Original subtitles

DON TOMMASO: Where is he now?

He's angry. But not with you, or for that matter with me

His anger keeps Him from viewing matters objectively.

And so, in protest, he's moved to a new place

he's gone to the outskirts of town

a filthy studio apartment upstairs from a tire repair shop.

At night, God suffers from the heat.

He can't seem to sleep, because He's come to the conclusion

that there's nothing He can do about human beings.

He's decided that He's lost the 'u'.

Now it's up to you.

The attentions that Your Holiness has been paying

to the wife of the commandant of the Swiss Guard

have not gone unnoticed.

According to vox populi

it is believed that the Holy Father

is conducting an unseemly relationship with that woman.

Monsignor Gutierrez was right

in the Vatican, gossip is called calumny.

Your Holiness

what do you intend to do?

Revolution, Tommaso!

I intend to start a revolution.

SHIP HORN BLOWS

BIRDS CHIRPING

People say you're a saint.

People say

you're a saint who performs miracles.

Hail Mary

full of grace.

Our Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary.

Mother of God

pray for us sinners

now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

AMATUCCI: Bingo.

CAMERA CLICKS

Now Holy Father.

I no longer really know what miracle to wish for.

AMATUCCI: I no longer really know

what miracle to wish for.

Esther

I love God

because it is so painful to love human beings.

I love a God that never leaves or that always leaves me

God

the absence of God

always reassuring

and definitive.

I'm a priest.

I've renounced my fellow man

my fellow woman

because I don't want to suffer.

Because I'm incapable

of withstanding the heartbreak of love.

Because I'm unhappy

like all priests.

It would be wonderful to love you the way you want to be loved

but it's not possible.

Because I am not a man

I'm a coward.

AMATUCCI: I'm a coward.

Like all priests.

SHE SIGHS

THUNDER ROLLS

Watch out for the custodian.

PIANO MUSIC

Are you up for going on?

I am. What about you?

Sister Mary will be upset.

I don't care. I wanna find my mom and dad.

I'm going back.

I'm sorry, Lenny.

OK.

You couldn't get to sleep.

The evening doesn't console me.

Nothing's changed, as you can see.

Well, something's changed. You were just a jerk, now you've become the Pope.

THEY LAUGH

Let's smoke a cigarette together, secretly.

Like when we were kids. - Like when we were kids.

I'm glad you found a moment to say hello to me.

How could you doubt that I'd come?

I always doubt.

THEY CHUCKLE.

When are you gonna make this blessed speech to the cardinals?

When I have something to say.

Well, I'm all out of cigarettes.

BELL RINGING

The Holy Father isn't in the Apostolic Palace.

Nor is the Cardinal Secretary of State.

What time is it?

Three in the morning.

I'll take care of it. You go to sleep and don't say a word to anyone.

DOOR BELL RINGS

SISTER MARY: Will you let me in? - VOIELLO: Of course. - Thank you.

You are very beautiful at night Sister Mary. - Please...

Let me introduce you to my best friend, Girolamo.

Is he a good friend? - Yes.

Yes, the only one who never criticizes me.

Why did you come here?

Because of the Pope.

How disappointing!

I thought you came because of me.

Nobody knows where the Pope is.

Oh... don't worry.

Sooner or later all popes need to remind themselves what freedom is.

Then they come back.

We had to go to retrieve Pius XIII's predecessor

from a bingo parlor.

He was arguing with the caller, saying he was cheating.

When you want

you know how to be quite comforting.

How beautiful you are, Sister Mary, at night.

You already told me that.

We love God because it is so painful to love other men and women.

You and I have renounced

our fellow men, and women, because we don't want to suffer

because we're incapable of withstanding the heartbreak of love.

Because we're unhappy.

Because we're cowards.

Like all priests and all nuns.

Your words are beautiful.

But that's not all.

They're true.

They aren't my words, they're the words of your Pope.

GIROLAMO WHINES

Yes, yes Girolamo, now I'll tell Sister Mary.

What are you going to tell me?

That I had found a way of destroying the Holy Father.

I have collected all the evidence for a good old-fashioned scandal.

But I'm not going to do it!

The evidence is in here.

Here, you take it.

Your hands are safer than mine.

Because, you know something, Sister Mary?

You were right, your Pope really is a saint.

Yes.

He is.

Good evening, Sir.

Hi erm...

would you sell us some cigarettes?

I don't know if we have any.

Make yourselves comfortable, I'll go check.

Grazie.

FOOTSTEPS

Andrew!

