Original subtitles

(light music)

(tense music)

(rapid footsteps approaching)

(heavy breathing)

(tense music crescendo)

(traffic humming)

(church bell rings)

(background chatter)

(sinister music)

(elevator announcements)

(heavy door opens)

(quiet chatter)

(music crescendo)

(ominous beat)

(ominous beat)

He is with God.

(ominous music)

(dramatic music) (sobbing)

(metal scrapes)

(light hammering)

(clang)

(sombre music)

The throne of the Holy See

is vacant.

(dramatic music)

Aldo.

(quiet chatter)

Hey, do you think that anybody would mind

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

He would've wanted you to have it.

Because we used to play quite often in the evenings.

He said... it helped him to relax. (chuckles)

And who won?

- Oh, he did. - (laughs)

He was always eight moves ahead.

Hmm.

Aldo...

I'm sorry.

Hmm.

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

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

there had been warnings.

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

Yeah. He didn't want anyone to know.

He was afraid that if word got out

that they would start circulating rumours

that he was going to resign.

The Curia.

(ominous music) Yes.

Okay.

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

we will have to prepare a detailed statement.

Who discovered the Holy Father's body?

I did, Your Eminence.

And then what did you do?

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

Mm-hmm.

But it was too late.

Mm-hmm.

And what time was this?

Around...11:30, Eminence.

We would have called you earlier, but...

Thomas, I'm so sorry.

I know His Holiness had no colleagues

closer than you and Aldo.

But I asked Janusz to hold off calling you.

I wanted to ascertain all the facts.

You know how rumour spreads.

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

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

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

I believe that may have been me.

Father Wozniak, I was the last one?

You were, Eminence Tremblay.

Put in all the meetings he had that day.

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

Well...

it might look like we were placing

a huge burden on a sick man.

The Papacy is a huge burden,

especially for an older man.

(tense beat)

Well, Dean,

it seems the responsibility for the Conclave

falls upon you.

(sombre music)

(in Italian): Seal the room.

(dramatic music)

(zipping)

(high tempo music) (gurney clanking)

(straps pulling)

(light switch clicks)

(door closes)

(gurney wheels trundling)

(siren blares)

(quiet, rhythmic clacking)

(lively street sounds)

(in English): Security say they'd like to test

the electronic jammers one last time, Your Eminence.

Well, then they'd better be quick.

Is this really necessary, Willi?

Apparently so.

They say eavesdroppers can use lasers

to read the vibrations of the glass.

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

suffer from claustrophobia.

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

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

They will work through the night if they have to.

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

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

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

Well, don't be blasphemous, Ray.

Hell arrives tomorrow

when we bring in the cardinals.

Now, how do I pronounce this?

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

Oh, Kahl-koh, thank you.

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

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

The cardinals will be arriving in an hour.

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

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

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

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

He should've come to me earlier.

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

No, Ray...

tell him that I will see him

after I've met the cardinals.

The poor fellow will be

worrying about his future.

(whirring, buzzing)

(quiet prayers whispered)

(distant traffic rumbling)

(footsteps echoing)

(distant tannoy announcement)

(ominous music)

(high tempo music)

(helicopter whirring)

(men chattering)

(laughing)

(high tempo music continues)

So, how many is that, Willi?

103, Eminence Lawrence.

I wonder where Tedesco has got to.

Perhaps he's not coming.

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

(chuckling)

We could wait inside, if you prefer.

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

while we can.

Ah.

Father Bellini.

(echoing footsteps)

Aldo.

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

Oh, well, you know, fairly dreadful.

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

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

And I happen to agree with them.

(scoffs) What if I don't want it?

No sane man would want the Papacy.

Some of our colleagues seem to want it.

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

You are more worthy than any of us.

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

not to vote for you. Pass the chalice.

And let it go to him?

I could never live with myself.

(helicopter whirring)

(in Italian): Eminence Tedesco.

(laughter)

Dean Lawrence!

How are you?

I'm well, Goffredo.

(in English): Sorry, my train was delayed from Venice.

(in Italian): We've missed you. - Yes.

No doubt.

(in English): But don't worry, my friends have kept me well informed.

(in Italian): Are you well?

(in English): No one is ever well at our age.

(in Italian): True.

(in English): And you, huh?

How do you feel with your new,

er, responsibility?

(uneasy laugh)

Everything under control?

(in Italian): Yes, I believe so.

Eminence Tedesco, may I? - No.

(in English): See you later.

(in Italian): You're welcome. See you later, Eminence.

(plastic rustling)

(in English): Tell you what, that's enormous.

Apparently Pope John the 23rd was too fat

to fit into the biggest cassock, so they had to

split the seam at the back

for him to get into it.

(chuckling)

No.

You look tired.

Well, all this is...

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

I thought he would outlive all of us.

We didn't part well.

I asked for his permission to resign as Dean,

join an order.

What did he say?

He refused my resignation.

Said some were chosen to be shepherds

and some to manage the farm.

Apparently I am a manager.

(laughs softly)

He told me about your crisis of faith.

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

towards the end.

Wow, the Pope had doubts about God?

No.

Never about God.

What he had lost faith in was the church.

(door creaks opens) Father Wozniak?

(loud chatter)

In the name of the Father, the Son,

and the Holy Ghost.

