All language subtitles for The Shoes of the Fisherman.渔夫的鞋子_en

Through speaker: Lakota,
political prisoner 103592-R,

report to commandant's office.

Political prisoner 103592-R,

report to commandant's office.

Theodor.

Prisoner 103592-R, report.

Mr. George Faber, eminence.

It was good of you
to come, Mr. Faber.

A summons from the Vatican
is a very important event.

Please, sit down.

Thank you.

Mr. Faber, we would like
to offer you a story...

An exclusive story.

With the usual
strings, eminence?

And a few more this time.

Well, I'd like to know
what they are first.

The story is political.
Very political.

We need a certain reserve,

a certain discretion
in its presentation.

We've known each other
a long while, eminence.

I stand on my reputation.

Oh, it's a good
reputation, Mr. Faber,

but you have to take the story

as I give it to you--
or leave it.

If you leave it,

I'll hand it to the French.

I'd like it to break
from an American source,

preferably on television.

It's an interview, then?

That's right.

You can't bind me
too closely, eminence.

I can't always control
what a person might say.

Yes...Or no?

If that's the best
you can do, eminence...

The very best.

Kiril Pavlovich?

Piotr Ilyich Kamenev.

Good evening, premier.

A long way from
the Lubianka prison,

isn't it, Kiril?

Sit down, please.

Thank you.

Will you drink with me?

If you wish.

Nastrovye.

Nastrovye.

Why have you brought me here?

I was curious to know

how the years have treated you.

Is that all?

No.

You have haunted me, Kiril,

for 20 years.

Think back to the Lubianka.

It was a kind of mutual hell,

wasn't it?

I, the tormentor.
You, the tormented.

The man in the mirror...

The man who looked

into the mirror.

In the end, neither of us knew

which was which, correct?

Correct.

I took you to pieces
like a watch...

And put you together again.

It was a very...

Intimate experience.

I have never been
able to forget it.

May I ask you a question?

You never hesitated before.

That's true.

This is you.

Political prisoner 103592-r,

Kiril Pavlovich Lakota.

All of you is here,

from the day you
were born until now,

except the answer
to one question:

What you have learned

in 20 years of confinement.

That is a big question,
Piotr Ilyich.

The answer is important
to me, you know.

What I have learned?

Mm.

I have learned that
without some kind of loving,

a man withers like
a grape on a dying vine.

Is that all?

I'm trying to learn more.

Have you learned enough
to face freedom?

I have been free
for a long time.

Not entirely, perhaps,

but you still haven't
answered my question.

Why have you brought me here?

I want to show you
a world gone mad.

Come.

Recording:
Chinese mobilization

is now 80% complete.

The map indicates
3 new divisions

moving to the border
of the Soviet union.

Increased crop failures
in large areas of China

now make famine
an absolute certainty.

As a result, reports show

that the Chinese are
preparing for thrusts

into the rice bowl areas

of Burma, Thailand,
north Vietnam,

and a simultaneous
takeover of Hong Kong.

The United States' seventh fleet

is deployed in battle position

in the China sea,

and 4 missile-carrying
submarines

of advanced design

have been added to the fleet.

Kamenev: Every day
we ask ourselves

what we can do about it

before the nightmare
turns itself

into a mushroom cloud
blotting out the sun.

[Speaking Chinese]

You see this fellow here...

He may not look like much,
but do not be deceived.

He is the leader
of the Chinese people.

And true, though
he undoubtedly is,

in 3 months time he may
not be able to feed them.

The mad world in which
we starve a great country

into an atomic war.

I'm sending you back

into this world,
Kiril Pavlovich.

What do you mean?

We are going to release you.

Release me?
I don't under--

we have made a deal
for your freedom.

Deal?

I am party to no deal.

You are, you know?

You are a man under authority.

You have always been.

The authority makes the deal.

You will accept it, you see?

Why have you brought me here

to tell me this?

Because you are a simple man

who has haunted--

no, that is not enough.

Because wherever you are,

I will know there is
one man who knows me

as well as I know him,

and who can tell the truth
about Piotr Ilyich Kamenev

and his Russia.

You must not hope to use me.

I don't.

Premier, this is father Telemond

of the Vatican
secretariat of state.

Your excellency.

Here is your man.

Kiril Pavlovich Lakota,

former archbishop of Lvov.

My lord archbishop.

Please.

Your passport, my lord.

As from this moment,
it is understood

that his lordship is a citizen

of the Vatican city-state

and enjoys diplomatic immunity

until his exit
from the Soviet union.

First, Kiril Pavlovich
is to be informed

of the other conditions
of his release.

Which are?

That the Vatican will publish

only the simple fact

of archbishop Lakota's
release...

That archbishop Lakota

will make no public statement

regarding conditions or
persons in the Soviet union.

I cannot accept
these conditions.

They have been accepted for you.

Uh, to your Liberty,
your excellency.

Or to my exile.

How soon do we get
to Rome, father?

Oh...

In about an hour and a half.

And then?

Then you'll be lodged
at the Ukrainian college.

You are supposed to be
received immediately

by the holy father.

You are feeling unwell, father?

No. I've an enemy in my blood.

One day it will
kill me, so they say.

I'm sorry to hear that.

One has to learn
to get used to the idea.

You are, uh...

You are writing a book?

Oh, I wish I were.

No, no.

My works are...
Under examination

by a special
pontifical commission.

Why?

For years, I have been
forbidden to teach

or to publish anything.

I was suspected
of holding opinions

dangerous to the faith.

How did you get this job?

You might say I was kicked
into a sacred congregation

to keep me out of mischief,

though, in fact,
I'm an anthropologist.

I spent a long time in Asia.

I...Saw the world there

exploding into millions
of hungry mouths.

I had to ask myself...

What kind of wisdom
the church had

to cope with this explosion.

So I start writing,

and I became a philosopher.

And you--

you have written many books?

10.

10!

How many published?

None.

P.A.: Scandinavian airlines
system announce the arrival

of their flight sa-681
from Moscow and Copenhagen.

Passengers...

Hi.

The power of the human eye.

What are you doing here?

I've never watched
you work before.

I'd like to.

But, Chiara, I told you
this was serious.

No one's supposed
to know about it.

Well, can't I just watch?

No. Half the Vatican's
up there waiting for me.

Oh, and am I not...

Presentable?

Hmm?
Mmm.

George...

Yeah.

Uh, wait at the
coffee bar for me.

I won't wait.

We'll have dinner tonight.

I don't know, George.

Now I have to go.

Look, I'll call you.

Eminence...

How do you do?

Now, just--just a few
questions, excellency.

Well, uh--

when were you first
informed of your release?

Uh, last night in Moscow.

Were you surprised?

Why, I was shocked.

Were you ill-treated
during your confinement?

Oh, not for a long time now.

More recently,

I have been working in the--

in heavy industry.

To that extent, then,

you did submit yourself
to the system.

Insofar, Mr. Faber,
as any system

provides bread,
work, and dignity,

I am prepared to
cooperate with it.

These things are
good in themselves

whether they exist

in Rome or in Siberia.

And bread, work, and dignity

do exist in Siberia.

Were you permitted to practice
your ministry as a priest?

No. I--I practiced it
without permission

among my fellow prisoners.

