After making his first public speech, the pope, Lenny (Jude Law), deals with the aftermath of his provocative performance. His principle position is to retain control over the church, which goes beyond love and forgiveness. The pope states he doesn't care about loving his neighbor as himself, because it's impossible. He speaks to his confessor, Don Tommaso (Marcello Romolo): "I only care about one thing, Lord, that I, not the others, can be useful to You." The pope's every word adds to his striving toward absolute dominance — his mantra excludes any idea of competition. His power lies in being a puzzle for others, so that he can manipulate perceptions of his persona. In the next scene, Lenny prays to God to ask for illumination and forgiveness. He desperately pleads to make him believe something can happen by God's will.
Cardinal Michael Spencer (James Cromwell) blames Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando) for breaking the deal between them and letting Lenny become the pope, calling his betrayal a stupid mistake. He stresses the pope's public speech as a main indicator that there's little chance to control his policy, let alone manipulate Lenny. Ironically, Voiello broke the agreement between them to avoid Spencer becoming the pope, as he assumed Lenny would be more subject to his influence than Cardinal Spencer could be. However, Voiello refuses to accept Spencer's accusations: "I believe the Holy Spirit breathed," he says to the cardinal, as if the Holy Spirit chose Lenny, only to reassure Spencer's trust. Attesting to his duplicitous nature, Voiello later reveals to Sister Mary (Diane Keaton) the reason he worked against Spencer's election.
Later Voiello has a conversation with the frustrated cardinals who feel he can't be useful in controlling the pope's policy. They tell Voiello to announce his resignation, calling this "a dramatic gesture." However, Voiello omits to follow their decision, unwilling to lose his position. The pope calls in Cardinal Ozolins (Vladimir Bibic), who discovers the dire consequence of Voiello's disobedience. He receives tickets to Alaska and the pope's advice to see beauty even at a low temperature.
Sister Mary is supposed to hold a press conference addressing the media's concerns and questions after the pope's provocative speech. Her anxiety about the upcoming event is obvious to Voiello who tries to use her temporary vulnerability to find out the pope's intentions and weaken Lenny's trust for her. However, Sister Mary is hard to convince of the pope's harmful ambiguity as his downside, as she uses her knowledge about Voiello babysitting a disabled child as an example of his own contradicting side. Indeed, the viewers are curious as to how Voiello's distrustful behavior can coexist with such a charitable attitude. During the press conference, Sister Mary delivers Lenny's message informing the media about his determination to stay ignorant to any criticism. She introduces herself as "Sister Mary," bolstering public curiosity about her status, while the questions about the pope's homily and its meaning remain unanswered.
Later Sister Mary comes to Cardinal Spencer to ask him for help. She's worried about the cardinals' indignation, encouraging Spencer to give Lenny his support and provide him with needed mentorship. Spencer agrees to set up a meeting with Lenny, during which he criticizes the pope's leaning toward mystery, calling this to be a serious matter — not a marketing strategy. When Lenny states he wants people to suffer while searching for God, Spencer calls these thoughts to be an echo of a rejected child inside of Lenny's mind. The cardinal puts Lenny under pressure, exposing the pope's insecurities mirrored in his desire to make people suffering from the absence of guidance. "You'll be a terrible pope, the worst and the most dangerous in modern times…vindictive little boy," he says to Lenny, losing the pope's loyalty. Although Spencer comes to Lenny in the end, performing his eagerness to accept the offered position, the pope will be more than watchful from now on. Lenny's better be careful, as Spencer's compliance was caused by Voiello's obscure intrigues.
Frustrated with the distribution of power in the church, Voiello reveals to Lenny that his election was supposed to be the first step in a merger between conservative and progressive sides of the Curia (Spencer's and Voiello's cliques). He admits that he influenced other cardinals' votes, pointing out he was sure of Lenny's malleability. Voiello allows his emotions to take over, exposing his deepest disappointment in the pope's stubbornness and failing to recognize that the pope doesn't forgive weakness. Lenny threatens Voiello with a deposing procedure, and Voiello is ready to make him pay for his bold initiative.
Voiello blackmails Cardinal Gutierrez (Javier Cámara) to get the pope's secrets shared with Gutierrez. There's at least one little nostalgically confided secret that makes Voiello anticipating his next attack on the pope's legacy. "I knew that…the church is female," he tells Gutierrez directing him to continue digging into Lenny's experiences and memories. There's a danger Voiello may succeed in his manipulation with the pope's fragility, as Lenny does have a visitor, Esther (Ludivine Sagnier), whom he notices standing outside the palace, in the middle of the square. This woman seems to be a possible distraction for the young pope who is still able to listen to his heart. There will always be an eager Voiello to witness the pope's weaknesses and turn them into his tools against Lenny's legacy.
“The Young Pope” airs on HBO, Sundays and Mondays at 9 p.m.
Reach Staff Reporter Mariia Kovaleva here.
Annenberg Media