- My last confession was... - Janusz.

four weeks ago. - Janusz,

I haven't got time

to hear your confession.

There's still so much to do.

Have you been drinking?

What's troubling you? Tell me.

I should have come to you before,

but I promised not to say anything.

Promised who?

Cardinal Tremblay.

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

Now, if you promised Cardinal Tremblay,

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

The day the Pope died,

the last person to have an official appointment with him

was Cardinal Tremblay. - Yes, I know,

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

the Holy Father dismissed him.

What?

He sacked him!

Why?

For gross misconduct.

And you tell me this now?

We're about to be sequestered, Janusz.

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

when I started to hear the rumours.

What rumours?

That he may be elected Pope.

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

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

Were you there at this meeting?

No, Your Eminence.

The Holy Father told me about it afterwards,

when we had supper.

Did he tell you why

he had dismissed Eminence Tremblay?

Err... no.

He said the reasons would become clear soon enough.

(dramatic music)

(echoing footsteps)

(doors grind, clang closed)

(shutters clang, trundle)

(shutters clang shut)

(steam hissing)

(terrines boiling)

(quiet chatter)

(cutlery clinking)

(nuns talking)

Dean Lawrence...

an issue.

Oh, dear God.

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

Have we lost a cardinal?

No, Your Eminence.

We seem to have acquired one.

I mean it literally.

Another cardinal has just turned up.

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

He was never on our list, Eminence.

He says he was created in pectore.

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

Well, that's what I thought, Eminence.

But Archbishop Mandorff has spoken to him

and he thinks not.

Er, what's this I'm hearing?

His name is Vincent Benitez, Your Eminence.

He's the Archbishop of Kabul.

Archbishop of where?

Kabul.

But he's Mexican.

The Holy Father appointed him last year.

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

I thought perhaps you would be aware of his elevation.

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

maybe he knows something of this.

- Yes, Eminence. - Thank you.

He has a letter of appointment from the Pope,

addressed to the archdiocese of Kabul,

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

Mm-hmm.

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

Well, err, where is he now?

BELLINI: A cardinal in Afghanistan?

- LAWRENCE: Hmm. - BELLINI: It's absurd.

How many Catholics are there in Afghanistan?

LAWRENCE: He was head of the Catholic mission there

until his elevation.

But how can we possibly ensure his safety?

Well, presumably that's why the Holy Father

wanted it kept a secret.

Well, it won't be in pectore now.

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

Wait, wait. Thomas.

Are we sure...

that the Holy Father was entirely...

competent...

when he made this appointment?

(stutters)

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

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

(loud clanging) (chatter)

(knife clinks on glass)

Eminences, before we eat,

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

whose existence was not known to any of us

erm, until only a few hours ago.

This is because our brother

was made a cardinal by the perfectly legitimate procedure

known as creation in pectore.

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

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

But I think we can guess well enough,

as our new brother's ministry

is an extremely dangerous one.

Welcome to our order,

Vincent Benitez,

Cardinal Archbishop of...

Kabul.

(quiet chatter)

(applause)

Eminence, please would you bless our meal?

Of course. (chairs scrape)

Bless us, oh Lord,

and these, your gifts,

which we are about to receive from your bounty.

ALL: Amen.

(men chattering)

(in Spanish): Bless all those

who cannot share this meal with us

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

to remember the hungry,

the thirsty,

the sick,

and the lonely,

and the sisters who prepared this food for us.

Through Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

(in English): Amen.

Please, come. (loud chatter)

This is your...

(in Italian): Dean!

Goffredo.

Thomas.

(laughs)

Come.

(in English): Take some wine.

(wine pouring)

(in Italian): Thank you.

(in English): You look anxious.

Oh...

(in Italian): And we haven't even begun yet.

(laughs)

(in English): Our new brother...

(in Italian): Did I hear correctly, Afghanistan?

Yes.

A marvellous testament to the Universal Church,

So many men of different cultures, races,

bound together by their faith in God.

(snorts with laughter)

Hmm?

Look around you.

Notice how everyone gravitates to their fellow countrymen.

Italians over here.

Spanish speakers there,

Mm-hmm.

English there.

Yes.

French.

(laughs heartily)

(in English): Divided by language.

(in Italian): When we were boys and the Tridentine Mass

was still the only true liturgy of the world,

we would all have been speaking Latin.

But then your fellow liberals insisted we get rid of that

"dead" language.

(chuckles)

Without Rome, without the tradition of Rome...

(in English): Things fall apart.

The centre cannot hold.

(in Italian): So what, the next pope must be Italian?

Why not?

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

Can you seriously imagine the alternative?

(cardinals laughing, chatting)

Excuse me, I must circulate amongst our brothers.

The abyss calls out.

(in English): It was shrewd of him to stay away

from Rome until today.

One outspoken newspaper interview

could have written Tedesco off.

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

LAWRENCE: Which means?

SABBADIN: I would say...

he's worth 15 votes on the first ballet.

LAWRENCE: And Bellini?

(soft music)

BELLINI: Why do I feel like a cow being priced by the farmer?

SABBADIN: First ballot...

Between 20 and 25.

But it is tomorrow night that the real work begins.

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

By real work you mean what, exactly?

LANDOLFI: But Eminence Bellini, those who seek the Papacy...

I don't "seek" the Papacy. I... (doors rattle open)

(cardinal clears his throat)

(metal clanging, rolling)

(in Italian): Thank you, Sisters.