Do you see any hope, then,

for the day
when Christian faith--

or more specifically,
the Roman catholic faith--

may be practiced freely
in Marxist countries?

I have no inside information

as to how the kingdom of god

is going to be established.

But that's enough.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I think, eminence,

you may have caught
yourself a tartar.

I think we may have
caught a Christian.

[Whistle blows]

[Band plays]

Oh, thank you.

The most reverent Kiril Lakota,

metropolitan archbishop of Lvov.

Our brother, Kiril.

20 years...

And god has given
him back to us.

Sit down. Sit down.

Thank you, holiness.

You are well, strong?

I am very well, holiness.

You had a good journey?

Very good.

You were properly received here?

Your rooms are comfortable?

Oh...

I am treated like a prince.

As, indeed, you are.

Now we announce it.

Our brother Kiril is
created cardinal priest

in the title of St. Athanasius.

Your holiness...

I beg you to dispense me
from this honor.

You...Do not know me.

You cannot know what
the years have done to me.

But why?

It is the highest
honor we can bestow.

You have served
the faith, defended it.

I do not wish
to dispute authority,

but I can be
of no use to you here.

That is for us to decide.

In any future dealings
with the Kremlin,

you may be invaluable.

We have arranged
for you to work here

in our secretariat of state.

Excellency,

you must take your place

with us now.

I beg your holiness
to give me a simple mission

where I can be with simple men.

I think we need
to be private a while

with brother Kiril.

There is a legend about you,

that once you were asked
to deny the faith,

and they tied up 7 priests

and shot them,

shot them before your eyes,

and still you would
not deny the faith.

Is that story true?

I try not to look back

on that or other days, holiness.

God is with you, my brother.

I believe that god has sent you.

Trust us to make
the best use of you.

But first...

You must still be honored.

Kneel.

You are created
cardinal priest...

In the title of St. Athanasius.

Lydia?
Lydia...

Excuse me, madam.
Oh, there you are.

Marchesa.

Hello, Mr. Faber.

Do you have a cigarette?

I was telling this young woman

she should settle down
and get married.

Don't you agree, Mr. Faber?

I don't presume to give
advice to young women.

They very seldom take it anyway.

You are very discreet.

Unnecessary virtue.

Rome is a very small town.

And is full of gossip.

Lydia worries about me, George.

You're very lucky to have
such a solicitous friend.

I am an old-fashioned
woman, Mr. Faber.

I believe in life, love,

and the pursuit of happiness,

but you have to know
the rules of the game.

Dr. Faber: You mustn't
underrate my husband, Marchesa.

He knows all the rules.

Dr. Faber.

Uh, Mario, get some
drinks or something.

I'm sorry to be late,

but half Rome seems
to have Scarlet fever.

Oh, don't worry.

I'm well washed and disinfected.

How are you?

Oh, I'm fine. Uh...

I came with Mario.

Yes. I saw.

He's very handsome.

Don't you think so, George?

Yes, he's...
Very handsome.

How old is he?

Well, I think you ought

to ask him yourself, Ruth.

I'm sure the Marchesa
would be glad

to give you an introduction.

Oh, no.

Whatever else I may be,

I'm a realist about my age.

Excuse me, Marchesa.

George.

Marchesa.

Chiara.

You see, she's really
awfully mean to him.

You're very witty tonight.

Thank you.

I didn't mean it
as a compliment.

You mean you don't
approve of me, George?

I don't approve, Ruth,

when you're
unreasonably jealous.

I'm unreasonably jealous

because jealousy
makes one unreasonable.

[Knock knock]

[Door opens]

Your eminence!

May I come in?

Please do.

Am I interrupting something?

Not at all.

My congratulations.

Thank you.

May I have your coat?

Please.

What a surprise.

This calls for a celebration.

May I offer you a drink?

Ah, that would be nice.

Frascati.

What, uh, what is that?

Oh, uh...

Oh, thank you.

I found it
in the Vatican museum.

This is a vegetable,
only 1,000 years young.

Oh, really?

But this is lovely, here.

This fish.

More than 200 million years old.

No.

Father, are you sure
you are getting

the best medical care?

The doctors, they
don't know anything.

They're like the auto mechanics.

Why don't you sit down?

Oh, no.
D-d-don't be silly.

Sorry for the mess.

Thank you.

So your hearing

is set for tomorrow, huh?

At 10:30.

Did you have a chance
to read my book?

Yes, I did.

Well, I'm not going
to die from the truth.

I found very little
of the Christian faith,

as I know it, in your book.

For 20 years,

that faith alone kept me alive.

Go on.

I found it...

Uh, speculative,
uh, dangerous...

And full of, uh...

Heresy.

It--it challenges the faith.

For instance,
Jesus Christ speaks

of the redemption of the soul.

I find not one mention

of the word "soul"
in your writings.

But it's there...
Only under another name.

Why change the name

if you're not afraid of it?

To express in modern terms...

Reality and truth more clearly.

Well, father, if you
truly believe that,

why did you remain a priest?

Are you accusing me
of dishonesty?

I'm not accusing you
of anything.

That is for you to answer.

But are you sure you are honest,

uh, with yourself?

I am under a death sentence.

I cannot afford to be otherwise.

May I offer you another drink?

No, no, no.
No, thank you.

You know, David, for many men,

belief is a place
to crawl for safety.

Of course they will
fear and accuse you.

Your writings...

Are a danger to that safety.

I am not afraid
of being accused.

I am only afraid
of being silenced.

You know, even god has
not spoken his last word

about his own creation.

Would you like to hear
some Shostakovitch?

That would be fine.

Eminence, you are destroying me

before the commission does.

Oh, David, that was
not my intention.

No. As a matter of fact,

after I read your
book last night,

I--I couldn't sleep.

I...I saw a brilliant mind

reaching out

to the last frontiers
of thought,

a place where I
wouldn't venture.

I came to wish you
well tomorrow.

I will say my mass for you.

Thank you.

Please.

Father Telemond.

So...This is a commission

and not a tribunal.

Its object is to examine

the content of your works

to see if they conform

to fundamental
Christian doctrine.

You, yourself, are not on trial,

and I beg you

to believe your presence here

is no reflection
on your reputation.

I'm glad to hear it, eminence.

Here's the first problem,
father--

it runs right through
all your work.

What are you--philosopher?
Theologian? Poet? Scientist?

How are we to judge you?

Judge me as one man

trying to answer
the questions of every man.

Which are?

Who am I?
Why am I here?

Where am I going?

Is there any sense
in beauty? In ugliness?

In terror? In suffering?
In the daily deaths...

Which make up the pattern
of existence?

There speaks the poet?

Why only the poet?

Why not the...Theologian
and the scientist?

They breathe, too.
They die, too.

Then you start us, father.

I have dug down through
the crust of god's earth.

There is a long record
of life written there--

a record full of wonders.

Dinosaurs, flying reptiles,
giant moles, all gone.

But the line is clear,

traced by the creative
finger of god,

and it always points
in the same direction--

to us, the knowing men,
the thinking men,

and it points beyond us.

To what? Either this world
is a tragic trap

in which man lives without hope

and dies without dignity,

or it is like
Teilhard de Chardin

wrote many years ago--

a great becoming...

In which mankind
is thrust towards

a glorious completion in Christ.

I believe in
the plan of completion.

I believe

in the future union of the world

with the cosmic Christ.