Please, take a seat.

English?

Americans.

You look like a couple of priests.

HE LAUGHS

We are not priests. Have you ever seen two priests wearing track suits?

I've seen everything.

By the way

did you know I have clients

who insist I am proof of the existence of God?

Interesting theory.

But they are wrong.

They see me because they can't see far.

Can you see far?

Yes.

And I have proof of the existence of God.

Show me.

Ma'am. Show me, I implore you.

Your eyes.

Your eyes, Sir.

They are proof of the existence of God.

We should go.

Goodnight ma'am.

DUSSOLIER: Do you remember the time

Sister Mary took us to the custodian's house?

Billy's mother, on her deathbed?

BELARDO: Yeah, I remember. I don't wanna talk about it.

DUSSOLIER: It's pointless for you to go on pretending nothing happened, Lenny.

Something extraordinary happened in that room.

I don't feel like talking about it.

You're my best friend and I don't understand you.

Why don't you wanna talk about it?

I only want to talk

about things that I understand.

Don't you get that?

So, what if I asked you to become prefect

for the Congregation for the Clergy?

Select the candidates for the priesthood from all over the world.

Would you do it?

And what if I were to refuse?

Then I'd be forced to make recourse to my sovereign power.

I am the Pope now.

DUSSOLIER CHUCKLES

DUSSOLIER: I wanna tell you something.

It's something I've never told you before.

So tell me now.

When you first came to the orphanage, I was watching

from a window and...

I don't remember your father but...

I remember your mother.

What did she look like?

Her hair was parted in the middle, and long on the sides

and her eyes

were bright

and impassive

which made me think she was sad.

That's exactly how I dream of her.

Always.

Why didn't you ever tell me?

When we were boys, I thought...

I thought it would cause you too much pain.

It causes me too much pain even now.

Did you want to run away?

Come on, let's go back inside.

I haven't said anything to the Cardinal Secretary of State.

Thank you so much, Sister Mary.

HAMMERING

Monsignor, I forgive you for having betrayed our confidences

to the Cardinal Secretary of State.

Your Holiness, how did you find out?

I forgive you for being an alcoholic

and I recommend that you stop drinking

now that you're about to set off on a challenging mission to America.

Your Holiness

what else do you know about me?

I know everything a powerful man needs to know about the people he works with.

And I, not Voiello

am the most powerful man of all.

And what else do you know about me, Holy Father?

What else is there to know?

You always talk to me about my holiness

the miracle I've supposedly performed

but you never tell me anything about the only miracle I need

the miracle that doesn't happened and never will:

seeing my parents again.

You must have faith in God, Your Holiness

and you'll see them again.

I'm getting old.

Time is turning into a thin sheet

and seeing them dead

is of no interest to me.

I'm only interested in the living.

HELICOPTER HOVERING

Holy Father

I beg you to reconsider your decision to send to America, Monsignor Gutierrez.

The Kurtwell case needs to be examined by a person of substantial reputation.

Gutierrez is not up to it.

He has none of the necessary expertise

and moreover, he's fragile

and emotional

and the Holy See will send the world the message

that it does not take seriously the problem of child abuse

or, even worse, is not interested in it.

And there is another problem.

I didn't want to tell you, but now

I am forced to.

Your Holiness.

Gutierrez is an alcoholic.

I know.

And there is also another secret.

What if I knew that one too?

What if I knew all your secrets

Your Eminence?

What were you hoping to achieve? Start a scandal?

The idea of threatening

that poor girl, who suffers from sterility!

Will you stop at nothing, Your Eminence?

Don't you know the meaning of the word pity?

How far were you willing to go?

Would you have blackmailed the Holy Father?

Would you have gone so far as to give those pictures to the press

to insinuate a non-existent sexual relationship

between me and that young woman?

You haven't figured out that your old methods only work on the old popes

who were afraid of losing consensus.

They don't work with me.

I am the young Pope. I put no stock in consensus.

Who told...

Who told you all these things?

You put on airs as a politician.

You still haven't figured out you've run up against

a politician far cannier than you.

Me.

Holy Father.

I've already destroyed those pictures

It's true, I was thinking of using old, violent methods

but I repented in time, Holy Father

I repented before I could sin.

The wonderful words that you said to that young woman illuminated me.

I implore you, forgive me.

I need your forgiveness.

You don't need my forgiveness. You need my compassion.

Now stop making a spectacle of yourself and get off.

Holy Father, the papal tiara has arrived from Washington

it's in perfect condition.

Prepare the Sistine Chapel.