(door closes)

(in English): Listen, you don't have to do anything.

Just leave it to us.

BELLINI: Tell them I stand for a common-sense approach

to such issues as gays and divorce.

Tell them I stand for never returning to the days

of the Latin liturgy,

or families of ten children

because Mama and Papa didn't know any better.

That was an ugly and repressive time

and I'm glad that it's over.

Tell them I stand for...

respecting other faiths,

for tolerating other views within our own church.

And tell them that I believe

women should play more of a role in the Curia.

Let's, um...

Let's not mention women.

Why?

Brother, I have no intention of concealing my views

or pretending to be anything other than I am

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

So...

if you want to canvas on my behalf,

then make sure that my message is clear.

I stand for everything that Tedesco does not.

- Okay. - If you'll excuse me.

(footsteps receding)

SABBADIN: Alright.

Rocco, you talk to the Americans.

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

Gianmarco, you take the Africans.

Aldo doesn't want it.

Any of it.

You know that, don't you?

SABBADIN: Of course, I do.

That's why I support him.

The men who are dangerous

are the ones who do want it.

(beeping) (door opens)

I'm enjoying all this mystery, Thomas.

(door closes)

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

Your last meeting with the Holy Father.

Oh, what about it?

Well, I've been told it was difficult.

- Was it? - TREMBLAY: Difficult? No.

Not that I can recall.

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

but to be specific,

I was told that the Holy Father

demanded your resignation.

What?

- That's absurd. - I...

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

Archbishop Wozniak.

Why would he say such a thing?

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

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

Hmm.

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

I understand, but no.

You... you can ask Monsignor Morales.

He was at the meeting.

Well, I would,

but at the moment

we happen to be sequestered.

Oh.

Can you think of any reason why Archbishop Wozniak

would circulate such a story?

No, I can't. (coffee machine buzzes)

I really... do you want a coffee? (coffee machine buzzes)

No.

TREMBLAY: (frustrated sigh)

I'm shocked.

He told you this himself?

Yeah.

You don't think...?

Well, what?

The drinking?

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

his drinking has been getting much heavier.

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

And... (sighs)

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

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

maybe he's...

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

And the poor man.

He was shattered by the Holy Father's death.

Yes, indeed.

Again, Joe, er, my apologies.

No, not at all.

I completely understand.

(door opens)

Erm...

what did you discuss with the Holy Father

in that final meeting?

Forgive me, Thomas.

It was a private conversation,

and very precious.

Those were the last words I ever exchanged

with the Holy Father.

Yes, of course.

Goodnight, Joe.

Goodnight Thomas.

(footsteps receding)

(door closes, locks)

(dramatic music)

- Decano. - Ah!

Oh, we're neighbours, Joshua.

Ah, it appears so. (chuckles)

I thought that I should, er... (door beeps, opens)

do a little more work on my homily for tomorrow.

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

(Lawrence chuckles)

I understand the trick

is to offend no one.

(both chuckling)

(key clicks, beeping) (door opens)

(door closes)

(cardinal chanting through wall)

(toilet flushes)

(soft music) (packet rumples)

(packet rips) (clattering)

You're a manager.

Manage.

(dramatic music)

(choral music) (church bells ring)

BENITEZ: Decano Lawrence?

(echoing, distorted chatter)

(footsteps receding)

(chain clanks) (choral chanting)

(book opens, pages turn)

(in Italian): Dear Brothers in Christ,

at the moment of great uncertainty,

in the history of the Holy Church,

we must think first of the late Holy Father,

whose brilliant pontificate was a gift from God,

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

through the pastoral solicitude of the cardinal fathers.

And we must pray to God for that loving assistance,

and ask Him to guide us

to the right choice.

(in English): But you know all that.

Let me speak from the heart for a moment.

St Paul said, 'Be subject to one another

out of reverence for Christ.'

To work together, and to, er...

to grow together, we must be tolerant.

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

And speaking to the Ephesians,

who were of course a mixture of Jews and gentiles,

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

is its variety.

It is this variety, this diversity of people and views

which gives our church its strength.

And over the course of many years

in the service of our Mother the Church,

let me tell you, there is one sin,

which I have come to fear above all others.

Certainty.

(someone clears his throat)

Certainty is the great enemy of unity.

Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance.

Even Christ was not certain at the end.

(in Italian): My God, My God, why are you forsaken me?

(in English): He cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the cross.

Our faith is a living thing,

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

If there was only certainty...

and no doubt...

there would be no mystery...

(whispering)

and therefore no need... for faith.

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

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

and who carries on.

(sombre music)

(quiet prayers uttered)

(bell tolls)

(ominous music)

Dean Lawrence...

your homily has caused quite the stir.

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

To say something interesting?

I'll have a transcript made of the recording.

Mm-hmm.

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

Eminence.

Yes, erm...

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

Monsignor Morales...

I'm sure he's still in Rome.

Could you try and see him?

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

I'd like to know what happened

in the final meeting between Cardinal Tremblay

and the Holy Father.

What happened?

Specifically, did anything occur that might

render Tremblay unfit for the Papacy?

Of course, Your Eminence.

Bless you.