Let me walk in your country
for a while, father.

The dinosaur disappeared
from history. Why?

We are not sure.

The evidence points to the fact

that he was a creature adapted

to a special environment.

When the environment
changed, he died out.

How?

Sometimes by disease.
Sometimes by violence...

When creatures
stronger than himself

devoured him.

So the finger of god
writes violence

and destruction, too.

Yes. They are part
of the pattern

of growth...
Of evolution.

The deer is a very
prolific creature.

It would eat the lands bare.

The lion tears the deer down,

so the balance of nature
is preserved.

Right. Now we come to this.

Talking about man,

you called him

a very special animal.

The animal who knows
and knows that he knows.

Exactly. Now,
down in our museum

is the skull of
a prehistoric man.

His skull is broken
by a stone ax.

He was obviously killed

by one of his fellows.

Yes. I've seen it.

An act of violence, yes?

Yes.

An act of destruction, yes?

Committed by a thinking

and knowing creature?

Yes.

Is it the same act

as the shooting of a man

in a back alley in Paris?

Essentially, yes.

And that act, too,

is a part of the design of god?

The design includes it.

You did not answer
yes to that question. Why?

Because I see where
you are leading me.

Exactly. We're leading
you to the problem

of good or evil,

right or wrong
in a Christian sense.

The killing of
that stone-age man

by another man--

was it right or wrong?

I don't know.

I beg your pardon, father?

You don't know?

No, I don't.

It might have been
an act imposed upon him

by the necessities
of a time and place

of which we know very little.

Imposed by the
evolutionary plan?

Yes.

In other words, by god's plan.

Yes.

So god is the author
of sin and evil?

That's heresy, father.

No, it is not heresy.

The reality is this:
For certain primitive tribes,

murder was a religious act.
For us, it is a crime.

The growth from
one attitude to another

is evidence of a divine plan.

Even today,

too many Christians
justify mass murder

under the name of war.

Tomorrow, please god,

they will outlaw war,
too, as a crime.

What is it?

Forgive me, eminence.

His holiness the pope
has collapsed.

Paulo, you and Lou get the Van.

Go to St. Peter's straight away.

In the square! Now
get there, would you?

Did George leave a number?

No. Shall I ring his home?

Yes, would you?

No. No. Would you
ring the press club?

And if you fail there,

just try this other number,

will you?

I may be late again
tonight, Ruth.

Will you see her for supper

or at her apartment?

We should at least
share the chores.

I mean, you could dump

every second dirty shirt on her.

All right, Ruth, stop it.

Stop what?

Stop being vulgar!

I guess that's what I me--

oh, ho ho...
Pardon me.

When you go to her,

does she let you in,
or do you use your key?

Want to count my keys, Ruth?

Here's the key
to the filing cabinet.

Here's the key
to the front door.

Stop seeing her!

Just don't see her anymore.

Just sign the check.

I don't have to sign any check.

Don't tell me

whether she's a paid little tart

or an unpaid little tart.

Just fix it, George. Now.

You pick a hell of a time

to go into things.

I'm on the air in 47 minutes!

Brian, this is George.
About the--

George, you are

the last journalist in Europe

to know that the pope is dying.

Why didn't you call me?

Where are you, George?

We tried the other number.

I'll be right over.

Brian, I--

just give us a level,
would you, George?

1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

10 seconds, Mr. Faber.

3, 2, 1.

You're on, George.

This is George Faber,

overlooking
St. Peter's square in Rome.

The holy father has collapsed.

Dr. Carlo Antonelli,

one of the top heart
specialists in Rome,

arrived at the Vatican
this afternoon,

and there has been a report

that an oxygen cylinder
has been called for.

An inexhaustible,
anxious worker,

possibly one of the most
self-critical pontiffs

of this century--

[bell tolls]

The bell tolls.

The pope is dead.

Listen to the bell.

[Muttering prayers]

This is the death knell...

That rings
from the arco delle campane

only for the pontiff--

and listen.
There is a second bell.

Soon, these bells will be joined

by bells all over the city...

All over every city...

All over the world.

The pope is dead.

The camerlengo will announce it.

The master of ceremonies,
the notaries, the doctors

will consign him

under signature into eternity.

His ring will be defaced.

The seals will be broken.

The papal apartments
will be locked and sealed.

While the bells
are still ringing,

the pontifical body will be
handed over to the embalmers

so that it may be
a seemly object

for the veneration
of the faithful.

They will place his body...

Between white candles
in the Sistine chapel,

while the noble guard
maintains the death watch

under Michelangelo's
frescoes of the last judgment.

On the third day...

They will bury him,
clothed in full pontificals,

with a mitre on his head,

a purple veil covering his face,

and a red ermine blanket
to warm him in the crypt.

They will seal him in 3 coffins:

One of cypress...

One of lead,
to keep him from the damp

and to carry
his certificate of death.

The last one of elm,

so that he may seem,
at least, like other men

who go to the grave
in a wooden box.

The pope is dead.

They will mourn him
with 9 days of masses

and give him 9 absolutions...

Of which, having been greater

than other men in his life,

he may have greater need
after his death.

It is strange.

When a president dies,

he is replaced within an hour.

When a king dies,
long live the king.

When a pope dies,
everything stops.

David, uh, the reason
I called you is

I'm told I will need a secretary

for the conclave.

I...

I wondered if you would
accept the position.

It's a great honor, eminence...

But I'm afraid
I'm the wrong man.

Why?

I'm under suspicion.

There's been no verdict,
no judgment.

The commission is suspended

till the new pope is elected.

And who will that be?

Whoever stands on that balcony,

I hope he will publish my books.

Would Rinaldi make a good pope?

He's a lovely man...

But I think, uh,

we need a man of our time.

Then cardinal Leone.

I'm afraid I'm
the wrong one to ask

about cardinal Leone.

Heh heh heh.

Well, let us go to lunch.

Who then?

In any case,

it has to be an Italian.

Yes, I suppose so.

[Workers speaking Italian]

I'm an old man, Valerio.
I have buried 3 popes.

We're all too old.

There are not more

than a half a dozen of us

who can give the church

what it needs at this moment.

Oh!

Forgive me, father--
I mean, eminence.

Forgive me.

Do you think you
are one of them?

One what?

One of the half dozen.

I know I'm not.

Do you think I have
a chance of election?

I hope not.

Ha ha ha! Don't worry.
I know I haven't.

Hold the lamp.

You know, Valerio,

I should have been
a country priest

with just enough theology
to hear confession,

and just enough Latin
to get through mass.

I would sit
in front of my church

on summer evenings

and talk about
the crops, and--

hey! Give me the lamp...Franco.

Eminence.

Thank you, eminence.

Franco! Oh, Franco!

And what am I now?

A walking encyclopedia of dogma.

A theological dictionary
on 2 legs.

Each of us has his own cross.

That looks very comfortable.

Do you know what mine is?
My cross, I mean.

To be rich and content
and fulfilled,

and to know that I have
deserved none of it,

and that when I'm
called to judgment,

I must depend entirely
on the mercy of god.

Eh. We are what we are,

and god must take up
the responsibility,

even for theologians,

heh heh.

Now, tell me...

Where do we go for our pope?

The cardinals
of the sacred college

have assumed trusteeship
over the church

until a new pope is elected.

