Episode 1 - The New Pope : Season 1

Nine months after his sudden heart attack, (Lenny Belardo) remains comatose, while a cult of followers gathers outside his hospital, treating him as a living saint. Worried about the rise of "Pius-idolatry," the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello , moves to elect a new pope.

The shadowy Ambassador of the Holy See who provides "expository clarity" and is linked to Francis II’s sudden demise.

The short-lived pope whose radical Franciscan humility threatens the Vatican elite. The New Pope : Season 1 Episode 1

Voiello's bitter rival, also played by Orlando.

Introduced briefly as the potential moderate replacement for the next conclave. Viewing Guide & Highlights The New Pope Review: Season 1 Episode 1 - Tell-Tale TV Nine months after his sudden heart attack, (Lenny

After a deadlocked conclave between Voiello and his doppelganger, , Voiello engineers a tactical vote for a supposedly malleable candidate: Cardinal Viglietti . Taking the name Pope Francis II , Viglietti unexpectedly becomes a radical reformer, opening the Vatican to refugees and demanding the Cardinals surrender their personal wealth.

Mostly seen comatose, though he remains the central figure of the show's cult-like devotion. Viewing Guide & Highlights The New Pope Review:

The Machiavellian Secretary of State trying to maintain control through a puppet pope.