The Conclave

: Rome, the year of our Lord Fourteen Hundred and Fifty- Eight.

Seven hundred and thirty three years after the Moors invaded Spain.

Two hundred and seventy one years since the Muslims recaptured Jerusalem.

And five years after the fall of Constantinople to the Turk.

Il Papa!

Salva me!! Salva me!!

Dios salvame!!

I'm sorry signora! It's important!

I have been sent by Cardinal Orsini to fetch

'your excellency'.

Who are you?

Bishop Giuliano della Rovere.

That's good for you.

And you can go now, bishop.

I am sorry, you must go now.

Must I?

Yes.

You must go directly to the Vatican Palace.

Now.

Not that I intend to go anywhere,

but can you please explain exactly why 'must I'?

Cardinal Orsini wants to discuss a matter..

in regards to your uncle's 'health'.

You'll stand by me, won't you? If..

If what?

If my world changes.

And not for the better.

You speak as if I am obligated to you.

I am obligated to you.

I am not your wife.

Yes you are, in effect.

You are a cardinal of the Holy Catholic Church

and cardinals are not permitted to marry.

Vannozza, don't play with me! You have to stay by my side.

I need you!

I need to know that you are there for me!

I have to go.

Rodrigo, wait.

If they kill you, I will light a candle

in San Giacomo degli Spagnoli, and pray for your soul.

And if you flee to Spain I will write letters to you

and sign them 'your devoted Vannozza'.

And if you stay in Rome, I will wait for you here in my bed.

Our bed.

Farewell!

I will!

He is a fool.

A well established one.

And that makes you a fool's woman.

I am that.

You don't have to be.

Are you trying to tempt me, Signor Della Rovere?

Bishop Della Rovere.

Shall we send all the gold and silver in the Chancellery to safety?

And where would that be?

Tell the Captain of the Guard to engage every Spanish fighter he can find in Rome..

Pedro!

Brother!

Is Don Alonso..

.. dead? No.

.. Not yet.

I want ten thousand gold ducats put traveling chests! Now.

Holy Father.

Pedro Luis..

Rodrigo!

(Gasping and struggling for breath)

We must re-take the City!

Cardinal Orsini.

Seeing that our beloved Holy Father Calixtus will not be

tormenting us with his mortal presence much longer,

I am interested to hear your plans, Cardinal 'Vice- Chancellor'?

I don't know,. exactly.

Surely even you have given some thought to your uncle's demise.

Yes.

But whatever I do is dependent on the actions of the other cardinals.

Not the 'other' cardinals.

The 'real' cardinals.

I am a real cardinal.

D'Estouteville is a real cardinal.

He has the King of France behind him.

Pietro Barbo is a real cardinal.

He has the support of the Venetian Senate.

My family have five thousand men-at-arms within a day's ride of Rome.

And I am the Captain General of the Church's army!

Cardinal Borgia, you have never acted directly against my interests,

so I will give you some advice.

Flee to safety in Spain, now.

I can hardly remember Spain.

I'm sure you could work your way back to the Holy See some day.

Once you have made the right friends at court.

Or whatever they call it in Catalonia.

We are not going anywhere!

Your brother's decision to remain in the city will please

the many Romans anxious for revenge after three years of Catalan repression.

Adios Capitan General!

This could be our last chance.

Do we try to stay in Rome or go, right now?

We are staying.

I think that too much hate has built up against all things Spanish, Pedro.

The Italians don't hate us so much as envy us.

The Orsini are mobilizing every man they've got in the Campagna.

That's it.

What?

Holy Father Calixtus the Third of Blessed Memory is in the hands of his Lord.

Vannozza! Vannozza, I am leaving!

Vannozza, Rome has become too dangerous for me and I am on my way to Spain!

Vannozza! Please answer me!

Vannozza! I need to talk to you!

We have to go. Now.

And I will always love you too, Rodrigo.

What was that about?

The Lord has decided.

My future is here, in Rome.

And what do you plan to do between now and the start of the conclave?

Sit in your garden and read poetry?

It's her isn't it?

Quick Rodrigo! To the boat!

I must stay! My fate is here in Rome!

Don't be a fool! The Italians will betray you at every turn just like they betrayed me!

Rome calls me!

My brother, Spain calls me.

Farewell.

Farwell brother, farewell.

Your Lordship.

Have you found him?

Yes, Your Excellency.

He escaped Rome, but is in Ostia awaiting ship for Spain.

Suffering from a fever.

Have you lost your red hat?

I thought it best to keep it hidden until the conclave.

For safety.

Mind if I join you?

Please.

We'll let the conclave determine his fate.

And his brother?

I expect Pedro Luis to succumb to his malady in Ostia.

But be discreet.

We do not know who the next pope will be.

Rodrigo!

Welcome to your first conclave.

You are a fortunate man, Cardinal Borgia.

How so, Cardinal Orsini?

You're alive.

And why should being alive be considered a matter of good fortune?

Ask your brother.

I'm sorry?

Take care how you vote in this conclave, Vice-Chancellor.

The future depends on it.

Particularly yours.

Vice-Chancellor Borgia.

May I have a private word with you?

Of course.

Your uncle, Calixtus of Blessed Memory, chose,

in a typical display of his wisdom, to make you, his nephew,

Cardinal Vice-Chancellor of the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world.

That makes you the highest ranking cardinal

in this Conclave of the Sacred College,

and therefore, technically speaking, it is your responsibility

to take charge of these proceedings.

Go on.

I have nothing more to add.

The Lords of the Church gathered here to select God's High Priest

of the Christian faithful await your instruction.

Cardinal d'Estouteville.

I accept that I lack experience in certain ecclesiastical matters

such as the direction of a conclave attended by so many

cardinals superior to me in every way

except official rank.

Therefore, even though I hold the office of Cardinal Vice- Chancellor,

I request that you, the senior cardinal

in terms of years of service

direct the proceedings of this conclave in a manner consistent

with its rules and traditions.

Lord Calixtus the Third, Pontifex Maximus,

Jesus Christ Our Savior's Vicar on Earth, Ruler of the World,

Father of Princes and Kings,

Shepherd of the Holy Roman Church and leader of all Christendom

has been delivered from this temporal life and is now

in the hands of the Lord.

May God have mercy upon his soul and see fit to welcome him into

the company of the saints and angels in heaven as he has welcomed so many

other souls who before Calixtus shouldered

the earthly burden of the keys of Saint Peter.

Please join me in a silent prayer for our father Calixtus of blessed memory.

There are five ways a new pope may be chosen.

The first is by 'Committee' meaning that the Sacred College does not

directly choose the new Pope but instead appoints a committee of cardinals

with the power to name the new pope.

The second way is known as Inspiration.

If any man amongst us is inspired by God to shout out the name of the new pope,

then that man will become pope, as long as the required majority of two thirds

also feel so inspired to shout out that man's name.

The third method of selecting the new pope is called 'Adoration'.

That is when a cardinal amongst us sees the light of the Lord appear in

another cardinal and falls at that man's feet in adoration.

If a required majority of two thirds also sees that light,

then he who is so adored becomes Christ's Vicar on Earth.

The fourth, and most common, method of selecting

the new pope is by Scrutiny.

Scrutiny is when each cardinal names his chosen candidate on a piece of paper.