From all over the world,
cardinals will come,

weighed down
with years in authority,

to put on the Scarlet of princes

and sit in the conclave

for the election of
the successor of St. Peter.

As soon as he's elected,

the new pope will choose
the date for his coronation,

a spectacle
that will bring people

from every corner of the earth.

Outside this small,
medieval enclave

of the Vatican,

the world
is in a climate of crisis,

and we may soon be involved
in an atomic war,

but for the men in the Vatican,

there is only one question:

Who will stand in
the shoes of the fisherman?

Who will preserve and proclaim
the message of Christ

to the men who live

in this troubled
and dubious 20th century?

[3 hammer strikes]

[3 hammer strikes]

Behind the locked doors
of the Vatican,

there will be 2 ballots daily.

One in the morning
and one in the afternoon.

If the vote is unsuccessful,

then the papers
are burned with wet straw,

and the smoke from
the chapel will be black.

If the vote is successful,
the ballots are burned dry,

then white smoke will rise,

and the vice-regent
of the almighty

will be acclaimed by the people.

This is George Faber in Rome.

[Director speaking Italian]

All right.
Grazia tanto, everybody.

Good night.

Now then, we've got some
footage on the cardinals.

You can see that in "b."

Not much on the favorites,
I'm afraid--

Leone and the Romans.

You know, you did cut it
a bit fine tonight, George.

So what you mean, Brian,

is that your life
would be a lot easier

if I could be
found at one number,

namely my home number.

Yes, it would-- a lot easier--

and so would yours.

Now you're the protocol expert.

Tell me, how did
the British do it

in the old heydays
when they wanted

to break off relations?

Don't they teach you

things like that at Cambridge?

Not at Cambridge.

We learned it later,
in the club.

It's advisable, old lad,
to choose neutral ground.

Neutral ground?

What about a cathedral?

Oh, boy.

Maybe a zoo?

[Gregorian chanting]

[Choir sings hymn]

[Hymn dies down]

Oremus...

Deus qui corda fidelium sancti

spiritus illustratione docuisti,

da nobis in eodem spiritu

recta sapere et de eius
semper consolatione guadere

per christum dominum nostrum.

All: Amen.

Extra omnus.

Testor christum dominum
qui me indicaturs

est me eligere
quem secundum deum

udico eligi debere.

For his eminence
cardinal Leone...29.

For his eminence
cardinal Columbi...15.

For his eminence
cardinal Fracci...12.

Insufficient for election.

[Murmuring]

[Crowd murmuring]

Testor christum dominum
qui me indicaturs est

me eligere quem secundum
deum udico eligi debere.

Testor christum dominum
qui me indicaturs est

me eligere quem secundum
deum udico eligi debere.

For his eminence
cardinal Leone...23.

For his eminence
cardinal peumens...19.

For his eminence
cardinal Rinaldi...14.

Insufficient for election.

Insufficient for election.

[Murmuring]

After the sixth ballot,

still only black smoke

from the window
of the Sistine chapel.

All we know for certain

is that none of the favorites
is likely to be elected.

Now it could be
any one of the cardinals,

and now it could take
an indefinite time

to elect him.

Meanwhile, the delay begins
to cause waves of crisis

around the world
as the concern deepens.

Who will be the next pope?

That's a question
for us, too, tovarich.

Important question.

There are bigger ones.

Much more immediate, too.

What difference does it make

who rules one square mile

in the center of Rome?

Whoever he may be speaks
with the voice of god

for a quarter of the world.

Will that change
stones into bread

for millions of Chinese?

Unless they're fed,
we go to war.

That is my point, tovarich.

If we get
a violent enemy in Rome,

he could do us more harm
than you could realize.

If we get a man who
is halfway reasonable,

he could be of
enormous advantage to us,

especially in
the mess we face now.

So...

You turn to magic.

Roman magic like that.

What's happened to
you, Piotr Ilyich?

I will tell you.

I suppose it happens

to every man who sits
in the center chair.

I've come to the end
of the book of rules.

There will be universal massacre

in a matter of months,

and I have run out
of mathematics.

Revolution is in the air,

and we are not prepared for it.

Our young priests are prepared.

They're finding ways

to live with change
and make changes.

Yes. Sometimes they frighten me.

But why?

They see injustice
and want to correct it.

And they may make more

through ignorance
and inexperience.

Our friend Lakota here

should be an expert
on revolution.

Oh, no.
I am no expert.

But you have lived under
a revolutionary regime.

Well, that is not quite right.

Marxism in Russia

is very conservative.

Their revolution
is for export now.

Our problem is to match them

with our own product.

Which is?

Oh, no, please, please.

I--I would rather listen.

No, we would like to hear you.

Leone:
Yes, yes. Indeed.

We should manufacture

the authentic

Christian revolution:

Work for all, bread for all,

dignity for all men.

But without violence.

Well, uh, excuse me,
but violence...

Is a reaction
against the situation

that has become
intolerable, isn't it?

Oh?

Well...In the camps
in Siberia,

we were starved and brutalized.

I stole.

I--I stole some bread.

I fed it crumb by crumb to a man

whose jaw had been
broken by a guard.

I...I fought the guard
to save my friend.

I could have killed him.

That was a terrifying
experience.

I, a Bishop...

Could have killed a man.

So, as a Bishop,

you would give your approval
to social disorder?

I might be forced to accept it

as a price for
social change, yes.

You are walking
a moral tightrope.

We all have to walk it.

That is what we pay
for being men.

But what if you
had killed the guard?

I don't know.

I--I--I don't know, eminence.

I do know we're in action

in a brutal world.

The children of god
are ours to protect,

and if we have
to fight, we fight.

I--I think I've talked too much.

[Soft praying in Latin]

Rinaldi:
Good night, eminence.

Cardinal: Good night,
your eminence.

Rest well.

Kiril?

Kiril?

[Murmuring]

My brothers.

My brothers...

We have already failed 7 times

to reach an election.

I stand now to claim
a right under canon law.

In all humility,
I proclaim to you my belief

that there is among us
a man already marked by god

to sit in the chair
of St. Peter.

Like the first of the apostles,

this man has suffered
the prison and stripes

for the faith.

The hand of god
has led him out of bondage

to join us in this conclave.

I announce him as my candidate

and dedicate to him my vote

and my obedience.

Kiril, cardinal Lakota.

Thank you, eminence,

but I...I cannot consent to it.

I, too, proclaim him.

I also proclaim him.

No, please. Please,
please, wait--

I also proclaim him.

I proclaim him.

Please, time has passed me by--

I, too, proclaim him.

I, too, proclaim him.

I beg you!

And I proclaim him.

I, too, proclaim him.

For the love of god, I beg you!

I proclaim him.

Please! Reconsider
what you are doing!

[Ring]

[Ring]

[Speaking in Latin]

Do you accept election?

You must answer now.

Do you accept election?

I, uh...

I accept.

And may god have mercy on me.

How do you choose to be called?

We choose to be called
by our own name.

Kiril.

It was the name of
the Saint who first...

Carried the gospel
into our country.

[Applause]

Your holiness.

[Knock on door]

How do you do?
What are we--

congratulations, your holiness.

Thank you.
What--

undress, please, holiness.

The cross.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

What is your name?

Gelasio, your holiness.

I'm Kiril Lakota.