The time has come to address the cardinals.

♪ Girl look at that body Girl look at that body

♪ Girl look at that body I work out

♪ Girl look at that body Girl look at that body

♪ Girl look at that body I work out

♪ When I walk in the spot, this is what I see

♪ Everybody stops and they staring at me

♪ I got passion in my pants And I ain't afraid to show it

♪ Show it, show it, show it

♪ I'm sexy and I know it

♪ I'm sexy and I know it

♪ When I'm at the mall, security just can't fight 'em off

♪ When I'm at the beach, I'm in a speedo trying to tan my cheeks

♪ This is how I roll, come on ladies it's time to go

♪ We headed to the bar, baby don't be nervous

♪ No shoes, no shirt, and I still get serviced

♪ I'm sexy and I know it

♪ Check it out

♪ Check it out ♪

DOOR OPENS

JOHN TAVENER'S "SONG FOR ATHENE" PLAYS

They're still there.

I'm going to turn around, and they'll still be there.

I'm going to turn around now, and I'll see them:

mom and dad

waiting for me.

MUSIC STOPS

Knock knock!

Knock knock!

We're not in.

Brother cardinals, from this day forward

we're not in, no matter who's knocking on our door.

We're in, but only for God.

From this day forward, everything that was wide open

is gonna be closed

Evangelization?

We've already done it.

Ecumenicalism?

Been there, done that.

Tolerance?

Doesn't live here anymore.

It's been evicted.

It vacated the house for the new tenant

who has diametrically opposite tastes in decorating.

We've been reaching out to others for years now.

It's time to stop!

We are not going anywhere.

We are here. Because, what are we?

We are cement.

And cement doesn't move. We are cement without windows

So, we don't look to the outside world.

"Only the church possesses the charisma of truth."

Said St. Ignatius of Antioch.

And he was right.

We have no reason to look out.

Instead

look over there.

What do you see?

That's the door.

The only way in.

Small and extremely uncomfortable.

And anyone who wants to know us has to find out how to get through that door.

Brother cardinals, we need to go back to being prohibited.

Inaccessible and mysterious.

That's the only way we will once again become desirable.

That is the only way great loves stories are born

And I don't want any more part-time believers.

I want great love stories.

I want fanatics for God.

Because fanatism is love.

Everything else is strictly a surrogate, and it stays

outside the church.

With the attitudes of the last papacy

the church won for itself great expressions of fondness

from the masses. It became popular.

Isn't that wonderful, you might be thinking!

We received plenty of esteem

and lots of friendship.

I have no idea what to do with the friendship of the whole wide world.

What I want is absolute love and total devotion to God.

Could that mean a church only for the few?

That's a hypothesis

and a hypothesis isn't the same as reality.

But even this hypothesis isn't so scandalous.

I say: better to have a few that are reliable

than to have a great many who are distractible and indifferent.

The public squares have been jam-packed

but the hearts have been emptied of God.

You can't measure love with numbers you can only measure it in terms of intensity.

In terms of blind loyalty to the imperative.

Fix that word firmly in your souls:

imperative.

From this day forth

That's what the Pope wants.

That's what the church wants.

That's what God wants.

And so the liturgy will no longer be a social engagement

it will become hard work.

And sin will no longer be forgiven at will.

I don't expect any applause from you.

There will be no expressions of thanks in this chapel.

None from me. And none from you.

Courtesy and good manners are not the business of men of God.

What I do expect

is that you will do what I have told you to do.

There is nothing outside your obedience to Pius XIII.

Nothing except Hell.

A Hell you may know nothing about

but I do.

Because I built it.

Right behind that door:

Hell.

These past few days

I've had to build Hell for you, that's why I've come to you so belatedly

I know you will obey

because you've already figured out that this Pope isn't afraid

to lose the faithful if they're been even slightly unfaithful

and that means this Pope does not negotiate.

On anything or with anyone.

And this pope can not be blackmailed!

From this day forth

the word "compromise"

has been banished from the vocabulary.

I just deleted it.

When Jesus willingly mounted the cross

he was not making compromises.

Neither am I.

Amen.

Jump.

ESTHER: Holy Father

I have to confess...

...a horrible thing I did. - BELARDO: Confess...

...your secrets to God alone

Esther.

Even those that have to do with me.

There's only one thing I can do for you:

Forgive you.

Forgive you always.

Holy Father

I feel it.

Yes.

I feel it. - Yes.

You're right, I feel it too.

TONINO PETTOLA SINGS IN ITALIAN