Pope The Most Powerful s01e02 The Resignation of Benedict XVI.eng Movie Subtitles

1 00:00:01,835 --> 00:00:04,735 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:04,838 --> 00:00:06,638 ♪ ♪ 3 00:00:06,706 --> 00:00:09,906 male narrator: One of the most powerful men on Earth 4 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:12,310 holds a position that has existed 5 00:00:12,379 --> 00:00:14,579 for nearly 2,000 years. 6 00:00:14,681 --> 00:00:17,481 ♪ ♪ 7 00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:21,020 As the world changes and faith evolves, 8 00:00:21,087 --> 00:00:24,017 his authority remains. 9 00:00:24,090 --> 00:00:26,830 What began with one apostle 10 00:00:26,893 --> 00:00:29,663 has become 1.2 billion followers 11 00:00:29,729 --> 00:00:31,929 under one man. 12 00:00:32,031 --> 00:00:34,431 He is the head of the Catholic Church, 13 00:00:34,534 --> 00:00:36,774 the pope, 14 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:39,340 and this is his path to power. 15 00:00:39,406 --> 00:00:46,506 ♪ ♪ 16 00:01:19,579 --> 00:01:22,049 In this episode, 17 00:01:22,115 --> 00:01:24,045 what happens when the pope threatens 18 00:01:24,117 --> 00:01:27,487 a 2,000-year-old tradition... 19 00:01:27,587 --> 00:01:30,817 leaving two men at the helm of one divine office 20 00:01:30,924 --> 00:01:34,294 for the first time in over 500 years? 21 00:01:34,394 --> 00:01:41,474 ♪ ♪ 22 00:01:55,281 --> 00:01:56,821 - We're following breaking news this morning. 23 00:01:56,916 --> 00:02:01,016 Pope Benedict XVI has announced he is resigning. 24 00:02:01,121 --> 00:02:03,621 - For the first time in 600 years, 25 00:02:03,690 --> 00:02:05,590 a pope is retiring. 26 00:02:05,658 --> 00:02:09,498 ♪ ♪ 27 00:02:09,596 --> 00:02:12,526 - I was astonished when Benedict resigned. 28 00:02:12,632 --> 00:02:14,302 It came completely out of the blue. 29 00:02:14,367 --> 00:02:17,767 - Benedict's resignation was an amazing thing. 30 00:02:18,605 --> 00:02:20,865 narrator: In the last 2,000 years, 31 00:02:20,974 --> 00:02:23,714 only four other popes have resigned. 32 00:02:23,810 --> 00:02:26,880 - [speaking Latin] 33 00:02:32,051 --> 00:02:34,721 - It was wonderfully, comically announced. 34 00:02:36,456 --> 00:02:39,656 He announced it at a papal audience in Latin, 35 00:02:39,726 --> 00:02:41,386 and you had to see, all around the room, 36 00:02:41,494 --> 00:02:43,404 anyone who understood what he was saying. 37 00:02:43,496 --> 00:02:46,166 It was an astonishing thing to do. 38 00:02:46,232 --> 00:02:49,072 - It raises so many questions. 39 00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:51,299 You know, what happens now? 40 00:02:51,371 --> 00:02:57,081 ♪ ♪ 41 00:02:57,177 --> 00:03:00,307 narrator: Two weeks after Benedict XVI's resignation, 42 00:03:00,380 --> 00:03:02,480 Pope Francis is elected, 43 00:03:02,549 --> 00:03:06,889 and the papal crown is handed from one man to the other. 44 00:03:06,986 --> 00:03:08,086 - We have two popes, 45 00:03:08,188 --> 00:03:09,658 but only one is the pope. 46 00:03:10,657 --> 00:03:12,327 The problem with having two popes 47 00:03:12,392 --> 00:03:15,032 is that you have to decide who do you listen to? 48 00:03:16,563 --> 00:03:19,933 - Benedict was 85 when he resigned. 49 00:03:20,033 --> 00:03:22,243 He inherited the financial mess. 50 00:03:22,335 --> 00:03:24,535 He inherited the mess of sexual abuse. 51 00:03:24,604 --> 00:03:28,114 He inherited the administrative chaos. 52 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:30,778 Benedict resigned because he realized 53 00:03:30,877 --> 00:03:34,107 that these problems were simply too great for him. 54 00:03:34,214 --> 00:03:36,624 - It's not like other human institutions. 55 00:03:36,716 --> 00:03:39,046 It's created, we believe, by God, 56 00:03:39,118 --> 00:03:40,948 and this man is resigning from all of that. 57 00:03:41,054 --> 00:03:43,764 That not what popes are supposed to do. 58 00:03:43,856 --> 00:03:45,526 narrator: For 2,000 years, 59 00:03:45,592 --> 00:03:48,192 the legacy of St. Peter has been a divine office 60 00:03:48,261 --> 00:03:51,801 passed down from one pope to the next. 61 00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:54,468 But can two men hold a legitimate claim 62 00:03:54,567 --> 00:03:57,037 to one godly office? 63 00:03:57,103 --> 00:03:58,873 [camera shutter clicks] 64 00:03:58,938 --> 00:04:00,538 - It's left us with this situation 65 00:04:00,607 --> 00:04:03,137 of a pope and an extra pope, 66 00:04:03,243 --> 00:04:05,983 and that's always going to change 67 00:04:06,079 --> 00:04:07,709 the nature of an institution. 68 00:04:07,780 --> 00:04:09,650 Who's the real pope? 69 00:04:10,817 --> 00:04:12,647 narrator: In 2013, 70 00:04:12,752 --> 00:04:15,792 millions of people watch as Benedict XVI 71 00:04:15,888 --> 00:04:20,428 peacefully hands the papacy over to Pope Francis. 