[Whispering]
Thank you. Pray for me.

Thank you.

Please pray for me, my friend.

Merci beaucoup.

Eminence,

I hope you realize
what you have done.

Cardinal.

[Cheering]

Leone: Annuncio
vobis gaudium Magnum...

Leone:
...Habaemus papum.

Gaudiam Magnum.
Joyous tidings.

We have a pope.

[Cheering]

It's the Russian...

Kiril Lakota.

They've elected a Russian pope.

Benedicto dei omnipotentis...

Patris et filii
et spiritus sancti

descendat super vos
et maneat semper.

All: Amen.

[Marching band plays]

[Cheering]

The college of cardinals
have elected

the first non-Italian pope

since Adrian vi 400 years ago.

With the world
in a state of crisis,

it is impossible
at this time to assess

what the ramifications might be.

[Crowd cheering]

Holiness?

Oh, eminence.

The day's appointments.

Oh, yes.

Excuse me.
My glasses.

Everybody wants to see the pope.

Ha ha ha.

Bishops, businessmen,

cinema actors?

Ha ha ha! I suggest
you take it up

with the maestro Di camera.

Oh, I will,
I will. Today.

No, we have to make
some changes, Leone,

otherwise, I will never
get any work done.

I'm glad it's your holiness

and not myself.

But I need time to think.

And to pray.

I hate the sensation
of being managed.

Ha ha.

The management of princes.

It used to be
a very special game.

Yes.

You elected a man
to absolute power,

and then you had to limit

his use of it.

Sometimes, it's not a bad idea.

Ha ha ha.
Ha ha ha.

Oh...On the matter
of father Telemond.

He has a brilliant mind
and deep spirituality.

I would like to keep him
close to me as a...

As a personal advisor.

With respect, holiness,

I should counsel against it.

Why?

His opinions are suspect.

They have been
under examination.

His opinions may be suspect,

but the person, we believe,

is a godly man.

If your holiness
chooses father Telemond,

you will be lending
patronage and authority

to an unsuitable person.

Has there been any imputation

against his character

or his life as a priest?

It is opinions
which are suspect,

not the man.

That makes the situation

very dangerous.

We recognize the risk,

but we are disposed to take it.

You will convey

to the commissioners our desire

for a quick verdict

on the works of father Telemond.

I will do that, holiness,

but once again,

I must emphasize
the very real danger.

As your holiness decides.

Thank you.

Announcer: Starvation has
again increased in China,

and military action
appears imminent.

There is a postscript
I want you all to hear.

A personal letter
from Chairman Peng.

"I'm prepared to go
to extraordinary lengths

"with the Soviet union

"and the United States
of America

"to avert a horrible disaster.

"But I have to warn you

"that if the terms
are too strenuous,

"or if they do violence

"to the dignity of
the Chinese people,

"situation will pass
out of my control

"into the control of the army.

"I urge you to convince
the western world

"of the magnitude of our need

and of the risk of war,
which confronts us all."

We are at a minute to midnight.

Tovarich?

If the ants march
out of the ant heap,

there will be ruin and misery

too horrible to contemplate.

Next picture, please.

[Cheering on film audio]

[Speaking in Russian]

[Laughter]

Kamenev: Why do you laugh?

Vucovich: They laugh
because this man

was a political prisoner
for 20 years.

So.

And today he has been elected

head of the Vatican city-state.

He is spiritual leader
of 800 million people.

He can talk with
every leader in the west

with the strongest voice of all.

The catholic vote
at the ballot box.

You must think of that,
you know, tovarich.

Think what it might mean

if he spoke the right word
at the right time.

His holiness is ready.

Your holiness?

Yes?

Mr. Igor Bounin.

Send him in.

Mr. Bounin?

"I send you a gift.

"Earth from the Ukraine.

"Sunflower seeds.

Piotr Ilyich Kamenev."

There is no other message?

"My respects and my compliments

"upon your election.

"The earth is sacred

"because it is all
we have to stand on.

"The seeds are sacred

"because there is life

locked inside them."

"I hope they may come

to flower in your garden."

I have heard your voice before.

We have met.

We have, sir. Yes.

You had another name.

I have many names.

Of course.

You sat at some
of the interrogations

with Kamenev.

Yes, sir, that is correct.

Go on with your message.

"We shall be at war
within 2 months.

There is no way in
which China can--"

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, will you
please repeat that?

"We shall be at war
within 2 months.

"There is no way

"in which China
can come to terms

with the capitalist powers."

Go on.

"Would you commit
to a double risk?

"To speak to the western world

"on behalf of the Chinese,

"and the Chinese
on behalf of the west?

"This would entail
a face-to-face meeting

"with Chairman Peng.

He has agreed to come
if you will come."

Is that all?

There is a little more.

Yes?

"You believe you stand
in god's shoes.

I must wear my own."

"Greetings,
Piotr Ilyich Kamenev."

Mr. Bounin, how do you
interpret the--the letter?

I have no interpretation, sir.

Not even on such
important matters?

No, sir.

It is a matter
between Kiril Lakota

and Piotr Ilyich Kamenev.

And you are
to carry back my answer?

If there is one, yes.

Here.

No, sir.
I will remember.

Yes, of course.

I am...

Touched by your gift.

How soon will you
be back in Moscow?

Tonight.

The meeting you suggest...
Is perilous

and leaves us all...
Vulnerable.

Chiara: But why the zoo?

Why ever would you
want to meet me here,

of all places?

Well, there's--uh...

It's fun. There's kids
and animals, uh...

Ew. I absolutely hate the zoo.

Hate it?

They used to bring me here

for long, awful, boring walks

when I was a kid, and besides,

the animals depress me.

Um...

Let's go somewhere
and have a drink.

Puppet: Oh, Judy...
Judy, where are you...

[Children laughing]

You're very strange today.

Are you going to run
off in half-an-hour?

No. I'm in no hurry.

Good. Then I'll have
a Margarita cocktail.

Why a Margarita?

I've never had one before.

It sounds marvelous.

Darling?

[Knocking on door]

Ah, Gelasio.

No, no, no, please.
Leave them.

Thank you.

Gelasio.

Uh, Gelasio...

Would your holiness
like something

before he retires?

Coffee? Tea?
Warm milk?

No, thank you.

Gelasio,

we are going to be together

for a long time.

We, uh...

Well, uh...

We should get
to know each other.

I suppose so, holiness.

Won't you sit down?

Oh, no, I--

oh, no, no. Please.

Well, tell me about yourself.

Uh...How old are you, uh...

Nearly 60, holiness.

60? No.

Are you married?

A widower.

Oh. Do you have any children?

Yes, a boy and a girl.

They are both grown now
and married.

Uh, where were you born?

Here in Rome.
Trastevere.

In Rome?

Tell me about Rome.

What do I say, holiness?
Rome is, uh...

Rome is...

Rome is Rome, holiness.

For you, yes.

For me, Gelasio, it's...

An unknown country.

Yet I am Bishop of this city.

Tell me,

what will people think

of a...Foreign pope?

They will make jokes about it.

But in time,
they will accept it.

We Romans have seen everything.

Yes, you have.

Tell me, how does
one get in and out

of this place?

Vatican city?

Yes.

There are gates.

Uh, we all have a pass.

And the pope, too?

Oh, no.