(footsteps receding)

(slap) (high tempo music)

(security radio chatter)

(in Latin): And I, Irumbus Cardinal Nakitanda,

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

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

(cameras clicking)

(tense music)

Out, everyone.

(loud clatter)

(another loud clatter)

(quiet chatter)

(distant choral singing)

(bell tolls)

(bell tolls)

(bell tolls)

(bell tolls)

(bell tolls)

(quiet chatter) (distant choral singing)

(lock clicks)

(doors click)

(doors close with heavy bang)

(locks click loudly)

(in Italian): Cardinal brothers,

we will now proceed to the first ballot.

You will find in front of you your ballot paper.

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

Please make sure your handwriting is legible.

(quiet whispering)

(papers rustling)

(pens scratching on paper)

(paper folds)

(in Latin): I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge

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

I think should be elected.

(ballot clangs) (lid clinks)

(somebody coughs)

(in Italian): The first vote is cast for Cardinal Tedesco.

The second vote is cast for Cardinal Tedesco.

Cardinal Tremblay.

Cardinale Tremblay.

Cardinale Tedesco.

Cardinale Adeyemi.

Cardinale Lawrence.

Cardinale Bellini.

Cardinale Bellini.

Cardinale Villanueva.

Cardinale Tremblay.

Cardinale Adeyemi.

Cardinale Tremblay.

Cardinale Tedesco.

Cardinale Bellini.

Cardinale Adeyemi.

And finally, Cardinal Benitez.

The results of the first ballot are...

Cardinal Adeyemi, 21 votes.

Cardinal Tedesco, 18 votes.

Cardinal Bellini, 17 votes.

Cardinal Tremblay, 16 votes.

Cardinal Lawrence, 5 votes.

Other cardinals assigned a single vote, 31 votes

(mumbling, chatter)

(dramatic music)

My brother cardinals,

that concludes the first ballot.

No candidate having achieved

the necessary majority of 72 votes,

we shall adjourn for the evening,

and resume voting in the morning.

Thank you.

(ominous music)

(loud knocking on door)

(doors clank open)

(key turns)

(button clicks)

(smoke hisses, billows)

(crowd cheers)

(high tempo music)

(in English): The media have noticed the presence of a cardinal

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

Cardinal Benitez.

So, I've taken the liberty of

putting together a draft statement.

I've also put together some biographical details

for yourself.

The ministries in Veracruz, the Congo,

where he established a hospital for the female victims

of genocidal sexual violence

during the first and second wars.

Then Baghdad, and finally, a mission in Kabul.

Right.

There was some question of his resigning

on health grounds,

but apparently the Holy Father

convinced him to continue.

He's certainly served his ministry

in some terrible places.

- Yes. - Health grounds.

Look into that, would you, Ray?

It's the kind of thing

the press like to get hold of.

Of course.

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

Yes.

I spoke to Monsignor Morales.

He was emphatic that he knows of no reason why

Cardinal Tremblay should not be Pope.

- Thank you. - However...

will you forgive me if I say...

I did not entirely believe...

the good monsignor?

He was just...

so... emphatic.

My Spanish is quite poor

and I may have accidentally given him the impression

that you had seen a document that contradicts that.

And he said you weren't to worry,

that... and his exact words were,

'El informe ha sido retirado.'

A report? A report about what?

Withdrawn when?

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

(treacherous music)

Hmm.

(people chattering) (bell tolls)

(angry exhale)

(dramatic music)

Third place.

Not what we had hoped.

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

You have far too little support to emerge

as a serious candidate.

Well, my position is an embarrassment to me.

If I find out who my supporters are,

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

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

Alright.

That leaves 31 votes available.

We simply have to pick up most of them.

(squeaking)

(dramatic music)

(sirens blaring)

LAWRENCE: The Holy Father's turtles.

He was very fond of them.

A gift from Angola. (water babbling)

I thought I was imagining them.

I love them. They're so clever.

Well, here they keep escaping and being run over. (chuckles)

We should go back, the evening curfew.

And your health, how are you bearing up?

My health is perfect, thank you.

I only meant have you recovered from your journey?

- I have, indeed. - Good.

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

Yes. I voted for you.

Forgive me, am I not supposed to say?

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

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

may I call you Vincent?

I'm not a serious candidate.

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

After the Conclave, I hope to resign as Dean,

and then leave Rome altogether.

Why?

I've been experiencing difficulties.

With your faith?

Prayer.

I only mention it to illustrate my point

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

Come.

(intercom announcement)

(metal clanging)

(footsteps approaching)

Aldo.

Aldo.

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

may have come at your expense.

Hmm.

I had no idea you were so ambitious.

Well, that's a ridiculous thing to say.

Is it?

Is it?

I thought we had your support.

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

You have no idea how bad it became, Thomas.

The way he and his circle attacked the Holy Father

towards the end.

The smears,

the leaks to the press.

It was savage.

He fought him every single day of his pontificate.

And now that he's dead,

he wants to destroy

his life's work.

If Tedesco becomes Pope,

he will undo 60 years of progress.

You talk as if you're the only alternative,

but Adeyemi has the wind behind him.

- Adeyemi? - Mm-hmm.

Adeyemi, the man who believes that homosexuals

should be sent to prison in this world,

and hell in the next.

Adeyemi's not the answer to anything.

And you know it.

If you want to defeat Tedesco...

Defeat? This is a Conclave, Aldo,

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

And you have to commit to a side.

