1129. how you wish to be known as Pope.

1130. For better or for worse,

1131. it would seem that Tremblay is finished.

1132. This is a contest between Tedesco and you.

1133. You're the only one who can stop him now.

1134. John.

1135. I would choose John.

1136. Everyone has been taken back

1137. to the Casa Santa Marta,

1138. Your Eminence.

1139. No one was seriously hurt.

1140. Some cuts, that's all.

1141. Outside in the city, how bad is it?

1142. Oh, dear God.

1143. At 11:20 this morning,

1144. a car bomb exploded in the Piazza del Risorgimento.

1145. Shortly afterwards, as people were fleeing the scene,

1146. an individual with explosives strapped to his body

1147. detonated himself.

1148. There are reports of further attacks in Louvain and Munich.

1149. The current death toll stands...

1150. at 52.

1151. Hundreds have been injured.

1152. Well, then.

1153. Here at last we see the result of the doctrine of relativism

1154. so beloved by our liberal brothers!

1155. A relativism that sees all faiths and passing fancies

1156. accorded equal weight.

1157. So that now, when we look around us, we see the homeland

1158. of the Holy Roman Catholic Church

1159. dotted with the mosques and minarets

1160. of the prophet Muhammad!

1161. You should be ashamed ashamed.

1162. Ashamed. Ashamed.

1163. We should all be ashamed!

1164. We tolerate Islam in our land,

1165. but they revile us in theirs.

1166. We nourish them in our homelands.

1167. But they exterminate us.

1168. How long will we persist in this weakness?

1169. They are literally at our walls right now.

1170. What we need now is a leader who understands

1171. that we are facing a true religious war.

1172. Do not touch me!

1173. Yes, a religious war.

1174. We need a leader who will put a stop to the drift

1175. that has gone on almost ceaselessly for the past 50 years.

1176. How long will we have to persist in this weakness,

1177. how long?

1178. We need a leader...

1179. who fights these animals!

1180. Is this the man you want to lead us?

1181. My brother cardinal...

1182. With respect.

1183. What do you know about war?

1184. I carried out my ministry in the Congo.

1185. In Baghdad, in Kabul.

1186. I've seen the lines of the dead and wondered,

1187. Christian and Muslim.

1188. Would you say we have to fight?

1189. What is it you think we're fighting?

1190. Do you think it's those deluded men

1191. who had carried out these terrible acts today?

1192. No, my brother.

1193. The thing you're fighting is here...

1194. inside each and every one of us,

1195. if we give in to hate now,

1196. if we speak of "sides"

1197. instead of speaking for every man and woman.

1198. This is my first time here, amongst you,

1199. and I suppose it will be my last.

1200. Forgive me, but these last few days we have shown ourselves to be small petty men,

1201. we have seemed concerned only with ourselves,

1202. with Rome,

1203. with these elections, with power.

1204. But things are not the Church.

1205. The Church is not tradition.

1206. The Church is not the past.

1207. The Church is what we do next.

1208. We pray.

1209. O Father, so that we may guide

1210. and watch over Your Church.

1211. Give to us, Your servants,

1212. the blessings of intelligence, truth and peace,

1213. so that we may strive to know Your will,

1214. and serve You total dedication.

1215. For Christ our Lord.

1216. Amen.

1217. Bellini.

1218. Lawrence.

1219. Tedesco.

1220. Lawrence.

1221. Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?

1222. Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?

1223. I accept.

1224. And by what name do you wish to be called?

1225. Innocent.

1226. Monsignor.

1227. I'm sorry to interrupt.

1228. Ray...

1229. I think you should gather up the cardinals' notes.

1230. The sooner we light the stove,

1231. the sooner the world will know

1232. we have a new Pope.

1233. What is it?

1234. It wasn't...

1235. wasn't the outcome I expected.

1236. No, but it's wonderful all the same.

1237. If it's my position you're worried about,

1238. I can reassure you I feel nothing but relief.

1239. Our new Holy Father will make a much better Pope

1240. than I would ever have done.

1241. I wonder if I could have a word in private.

1242. I should have told you this morning when I found out, but...

1243. with everything that...

1244. And I didn't dream

1245. that Cardinal Benitez would become...

1246. Ray, please, tell me what's troubling you.

1247. I found out...

1248. Switzerland.

1249. Cardinal Benitez's trip to Switzerland.

1250. Switzerland, the... the hospital in Geneva, yes?

1251. It wasn't a hospital.

1252. It was a clinic.

1253. A clinic for what?

1254. Eminence, His Holiness won't get robed.

1255. With permission.

1256. May I speak to you alone?

1257. Of course.

1258. Gentlemen, let's clear the room.

1259. I was waiting for you to come.

1260. You must tell me about this treatment

1261. at the clinic in Geneva.

1262. - Must I, Dean? - Yes, you must.

1263. Within the hour you will be the most famous man in the world,

1264. so please tell me, what is your... situation?

1265. My situation, as you put it,

1266. is the same as when I was ordained a priest,

1267. and when I was made a cardinal.

1268. But the treatment... in Geneva?

1269. There was no treatment.

1270. I considered it.

1271. I prayed for guidance and decided against it.

1272. But what would it have been, this treatment?

1273. It was called a laparoscopic hysterectomy.

1274. You have to understand,

1275. when I was a child, there was no way of knowing my situation

1276. was more complicated.

1277. And life in the seminary is...

1278. as you know,

1279. a very modest one.

1280. The truth is...

1281. there simply was no reason to think

1282. I was physically different

1283. from the other young men.

1284. Then, in my late 30s,

1285. I had a surgery to remove my appendix.

1286. And that was when the doctors discovered...

1287. that I had a uterus... and ovaries.

1288. Some would say

1289. my chromosomes would define me as being a woman,

1290. and yet I'm also...

1291. as you see me.

1292. It was a very dark time for me.

1293. I felt as if my entire life as a priest

1294. had been lived in a state of sin.

1295. Of course, I offered my resignation to the Holy Father.

1296. I flew to Rome and I told him everything.

1297. He knew?

1298. Yes, he knew.

1299. And he thought it acceptable for you

1300. to continue as an ordained minister?

1301. We considered surgery to remove the female parts of my body,

1302. but the night before I was due to fly,

1303. I realised I was mistaken.

1304. I was who I had always been.

1305. It seemed to me more of a sin

1306. to change His handiwork than to leave my body as it was.

1307. So, you are still, erm...

1308. I am what God made me.

1309. And perhaps it is my difference that will make me more useful.

1310. I think again of your sermon.

1311. I know what it is to exist...

1312. between the world's certainties.

1313. Hmm.