He's the head of Vatican city.

He can get out where he pleases

and when he pleases.

Can he, indeed?

Gelasio, can you
find me a cassock?

In your holiness' wardrobe--

no, a black one

like any priest might wear.

And a black hat.

I...I don't know.

I could try.

[Children shouting in Italian]

[Horn honks]

[Tires screech]

Are you all right?

I'm sorry.

I was in a hurry.

I've got
an urgent case upstairs.

You almost had another patient.

I'm afraid I'm going
to lose this one.

I'm sorry. Is there
anything I can do?

Yes. Yes, there is.

It's down on the left.

There's an all-night pharmacy.

Take this and get it for me.

And bring it up
to the second floor.

Number 13.

Number 13.

It's urgent.

Excuse me.

Excuse me, the doctor
said this is urgent.

Uh, just a moment.

That will be 3,500 lire.

I'm--I'm sorry,
I forgot about the money.

I can send it to you
tomorrow morning.

No.

Oh, I--I could leave you a note.

A note is a piece
of paper, padre.

Well, I'll go
and see the doctor.

But I trust you.

Thank you. I--
I won't forget.

[Girl speaking in Italian]

Kiril:
Where is 13, boys?

Sopra.

Excuse me.

Doctor.

My lord Jesus, I am your child.

For whatever wrong
I have done--

he doesn't understand, father.

He is not a Christian.
We are mostly Jews here.

Oh.

* scemma, Israel *

* ascem elohenv *

* ascem ecchad *

[kiss]

Scemma, Israel,

ascem elohenv ascem ecchad.

Baruch scem kevod
malchudo leclam vahed.

Veaiu addevarin
aelle...Ascem annochi...

Mettavverrha aion...
Al levavecha...

Vescinnantam levanecha
vedibarta bam vescirterrha

bevetecha vvlerterrha

baddereh vfsciorberrha
vrcumecha...

Usciartam leot Al jadecka...

Veaiu letotahot Ben elecha...

Urtattam...

Al mezuzot betecha...

Uvisc areha.

* scemma *

others, joining:
* Israel *

* ascem elohenv *

* ascem ecchad *

[kiss]

He's comfortable now.

Is there anything I can do?

No.

The dying is easy.

It is the living
that defeats us.

Shalom.

Shalom Aleichem.

Ruth: We should go now.

Yes.

Shalom.

Shalom Aleichem.
Shalom Aleichem.

[Children playing]

Where did you learn Hebrew?

Oh, I was a biblical scholar

when I was young.

That doesn't
explain it, does it?

Heh heh heh.
No, it doesn't.

No, I worked with
a rabbi in a camp in...

In Siberia.

I've seen you before, haven't I?

Yes, I suppose you have.

Just think of me

as a priest you sent
to the pharmacist.

What are you doing here
like this?

Oh, I had to get out.

I just had to get out.

Woman: Angelo.

I wanted to hear
all these--these noises

and watch people living,

just--just simply living.

Woman: Angelo!

I was hungry for it.

Can you understand that?

I wish I felt life was
as appetizing as that.

That man upstairs,

was he long a patient of yours?

My mind wasn't on him.

Shall we go?

Yes. Can I carry your bag?

Woman: Ma dove e Angelo?

You know, I had
11 brothers and sisters.

11 of us in 2 rooms.

[Woman laughing]

I'm sorry.
I don't know your name.

Ruth Faber.

[Woman speaking in Italian]

I wonder where Angelo is.

Do you suppose
he's the youngest?

You know, the one in the middle

always has it
the most difficult.

Oh.

Dr. Faber, is--

why is my marriage like this?

Is it wrong for
a woman to have a job?

Is it because we haven't
got any children?

Is it because we both live away

from our own countries?

Is it because Rome
is full of temptation,

and the young girls
are beautiful?

Oh, so beautiful...

And the answer to "why
is my marriage like this?"

Is just...

My marriage is like this.

You know, sometimes
I'd give anything

to be that woman,

shouting for Angelo,
taking care of him.

Making the pasta,

hanging out washing
on those lines.

But we seem
to be given our roles.

I'm this sort of wife.

They cast me.

That's his wife.

And what does the man
in the long robes

say to all that?

Oh...Ha!

The man in the long robes

would have to put it

to a pontifical council

and study the ramifications,

but the man inside the robes

would have noticed

that in all you've said,

you never mentioned
the word "love."

Do you mean I don't love him?

Or I do?

Oh, I cannot say that.
Nobody can.

There is only
one area to search.

And if love is mislaid,

where did you see it last?

And if you can't remember,

maybe there was no love
in the first place.

Oh, there was.

Then it is mislaid.

And you must...
Find it.

Do you smell that cooking?

Are you hungry?

When you're one of 11 children,

you're always hungry.

Do you know a place
where you could take

an escaped prisoner to eat?

Yes. I know just the place.

Good.

Oh...

Thank you.

Ha!

[Motorcycles revving]

Your holiness, the car is here.

Thank you.

Heh heh heh.
Well...

You have to go, don't you?

Yes, I suppose I do.

We're all in prison,
one way or another.

Yes, and those who understand it

suffer most of all.

Good night.

[Horn honks]

I, um...

I've socks for him and...

Shirts for him and sweaters...

For him.

I have papers for him,
pencils for him...

And for some
unaccountable reason,

an Amber cigarette holder
for him.

You're going home to mother?

No, I thought
that's where you'd gone.

And life does have
its jolly compensations,

doesn't it?

Just when a man is about
to say good-bye to his...

Tiny folly...

What does he look up and see

but his wife's green
and penetrating orbs.

And just as he's
figured out a way

to handle that
unfortunate situation

by buying buckets of
champagne, some flowers...

A few crown jewels and some...

Let's-get-together cards...

My telephone rings,
and I'm called to Paris.

By another tiny folly?

No, by something that makes
our marriage problem

seem very small indeed.

I'd agree with that.

Then you've heard the news?

No.

We've all been called to Paris,

every correspondent
in the network.

The red light is flashing alert.

We're supposed to take it
lightheartedly.

Darling...

I would at least have tried
to persuade you that...

I was definitely
calling it off with Chiara.

It'll be all right.

I mean, not just about us.

I know it will.

I'll, uh, give
your regards to Paris.

With his message...

Kamenev sent me this.

It is full of Russian earth
and sunflower seeds,

but it has a meaning.

If we cannot find a way

to make peace among the peoples,

then the earth
will be blackened,

and there will be no flowers
anymore for any of us.

How would you answer Kamenev

if you stood in
the shoes of the fisherman?

I would wait, holiness.

We've had no time

to study the consequences
of such a meeting.

We've had no time--

because there is no time.

Very well, my friends.

You tell me what to do.

Delay, holiness.

Delay only long enough

to consider what you gamble.

And turn my back

and wash my hands
like Pontius Pilate?

I cannot wash my hands
of the world

and neither can you.

My brothers, if this is
the last sound made

by the last living man,

it must be shouted
loud and clear.

Life...

Is a gift of god.

Do you believe that
Jesus Christ is god?

Oh, yes.

That he died
and rose from the dead?

Yes.

To what end?
For what purpose?

In the old days,

we used to say he came
to redeem and save us,

or as the good nuns put it,

to buy us back from the devil

and to get us into heaven.

But you don't put it that way.