Save your precious doubts for your prayers.

You can't seriously believe

that I have the slightest desire to become Pope.

Come on!

Every cardinal has that desire.

Every cardinal deep down has already chosen

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

Well... I haven't.

(scoffs) Deny it if you like,

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

(footsteps receding)

(soft music)

(groans)

NUN: Oh, oh, Mother, an evil...

(background chatter)

(man and woman shouting through walls)

(click)

(shouting grows louder)

(door opens)

(door slams loudly)

(door opens)

(footsteps receding)

(door closes)

(tense music)

(quiet chatter) (papers shuffling)

(in Italian): The results of the second ballot are...

Cardinal Adeyemi, 34 votes.

Cardinal Tedesco, 25 votes.

Cardinal Bellini, 18 votes.

Cardinal Tremblay, 16 votes.

(furnace door closes)

Cardinal Lawrence, 9 votes.

Cardinal Benitez, 2 votes.

(chatter, murmuring)

My brothers, in accordance with the Apostolic Constitution,

we proceed immediately to the next vote.

Thank you.

(ballot clangs)

(lid clinks)

The results of the third ballot are...

Cardinal Adeyemi, 52 votes.

Cardinal Tedesco, 30 votes.

Cardinal Tremblay, 10 votes.

Cardinal Bellini...

(rumbling)

(loud chatter)

Brothers.

Please.

Thank you.

Cardinal Bellini, 9 votes.

Cardinal Lawrence, 5 votes.

Cardinal Benitez, 4 votes.

(siren blaring distantly)

(birds tweeting)

(siren grows louder) (nuns chattering)

(in English): Well, I take it something has happened.

There's been an explosion, Your Eminence,

in the Piazza Barberini.

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

There are injuries, but no talk of fatalities.

We must say nothing to the cardinal

electors about this, Ray.

We are sequestered,

and they must be shielded from all news

that may influence their judgement.

- You understand? - Of course, Your Eminence.

(footsteps receding)

(dark music)

(loud chatter)

This is exactly what I mean.

What am I supposed to tell them in Milan

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

Tell your congregation that they should celebrate

the first African Pope in the history of the church.

If Adeyemi was white,

we would be all condemning him

as more reactionary than Tedesco?

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

It's too late for all that.

It's too late.

(men shouting angrily)

(clattering)

(chair scrapes) (woman sobs)

(footsteps receding)

What happened?

(clattering, clanging) (steam hissing)

(sharp rapping on door)

(door opens) Good afternoon, Sister.

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

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

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

I hardly think a dropped tray should concern

the Dean of the College of Cardinals.

Even so, I...

The welfare of the sister

is my responsibility.

And this Conclave is mine.

(bird tweets) (door opens)

(door closes)

Please sit, my child.

My name is Cardinal Lawrence.

How are you feeling?

She's feeling much better.

Could you tell me your name?

Shanumi, her name is Shanumi.

Please, please do sit down.

I...I really think it would be better

if you let me deal with the situation.

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

(footsteps receding)

(door opens)

(door closes)

(chair trundles)

Sister Shanumi,

I want you to understand that, first of all,

you are not in any kind of trouble.

The fact of the matter is that I have

a responsibility before God

to ensure that the decisions that we make here

are the right ones.

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

or that is troubling you,

insofar as it relates to Cardinal Adeyemi.

(bird tweets)

Can you do that for me?

Even if I give you my assurance

it will go no further than this room.

Would you like me to hear your confession?

(knocking loudly)

(footsteps approaching)

(door opens)

I'll be ready in a moment, Dean.

(footsteps receding)

(door closes, locks)

(tap running) (footsteps approaching)

(Adeyemi clears his throat)

Shouldn't we be going?

In a moment.

That sounds ominous.

If this is about the incident downstairs,

I have no desire to talk about it.

(sighs)

I am the victim of a disgraceful plot

to ruin my reputation.

Someone brought that woman here and staged this melodrama.

She'd never left Nigeria before,

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

With respect, Joshua, ow she came here

is secondary to the issue

of your relationship with her.

I have no relationship to her!

I hadn't set eyes on her in 30 years

until she turned up outside my room last night!

(frustrated sigh)

It was a lapse, Dean.

A lapse.

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

and carries on.'

- Your words. - And the child?

The child?

(scoffs)

The child was raised in a Christian household,

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

if, indeed, it is me.

That is the child.

We were very young.

No, no, no, Joshua,

she was very young, she was 19 years old.

You were 30. - Thomas.

Thomas.

Listen to me... please.

I sensed the presence of the Holy Spirit this morning,

I swear it.

I am ready to take this burden.

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

disqualify me?

Thomas, please, I was a different man.

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

Joshua, that thought's not worthy of you.

Shanumi will say nothing to protect her son,

and I am bound by the vows of the confessional.

(Adeyemi exhales)

So, I still have hope?

No.

There is no hope.

After such a public scene, there will be rumours,

and you know what the Curia is like.

Nothing terrifies our colleagues more

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

I am more sorry than I can say.

You will never be Pope.

(sobs)

You must begin again.

But you are a good man.

(sobbing)

I know you to be a good man,

and you will find a way to atone.

(sobbing)

ADEYEMI: Will you pray with me? (sobs)

(sombre music)

Yes, of course.