72 00:04:20,493 --> 00:04:21,833 But in the past, 73 00:04:21,928 --> 00:04:25,628 two living men with claim to one legacy 74 00:04:25,732 --> 00:04:28,502 has resulted in nothing but chaos. 75 00:04:29,602 --> 00:04:31,572 - In the 10th and 11th centuries, 76 00:04:31,638 --> 00:04:34,338 if you've g***t two popes, you've g***t two factions. 77 00:04:34,440 --> 00:04:36,280 It's a-- an extraordinary episode. 78 00:04:36,342 --> 00:04:41,912 ♪ ♪ 79 00:04:41,981 --> 00:04:44,351 - Benedict IX was a teenager. 80 00:04:44,450 --> 00:04:46,350 He was the most eligible member 81 00:04:46,452 --> 00:04:48,192 of the powerful Roman family 82 00:04:48,288 --> 00:04:49,918 that ruled the city of Rome. 83 00:04:49,989 --> 00:04:53,029 They wanted him to be pope for their own financial gain, 84 00:04:53,126 --> 00:04:55,426 their own territorial supremacy. 85 00:04:56,596 --> 00:04:59,496 - The papacy was the legal center 86 00:04:59,599 --> 00:05:01,129 of the Western world. 87 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,440 If a king needed a dispensation 88 00:05:03,503 --> 00:05:07,343 to marry his brother's wife, 89 00:05:07,440 --> 00:05:11,510 if people wanted to take possession of a local parish, 90 00:05:11,611 --> 00:05:13,881 they would have to get permission, pay a fee. 91 00:05:13,980 --> 00:05:17,220 At Rome, you are enormously powerful. 92 00:05:17,317 --> 00:05:20,187 Immense responsibility. 93 00:05:20,286 --> 00:05:21,946 narrator: But 19-year-old Benedict 94 00:05:22,021 --> 00:05:26,161 has no interest in bureaucracy or public service. 95 00:05:26,225 --> 00:05:28,385 ♪ ♪ 96 00:05:28,494 --> 00:05:31,234 He is only interested in the privileges of power. 97 00:05:31,331 --> 00:05:34,731 ♪ ♪ 98 00:05:34,834 --> 00:05:37,404 - Benedict is someone who was clearly made pope 99 00:05:37,503 --> 00:05:39,913 in order to enrich his family. 100 00:05:40,006 --> 00:05:41,506 On the secular side, 101 00:05:41,574 --> 00:05:45,414 not someone who had any sort of spiritual authority, 102 00:05:45,511 --> 00:05:48,311 even spiritual training. 103 00:05:48,381 --> 00:05:50,481 - Nepotism tended to produce 104 00:05:50,550 --> 00:05:52,920 a group of wealthy parasites 105 00:05:53,019 --> 00:05:55,659 who lived like grandees, 106 00:05:55,722 --> 00:05:57,822 who were also clergy. 107 00:05:57,890 --> 00:06:00,360 ♪ ♪ 108 00:06:00,426 --> 00:06:02,656 - He was incompetent. 109 00:06:02,729 --> 00:06:05,029 He was morally compromised in many ways. 110 00:06:05,098 --> 00:06:08,328 - Benedict was up to his neck in robbery and murder. 111 00:06:08,401 --> 00:06:11,441 He was using his position to gain wealth 112 00:06:11,537 --> 00:06:13,207 at the expense of the people of Rome. 113 00:06:13,272 --> 00:06:15,712 ♪ ♪ 114 00:06:15,775 --> 00:06:17,605 narrator: By the year 1044, 115 00:06:17,710 --> 00:06:20,850 the cardinals are fed up. 116 00:06:20,913 --> 00:06:22,283 They decide the church needs 117 00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:25,222 a real spiritual and political leader. 118 00:06:25,284 --> 00:06:27,594 Something must be done. 119 00:06:27,687 --> 00:06:31,387 ♪ ♪ 120 00:06:31,457 --> 00:06:35,027 - The holiest priest in Rome came to him and said, 121 00:06:35,094 --> 00:06:37,904 "You need to step down for the good of the church. 122 00:06:37,964 --> 00:06:39,374 What can I give you?" 123 00:06:39,432 --> 00:06:41,132 And made him some sort of offering. 124 00:06:41,234 --> 00:06:43,704 - Benedict IX sold the papacy. 125 00:06:43,770 --> 00:06:46,310 - Which, of course, is against the canons. 126 00:06:47,407 --> 00:06:48,907 narrator: In the 11th century, 127 00:06:48,975 --> 00:06:51,305 conclaves had not yet been invented. 128 00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:53,811 Popes were often chosen by brute force 129 00:06:53,913 --> 00:06:55,783 or nepotism. 130 00:06:55,882 --> 00:06:57,652 - Buying church power was considered 131 00:06:57,750 --> 00:07:00,050 one of the worst sins there was. 132 00:07:00,119 --> 00:07:03,659 So the fact that he had actually sold the papacy 133 00:07:03,756 --> 00:07:05,656 in return for money 134 00:07:05,758 --> 00:07:07,088 was appalling to everyone. 135 00:07:07,160 --> 00:07:09,130 ♪ ♪ 136 00:07:09,228 --> 00:07:12,568 narrator: For the first time in recorded history, 137 00:07:12,632 --> 00:07:15,842 a pope resigns in exchange for money, 138 00:07:15,935 --> 00:07:17,735 which catapults the papacy 139 00:07:17,804 --> 00:07:20,944 into the world of dirty politics. 140 00:07:21,007 --> 00:07:22,837 - The papacy becomes a pawn 141 00:07:22,942 --> 00:07:25,912 in the politics of central Italy. 142...