I'm afraid I don't
believe it that way.

How do you believe it, father?

I believe that man
is born in bondage.

To what, father?

To his own history.

And Christ the savior--

how does he buy man
out of this bondage?

The death of Christ was the act

by which man was redeemed.

I'm concerned now

how this act of redemption
continues for us

in this very troubled century.

How do you see that, father?

This is crucial.

I know.

Let me try to explain...

Carefully.

I've no son, but if I had,

what could I offer him?

Only tomorrow.

I will die soon, perhaps.

What is offered to me?

Unless I know the answer
to that question...

I'm left without hope.

Christ died,

he rose from the dead,

he went into heaven,
out of this world...

But if he's not still here

with us in this world...

We are truly lost.

So.

Now we come
to the classic question.

[Echoing] What think you
of Christ?

Excuse me, eminence,

could you ask
the question again?

[Echoing] What think you
of Christ, father?

Who is he?

He is the point to which
all of evolution is tending.

He is the point

at which the whole universe
must arrive,

as the spokes of a wheel
arrive at a center.

He is the universe summed up.

He is the cosmic Christ.

Father Telemond,

it is written in the scripture,

"Jesus Christ--
yesterday, today,

and the same forever."

Are you not creating

another Christ of your own?

I am not creating him.

I'm revealing a face of him
we have not yet seen.

Do you have a private
revelation, father?

Perhaps I have, eminence.

If I have, it is
no merit of mine.

Indeed, it is a torment for me.

I cannot renounce
this Christ whom I see...

Any more than I can renounce
him who hangs on the cross.

You put us in great trouble.

Much that you have
said and written

is of extraordinary
depth and beauty.

Much of it is still unclear

and, as you have seen,
puzzling to us.

It would help if you gave us

one clear statement

of what you believe.

I believe in a personal god,

I believe in Christ,

I believe in the spirit--

but if by some perilous
internal revolution

I lost my faith in god,

in Christ, and in the spirit...

I think I still would
believe in the world.

Yes, I do believe in the world--

in the goodness of the world,
in the values of the world.

That, in the final analysis,

is the first and last thing
in which I believe.

This faith I live by...

And it is to this faith

that at the moment of death,

mastering all doubts...

I shall surrender myself.

Leone: "It is the opinion

"of the commissioners,
therefore,

"that the works
of father Telemond

"present ambiguities
and even grave errors

"in philosophical
and theological matters

"which offend catholic doctrine.

"They recommend that
the reverend father Telemond

"should be prohibited

"from teaching or publishing

"the dubious opinions
above-mentioned

"until a full
and formal examination

has been made."

Didn't the second
Vatican council affirm

in the clearest terms

the Liberty of man's conscience

and the right of free research?

Well, yes, holiness,

but...

With great respect,

I submit that what a philosopher

may publish without harm

bears a different color

when it is written
by a papal advisor.

Eminence...

You have our thanks.

How is this news

to be conveyed
to father Telemond?

We shall tell him ourselves.

You have our leave to go.

This is a grief
for your holiness,

I know it.

I wish I could share--

our grief is private
to ourselves.

Now we would like to be alone.

David.

It's worse than I thought.

David, perhaps, in time--

there's no time, holiness.

At night, I hear
the knocking on the gate.

All of a sudden,
the work is undone.

This is the moment you've...

Always been afraid of.

But I am with you.

I'm--

I'm your friend. I--
I am your brother.

But I'm condemned

to absolute silence, holiness.

This was delivered in your name.

Please tell me what I must do.

I will give you an order.

You will rest,

you will submit to medical care,

and...

You will be silent.

David...

It is the terror of life.

No one can carry
another man's burden.

It is the terror
of the church, too.

I hate her,

and still I can't leave her.

I love her...

And still I can't
live in her in peace.

By your leave, holiness.

Kiril: My friends.

Thank you for coming, eminence.

Your eminence, how are you?

I, uh, don't have much time,

but please council me

and question me
without fear or reserve.

May I ask the reason

for your holiness'
somewhat unusual dress?

It's easier to feel alike
if we look alike.

Will you holiness make
any public statement

at or after the meeting?

No, I will make no statement
other than courtesies

until I have returned to Rome

and have consulted with you all.

Has the president
of the United States

been informed of
your visit, holiness?

Yes, so have all the European

and Asian heads of state.

Not all approve, but all,
I believe, wish us well.

What, in fact,

does your holiness hope to gain

from a private meeting
with 2 Marxist leaders?

The understanding of the things

which are driving them
and the world into war,

their confidence in me

as an honest spokesman
in this time of crisis.

Any more questions?

Thank you. Gelasio?

You will, uh, be
the guardians of the church

while I'm gone.

I'm suddenly very alone.

We are with you, holiness.

Thank you.

We do not all agree,
but we are all with Peter,

and we offer you our prayer
for your journey.

All: Our father,

who Art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done

on earth, as it is in heaven.

Piotr Ilyich.

For a while, I did not
think you would come.

Why not?

I've no rights over you,

and you have no reason
to trust me.

I'm not sure I can help.

I'm willing to try.

You are changed.

I do not feel changed.

There was a pride in you once,

more an arrogance,

as if you carried the truth

in a private purse

and no one could
dispute it with you.

When I hated you-- and I did--

it was because of that.

I have learnt what I am--

a low man who sits
too high for his gifts.

Let me warn you--

with Peng, we cannot be too low.

If we are, he will despise us.

If we are too high,

he will reject us out of hand.

He lives by face.
He dare not lose it.

Oh.

Does Peng understand

that we are as much
at risk as he is?

And I don't think we are.

We are the affluent ones.

He has 800 million people.

There is famine
over 3 provinces,

and it will soon spread
over the whole land.

God help us in what we do now.

If he is where he can hear us,

I hope he will.

Man: Charge elite.

Man: Chairman Peng

of the people's
Republic of China.

Kamenev:
Welcome, comrade.

Chairman, his holiness
pope Kiril the first.

Mr. chairman.

Shall we be comfortable?
Would you care--

no, thank you.

I have agreed to meet him.

I am not convinced that
he can do anything for us.

I have only a voice, but
it reaches many people.

I am prepared to raise it.

To what ends?

To feed the Chinese
people first,

to prevent a war.

And the price?

On my part, none.

But the capitalists
will exact a price.

Comrade Kamenev, who is
already half a capitalist,

has a price, too.

I cannot say
what they will exact.

I can only say

what you should not
be asked to pay.

I will tell you
what we will not pay.

We will not destroy

what the revolution
has accomplished.

We will not submit

to military threats
or colonial exploitation.

But you should withdraw
your own military threats

to the nations
of southeast Asia.

Then let the Americans
give us a chance

to trade with
the rice-bowl countries,

as we have done for centuries.

Let Russia remove the threat

of these ballistic missiles

aimed at
our production centers--

troops and tanks

along a thousand miles
of border.

Let the Americans pull out

of their military colonies

in Thailand and Vietnam.

No one can do
all these things at once.

In stages, it's possible.

The important thing is that
we make a start together.

Russia is prepared
to match every move you make

to reduce military tension

and give you
what credits she can

to buy in other markets.

The markets we need
are closed to us.

I am prepared to plead
and negotiate

for them to be opened.

Words are cheap.

Mr. chairman, what is
your revolution built on?