(sobbing)

(sobbing)

(urn clangs)

(tense music)

(in Italian): The results of the fifth ballot are...

Cardinal Tremblay, 40 votes.

Cardinal Tedesco, 34 votes.

Cardinal Bellini, 13 votes.

Cardinal Lawrence, 11 votes.

Cardinal Adeyemi, 9 votes.

Cardinal Benitez, 6 votes.

(loud murmuring)

My brothers...

My brothers, that concludes the fifth ballot.

No candidate having achieved the necessary majority,

we shall resume voting tomorrow morning.

(clears throat)

(in English): Yes, Ray?

The... incident this morning, Your Eminence.

I have more information, if...

No, I too must be shielded from any knowledge

which could act as an interference

in the process of this Conclave.

Of course, Your Eminence.

Anything else?

Erm...

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

He was issued a round-trip ticket to Geneva

paid for by the Pope's own account.

I checked his visa application,

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

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

The ticket was cancelled, he never went.

Alright. Thank you.

Forgive me, Your Eminence.

I know you said we should forget about the matter

of the withdrawn report.

But I...I wondered...

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

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

No, I'm not a witch-finder.

It's not my job to go hunting for secrets

in my colleagues' pasts.

Forgive me.

Please, no more investigations, I...

I think we've heard enough secrets.

Let God's will be done.

Yes, of course.

Goodnight then, Your Eminence.

(footsteps recede)

(knock on door)

Was this really necessary?

I feel as if I'm at some

American political convention.

Well, it isn't going to take long.

Our friend here doesn't have sufficient support

amongst our colleagues to be elected Pope.

It isn't over yet.

Well, I'm afraid,

as far as I'm concerned, it is.

So, now the question arises,

if I can't win,

whom do I advise my supporters to vote for?

Thomas,

I am no more an enthusiast

for Tremblay than you are.

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

(clanging, gate squeaks open)

(footsteps echoing)

(door opens)

(door closes)

We have to face the fact

that he has demonstrated broad appeal.

Maybe he'll be a unifying force.

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

considering the least worst option?

But the field has narrowed.

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

And that's exactly what Tedesco wants.

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

and fought for the Nazis.

We've had Popes accused of

colluding with communists and fascists.

We've had Popes who have ignored reports

of most appalling sexual abuse of children!

Shh. Okay. Shh-shh!

We take the point.

The point is we will never find a candidate

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

We're mortal men.

We serve an ideal.

We cannot always be ideal.

Then we're agreed.

We urge all our supporters to back Tremblay.

Good.

(footsteps receding) (door opens)

The other night, you were kind enough

to say that you had voted for me.

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

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

Why?

Well, firstly, I lack the spiritual depth

to be Pope.

Secondly, I couldn't possibly win.

A long, drawn-out Conclave

would be seen by the media as proof

that the Church is in crisis.

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

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

Cardinal Tremblay already spoke to me about this.

Oh, well, I'm sure he has.

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

I do not want to see Tedesco as Pope.

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

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

unless I deem him the most worthy to be Pope.

And for me, that is not Tremblay.

It's you.

I don't want your vote!

Nevertheless... you have it.

(blows softly)

(footsteps recede)

(tense, high tempo music)

Sister Shanumi is on her way home to Nigeria.

There was a flight to Lagos this evening,

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

How did Sister Shanumi come to be in Rome?

I received notification from the office

of the Superioress General that she would be joining us.

The arrangements were made in Paris.

You should Rue de Bac, Your Eminence.

I would, except of course, I am

sequestered for the duration of the Conclave.

Then you should ask them afterwards.

Err, the information is of value to me now.

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

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

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

now I think I do.

I think the Holy Father knew he was dying,

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

Which is what I'm trying to do.

For him.

(taps on keyboard)

(door opens)

(door closes)

(bird twittering)

(chair trundles)

(mouse clicking)

(dark music)

I would like you to withdraw your name

from the next ballot.

(laughs)

You are not the right man to be Pope.

Er, well...

40 of our colleagues

would disagree with you on that.

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

This is sad, Thomas.

I shall pray for you.

I know there was some kind of

report into your activities.

I know the Holy Father raised the matter with you

hours before he died.

And that he dismissed you from all your posts.

And I know that somehow you discovered

Adeyemi's surrender to temptation 30 years ago,

and that you arranged for the woman involved

to be brought to Rome,

with the express intention

of destroying Adeyemi's chances

of becoming Pope.

I deny that accusation.

Will you deny asking our Superioress to transfer

one of her sisters to Rome?

- No. I asked her. - Hmm.

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

The Holy Father's.

You would libel the Holy Father in his own home?

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

The Holy Father gave me the name of a sister

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

I have no idea why.

And now you have chosen to...

(sinister music)

You should be careful, Thomas.

Your own ambition has not gone unnoticed.

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

Well, that's a despicable accusation.

Is it?

I wonder...

if you really are so very reluctant

to have the chalice passed to you.

I shall pretend this conversation never took place.

(sinister music continues)

(footsteps recede)

But it has taken place!

