The Young Pope Episode 6 Recap: The Devil and the Holy See

The weight of Pope Pius XIII’s anonymity takes its toll on the church, but not Lenny Belardo. We’ve got the latest recap for HBO’s The Young Pope Episode 6.

The death of what we once knew as the Catholic Church is slowly starting to set in during HBO’s limited series The Young Pope Episode 6. From the moment the show began, we see an elderly cardinal kick the bucket during breakfast. None of the other cardinals even acknowledge it. They mostly lament that it’s a perfect parallel to the state of Catholicism, now that Pius XIII (Jude Law) leads the flock. And Lenny proves in this episode just how many tricks he has up his sleeve.

Nine Months Later…

Lenny’s papacy has been going on for nearly a year. Several rogue Catholic groups are forming around the globe, due to Catholicism drying up. But Lenny swears up and down that the church doesn’t need anyone right now, and the flock will always return. Lenny’s nonchalance about the Vatican’s money situation scares Cardinal Voiello (Silvio Orlando), who just has to ask him, “Your Holiness, who are you really?” Lenny doesn’t even answer. He just smiles and nods.

Cardinal Andrew Dussolier (Scott Shepard) was away in Honduras for the past nine months, but is set to return and be Pius’ Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy. But not before we’re treated to shots of him having 3-way sex with a man and woman from his parish. This scene is interspersed with shots of Monsignor Gutierrez’s ascension ceremony to Cardinal, balancing out the sinners from the saints in a rather graphic way.

Gutierrez finally steps outside the Vatican, heading to New York to deal with the child abuse case. But he nearly gets hit by a passing Vespa as he takes his first steps. There’s something ominous about Gutierrez’s unwillingness to go. And almost getting killed by a motorbike can’t be a good sign.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

Mother of God

It turns out the miracle Lenny prayed for in Episode 4 did the trick. Esther gives birth to a healthy baby boy. This news hits the Vatican, causing Lenny and his crew of smartly dressed security guards to visit Esther in the hospital. He hides his face with a giant bouquet of flowers as he finally greets the new family in the hospital room.

This scene proves Lenny’s family abandonment issues are always bubbling up at the surface. He gives the new baby a gift: a copy of Thomas Jefferson’s bible that’s in mint condition (because he never opened it). Esther invites him to hold the baby, who she’s named Pius. Lenny tentatively picks up little Pius, much like a little kid who holds his brother or sister for the first time.

Lenny gets a little less pope-like and way too personal when he’s so mesmerized by the new baby scent that he flat-out says, “I do remember what my parents smelled like.” It was odd, and both Esther and Peter felt it too. The Pope turns around too quickly, dropping baby Pius on the bed. He’s okay, but it really shows just how uncomfortable Lenny is with anyone, even someone who is brand new. He marvels at how Esther is actually a mother now before taking off, humiliated.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

The Devil in the Pope Hat

The tight, rigid grasp Lenny has on the Catholic Church really comes to light in this episode. Pope Pius XIII pulls out all the stops when he finally greets another politician. This time, it’s the Italian Prime Minister, and he’s just as cocky and arrogant with his words as Lenny is.

The two have a tense exchange in the Vatican, where Lenny reveals what legal action he’d like the government to take in favor of the church. The rules are strict, including allocating more taxes to the Vatican, and outlawing gay marriage, abortions, and divorce. When the PM refuses to give in, Lenny ups the ante, saying he’ll reveal his face to the world finally and enact a Catholic rule called non expedit – which would forbid all Catholics from voting in Italian elections. He threatens to do this before the PM’s reelection campaign, and with 87.7% of the population identifying as Catholics, the odds are in Lenny’s favor, as they have been his entire papacy.

The meeting was obviously tense and uncomfortable, but the PM walks right out of Lenny’s chambers and into a press conference, where he outright calls this pope “a saint.” That echoes something Sister Mary (Diane Keaton) was used to saying, too. Lenny’s sainthood seems to carry less and less weight with each installment.

A Holy War

The church smothering continues as Lenny meets up with a group of monks who want his resignation. They threaten a schism, to which Lenny replies, “Try it.” The scene above shows the true diabolical nature of this Pope as he lets the sect know he’ll wage war “without end” if it gets him what he wants.

Pope Pius XIII also demands that part of Cardinal Dussolier’s new role contains scanning potential priests’ background information, remarking that past sexual encounters can keep them from taking the vows. Dussolier has trouble with this, especially after a young man is denied priesthood for his sexual past. That same young man meets up with the Cardinal as he has dinner, and ends up throwing red wine in his face. Though they both have a moment together, lamenting their faith in a church, the final shots of the episode end on a cryptic note when the young man commits suicide from the Vatican walls. Children are casually playing in St. Peter’s Square as he walks right off the ledge. A fresh-from-a-workout Lenny silently lights a cigarette, unaware of the ramifications of his staunch and unflinching rules.

Lenny is ready to wage war, but we’re not sure how much of it is just talk instead of action.

‘The Young Pope’ photo: Gianni Fiorito/HBO

What’s Next?

There’s some mystery surrounding the farmer Tonino Pettola. Police officers questioned Voiello about the farmer’s sudden disappearance. We also learn someone inside the Vatican was making multiple phone calls to Tonino’s farmhouse. We’re sure to see more of this story develop in the final four episodes.

In the teaser for next week, Lenny seems to be preparing for his official reveal to the world. We’re not sure if he plans to do everything he outlined for the Italian Prime Minister, but we wouldn’t want to call him on his bluff. Cardinal Dussolier experiences pity, possibly after the Vatican hears about the young man’s suicide. And Sister Mary begins to catch on to Lenny’s tactics, as the Pope starts to let his emotions get the better of him.

Are Lenny’s days as pope numbered? Will this papacy continue on as normal, or will someone look past all the ornate robes and strip away at Lenny’s humanity? We can only guess as we standby for Episodes 7 and 8 of The Young Pope, airing Feb. 5-6 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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