What is Russia's revolution
built on?

One man, who spent
most of his life

in the British museum,

who was buried in
a tiny cemetery in England.

Karl Marx never carried a gun.

He never fought
on the barricades.

All he had was words--

words and an idea,

which in 60 years

has changed
the face of the earth.

And you think
you can do it again?

I want to try...

But I have no chance to succeed

if you throw my words
back in my teeth

the moment they are spoken.

I need your cooperation
in what I do.

So I give it.

You fail.

What then?

We are back in the jungle.

I didn't mean that.

I mean this.

His holiness Kiril the first
goes back to Rome.

He makes a great speech,

writes letters,
sends out messages.

They are ignored--
very politely, of course.

Now, what has he lost?

Nothing.

What has he gained?

Much.

He is a noble man,

a peacemaker who unhappily
failed to make peace.

Mr. chairman, you came
because you thought

I might be able to do something.

Now what is it?

Pay some of the price
that we have to pay.

What do you expect him
to pay? How?

When I came here today,

I put my head
on the executioner's block.

When I go back
across that border,

it might well be chopped off.

That's my risk.

What is yours?

David.

Thank you for coming
so late at night.

What can I do for you, holiness?

I need your help.

I'll do anything I can
to be helpful.

Thank you.

Uh, won't you sit down?

I...

I just wanted to think out loud.

I mean, first of all,
I want to say how--

how sorry I am about...

What I had to do.

Holiness...

I accepted the verdict
of the commission

as an act of obedience.

Of course, I cannot abandon

my personal search for the truth

for you or for anyone.

I would be untrue to myself.

I understand.

But please know now,

I accept your decision
without reserve,

without any resentment,

with a clear conscience,

and with a humble heart.

Your holiness should not
feel any burden from me.

I'm truly grateful.

That is a magnificent gift.

David, I'm...

I'm feeling lost.

I am troubled

by the whole idea
of my coronation.

Why?

I am not prepared

to be crowned
with the pomp of a prince

while hungry men
live in the shadow of death.

Because, in the emotion
of the moment,

I may have done wrong
to accept the election.

Tu es petrus.

You are Peter.

There is one consolation.

As pope,
I cannot preach error...

And no matter
what folly I may commit...

The church will survive.

Aah!

David.
David, what is it?

David, David.

David: Oh!
Gelasio!

David.

Gelasio!

David: Oh!

Gelasio!

[David moans]

Kiril: Gelasio!

Eminence.

We had asked to be left alone.

I came to offer my sympathy

to your holiness

on the death of father Telemond.

I feel guilty.

You have no cause to feel that.

I cannot dismiss it, holiness.

I have a confession to make.

Then I suggest you make it

to your confessor.

I am a soul in distress,
holiness. You are a priest.

You are right.

I was jealous of David Telemond.

I did what was right,

but my intention was not right

when I did it.

Why were you jealous of him?

Because of you, holiness.

Because I needed but could
not have what you gave him--

intimacy, trust, affection,

and because I'm an old man

that has served the church
a long time

and thought I deserved better.

I was wrong.

None of us deserves anything

but the promised wage

for the worker in the vineyard.

Eminence...

I, too, have sinned.

I kept you at a distance
because I could not...

Tolerate your opposition.

And I was at fault
with father Telemond.

I...

I clung to him because...

I'm glad you came.

Leone...

How does a man ever know

if his actions are
for himself or for god?

You don't know.

You have a duty to act,

but you have no right
to expect approval

or even a successful outcome.

So in the end, my friend,
we are alone?

Yes.

I have seen 3 men
sit in this room.

You are the last I shall see.

Each of them, in his turn,
came to where you stand now.

The moment...Of solitude.

I have to tell you,
there is no remedy for it.

You are here
until the day you die,

and the longer you live,

the lonelier you will become.

You will use this man

and that for the work
of the church,

but when the work is done,

or the man has
proved unequal to it,

you will let him go
and find another.

You want love.

You need it, as I do,
even though I am old.

You may have it for
a little while, but...

You will lose it again.

Like it or not,

you are condemned
to a solitary pilgrimage

from the day of your election

until the day of your death.

This is Calvary, holiness,

and you have just begun...

To climb.

"Accept this triple tiara,

for you are the vicar
of our savior Jesus Christ."

These are the words

with which Kiril the first
will be crowned pope today.

I'm alone here now,

but by midday, the piazza
and all the approaches to it

will be jammed
with nearly 500,000 people.

For many,

the elaborate ceremony,
the biggest on earth,

will seem antique and obsolete.

For others, it will be
a symbol of continuity.

2,000 years
of the Christian message,

from Peter the fisherman
to Kiril the first.

You gave me absolute power.

You must submit to my use of it.

You are bound
to prudence, holiness.

We are bound to charity first.

Your holiness is
proposing the incredible.

The impossible.

The church has to function

as a society
in the 20th century.

That's true.

For that it needs
financial resources.

Christ never said that.

Holiness, you took an oath

not to renounce
any power or possession

which was necessary to
the survival of the church.

The only thing
necessary to the church

is the spirit of god.

What you propose is an affront

to all your predecessors.

They used the light they had.

I use that which
has been given to me.

Are you sure it is
a light, holiness,

and not an illusion?

I believe it is a light.

I'm obliged in conscience
to say it, holiness.

You are doing a reckless
and a dangerous thing.

If the rest of you
agree with his eminence,

I--I am prepared to abdicate...

Now.

Well?

No!

This is Peter...

And I stand with him.

Closest to the ceremony,
of course,

will be the senior churchmen
from the Vatican itself.

Next, the archbishops,
the bishops, the monsignores,

and nuns from every part
of the globe,

many of them
representing their order

or their country.

To be invited inside,
if you're not a churchman,

you would probably have
to be a papal prince,

a monarch from another land,

a member
of the Italian government,

a general, or a senior diplomat.

Unless, of course,
you do it the old Roman way,

which is to know somebody

who knows somebody

who has an in.

[Bells chime]

[Bells ringing]

[Choir singing]

[Choir singing]

[Crowd cheering]

Accipe thiaram

tribus coronis ornatum

et scias Te esse patrem

principum et regum

rectorem orbis in Terra,

vicarium salvatoris
nostra Jesus Christi

cui est honor et Gloria
in saecula saeculorum.

All: Amen.

[Crowd cheering]

Our lord, Jesus Christ,

whose vicar I am,

was crowned with thorns.

I stand before you bareheaded

because I am your servant.

Please.

Though I speak with the tongues

of men and of angels

and have not charity,

I am become as sounding brass

or a tinkling cymbal.

Though I have all faith

so that I could remove mountains

and have not charity,

I am nothing.

We are...

In a time of crisis.

I cannot change the world.

I cannot change what history
has already written.

I...Can only change myself,

and begin, with unsure hands,

to write a new chapter.

I am the custodian
of the wealth of the church.

I pledge it now,

all our money,

all our holdings in land,
buildings,

and great works of Art

for the relief
of our hungry brothers.

And if to honor this pledge,

the church must strip
itself down to poverty,

so be it.

I will not alter this pledge.

I will not reduce it.

And now...

I beg the great of the world
and the small of the world

to share out their abundance
with those who have nothing.

[Crowd cheering]

Peace!

Peace!

Peace!

Peace!

Peace!

Peace!