(sinister beat)

(sinister beat repeated)

(bell chimes)

(intercom announcement)

(Lawrence breathes heavily)

(sinister, high tempo music)

(music grows in intensity)

(snapping)

(ribbon pulling)

(door closes)

(light switch clicks)

(sinister music) (drawer opens)

(drawer closes)

(clasp clicks)

(pill bottle rattles)

(book flips open)

(mutters)

(intercom announcement repeats)

(slight gasp)

(treacherous music)

(fearful breathing)

(high tempo music)

(treacherous music)

(door rattles) (high tempo beat)

(sinister music)

(footsteps receding)

(door opens)

(light switch clicks)

(wardrobe doors open)

(deep sigh)

(wardrobe doors close)

(footsteps pacing)

(sobbing)

(sobbing grows louder)

(uninhibited crying)

(treacherous beat)

(rattling)

(click)

(ominous music continues)

LAWRENCE: It's the report on the activities of Tremblay.

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

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

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

thank you. - He only obtained

all those votes in the first ballot

because he bought them.

Cardenas, Diene, Figarella, Baptiste...

And all this in the last twelve months

when he must have guessed the Holy Father's

pontificate was... was coming to an end.

How do we know that this money wasn't used

for completely legitimate purposes?

Because I have seen their bank statements.

- Dear God. - Seems the Holy Father

was spying on all of us.

He didn't trust anyone.

Where did you get this?

You broke the seals.

I felt I didn't have a choice.

I suspected Tremblay of bringing

that poor woman from Africa to embarrass Adeyemi.

You must continue with your candidacy, Aldo.

(papers rustle)

Put them back.

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

I could never become Pope in these circumstances.

A stolen document, the smearing of a brother cardinal.

I'd be the Richard Nixon of Popes.

Then stay clear of this, leave it to me.

I'm willing to handle the consequences.

You know who's gonna benefit most from this?

Tedesco.

The whole basis of his candidacy

is that the Holy Father led the church to disaster

by his attempts at reform.

If you reveal this report,

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

it's the Church's.

Accusing the Curia of institutional corruption...

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

Oh, don't be naïve!

(sighs)

Put them back.

And have Tremblay as Pope?

We've had worse.

(door opens)

What has he offered you?

Secretary of State?

Five times I cast my vote for you, Aldo.

But I was wrong.

You lack the courage required to be Pope.

(door opens)

(door closes) (shutters whirring)

(beep)

(sighs)

(dark, high tempo music)

SISTER AGNES: I will do that for you, Your Eminence

Oh.

(lid creaks open)

(lid bangs shut)

How many copies do you require?

Er, 108.

(copier whirring)

(music intensity rises)

You are responsible for this, I believe.

(chatter)

No, Eminence. You are.

(sudden silence)

This report is entirely mendacious.

It would never have seen the light of day

if you had not broken into

the Holy Father's apartment to remove it!

If the report is mendacious,

then why did the Holy Father

in his last official act as Pope

ask you to resign?

He did no such thing.

(stammers) As Monsignor Morales, who was at the meeting...

And yet Archbishop Wozniak insists the Holy Father...

The Holy Father,

may his name be numbered

among the high priests,

was a sick man toward the end of his life,

as those of us who saw him regularly can attest.

(laughter)

(in Italian): If I may join this amiable dialogue.

I want to remind you that

the names of eight cardinals have been obscured.

I assume the dean can tell us who they are?

Let them tell us themselves

here and now.

Here and now!

(in English): If Cardinal Tremblay requested their votes

in return for the money...

(in Italian): No, I won't do that.

(cardinals shouting)

(in English): Let each man examine his conscience, as I have.

I have no desire to create bitterness in this Conclave,

and I will be happy to stand down as Dean.

(loud, clamorous shouting)

(room grows quiet) (helicopter whirrs outside)

Eminences.

Although we sisters are supposed to be invisible,

God has nevertheless given us eyes and ears.

I know what prompted the Dean of the College

to enter the Holy Father's rooms.

He was concerned that the sister from my order

that made that regrettable scene

might have been brought to Rome

with the deliberate intention

of embarrassing a member of this Conclave.

His suspicions were correct.

She was indeed here at the specific request

of Cardinal Tremblay.

(stunned silence)

(footsteps receding)

My brothers...

it's true.

But the Holy Father asked me to.

I had no knowledge

who this woman was, I swear to you.

(in Italian): Judas.

Traitor.

(footsteps receding)

(quiet whispering)

(footsteps approaching)

(in English): It seems that we're running out of favourites.

You must take over the supervision

of this election, Aldo.

Oh, no thank you.

(laughs ironically)

You are steering this Conclave.

Exactly where, I do not know.

But that firm hand of yours has its admirers.

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

I had the temerity...

to tell you to examine... your heart,

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

It's shameful...

to be this age and still not know yourself.

Ambition, 'The moth of holiness.'

I'm sorry.

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

As the next most senior member of this Conclave,

it will fall to me to ask you

how you wish to be known as Pope.

For better or for worse,

it would seem that Tremblay is finished.

This is a contest between Tedesco and you.

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

John.

I would choose John.

(soft music)

(breathing heavily)

(pen scratches)

(urn lid clinks)

(ballot clangs) (deafening blast)

(shouting)

(rubble crashing)

(dramatic music)

(laboured breathing)

(footsteps approaching)

O'MALLEY: Everyone has been taken back

to the Casa Santa Marta,

Your Eminence.

No one was seriously hurt.

Some cuts, that's all.

Outside in the city, how bad is it?

Oh, dear God.

At 11:20 this morning,

a car bomb exploded in the Piazza del Risorgimento.

Shortly afterwards, as people were fleeing the scene,

an individual with explosives strapped to his body

detonated himself.

There are reports of further attacks in Louvain and Munich.

The current death toll stands...

at 52.

(murmuring)

Hundreds have been injured.

(in Italian): Well, then.

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

so beloved by our liberal brothers!

A relativism that sees all faiths and passing fancies

accorded equal weight.

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

of the Holy Roman Catholic Church

dotted with the mosques and minarets

of the prophet Muhammad!

(in English): You should be ashamed ashamed.

Ashamed. Ashamed.

We should all be ashamed!

(in Italian): We tolerate Islam in our land,

but they revile us in theirs.

We nourish them in our homelands.

But they exterminate us.

How long will we persist in this weakness?

They are literally at our walls right now.

What we need now is a leader who understands

that we are facing a true religious war.

Do not touch me!

Yes, a religious war.

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

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

How long will we have to persist in this weakness,

how long?

We need a leader...

(in English): ...who fights these animals!

(loud chatter)

CARDINAL: Is this the man you want to lead us?

My brother cardinal...

(room falls silent)

With respect.

What do you know about war?

I carried out my ministry in the Congo.

In Baghdad, in Kabul.

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

Christian and Muslim.

Would you say we have to fight?

What is it you think we're fighting?

Do you think it's those deluded men

who had carried out these terrible acts today?

No, my brother.

(in Spanish): The thing you're fighting is here...

inside each and every one of us,

if we give in to hate now,

if we speak of "sides"

instead of speaking for every man and woman.

This is my first time here, amongst you,

and I suppose it will be my last.

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

we have seemed concerned only with ourselves,

with Rome,

with these elections, with power.

But things are not the Church.

The Church is not tradition.

The Church is not the past.

The Church is what we do next.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic, high tempo music)

(quiet chatter)

(dramatic music continues)

(rain falling)

(in Latin): We pray.

O Father, so that we may guide

and watch over Your Church.

Give to us, Your servants,

the blessings of intelligence, truth and peace,

so that we may strive to know Your will,

and serve You total dedication.

For Christ our Lord.

ALL: Amen.

(breeze blowing softly)

(ballots rustling) (pens scratching)

(tense, dramatic music)

(quiet whispering)

Bellini.

Lawrence.

Tedesco.

Lawrence.

(applause)

(room falls silent) (dramatic beat)

(in Italian): Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?

Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?

I accept.

(gasps, sighs)

And by what name do you wish to be called?

Innocent.

(whispering)

(resounding applause)

(faint choral singing)

Monsignor.

(in English): I'm sorry to interrupt.

Ray...

I think you should gather up the cardinals' notes.

The sooner we light the stove,

the sooner the world will know

we have a new Pope.

What is it?

It wasn't...

wasn't the outcome I expected.

No, but it's wonderful all the same.

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

I can reassure you I feel nothing but relief.

Our new Holy Father will make a much better Pope

than I would ever have done.

I wonder if I could have a word in private.

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

with everything that...

And I didn't dream

that Cardinal Benitez would become...

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

I found out...

Switzerland.

Cardinal Benitez's trip to Switzerland.

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

It wasn't a hospital.

It was a clinic.

A clinic for what?

(chatter)

(rapping hard on door)

(door opens)

(in Italian): Eminence, His Holiness won't get robed.

With permission.

(in English): May I speak to you alone?

Of course.

(in Italian): Gentlemen, let's clear the room.

(footsteps receding)

(heavy doors close)

(in English): I was waiting for you to come.

You must tell me about this treatment

at the clinic in Geneva.

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

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

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

My situation, as you put it,

is the same as when I was ordained a priest,

and when I was made a cardinal.

But the treatment... in Geneva?

There was no treatment.

I considered it.

I prayed for guidance and decided against it.

But what would it have been, this treatment?

It was called a laparoscopic hysterectomy.

(footsteps pacing)

(long, deep sigh)

You have to understand,

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

was more complicated.

And life in the seminary is...

as you know,

a very modest one.

The truth is...

there simply was no reason to think

I was physically different

from the other young men.

Then, in my late 30s,

I had a surgery to remove my appendix.

And that was when the doctors discovered...

that I had a uterus... and ovaries.

Some would say

my chromosomes would define me as being a woman,

and yet I'm also...

as you see me.

It was a very dark time for me.

I felt as if my entire life as a priest

had been lived in a state of sin.

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

I flew to Rome and I told him everything.

He knew?

Yes, he knew.

And he thought it acceptable for you

to continue as an ordained minister?

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

but the night before I was due to fly,

I realised I was mistaken.

I was who I had always been.

It seemed to me more of a sin

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

So, you are still, erm...

I am what God made me.

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

I think again of your sermon.

I know what it is to exist...

between the world's certainties.

(distant choral music)

(clanging)

(lighter flicks) (flame flares)

(switch clicks)

(button clicks)

(loud murmuring)

(whoosh)

(footsteps crunching)

(water babbling gently)

(distant choral music)

(uproarious cheering, applause)

(pensive music)

(crowd cheering distantly)

(click, shutters whirring)

(distant talking)

Hmm.

(curtain swishes)

(window handle rattles)

(ambient street sounds)

(nuns chattering)

(window squeaks closed)