
Description
As Pope Pius XIII hangs between life and death in a coma, charming and sophisticated moderate English aristocrat Sir John Brannox is placed on the papal throne and adopts the name John Paul III.

As Pope Pius XIII hangs between life and death in a coma, charming and sophisticated moderate English aristocrat Sir John Brannox is placed on the papal throne and adopts the name John Paul III.
John Paul III addresses his followers with a message of love; a historic meeting of the minds occurs after six children and their teacher are taken hostage; as the Church prepares for battle, Voiello receives a visit from a man close to the caliph.
Sofia sets out to bring an ashamed Brannox back to the Vatican; warned by Bauer of the Church's demise, Voiello is called upon to make things right and, later, mourns a tragic loss; the nuns appeal to an unaccommodating Assente.
In Venice, a papal doctor and his wife struggle to care for their sick son and witness a miracle; Pius XIII's devotees grow resigned; an attack on Vatican soil shakes Brannox to his core; Sofia comes to Voiello for advice on how to handle the pope.
A confrontation with Spalletta leads Brannox to deliver some unwelcome news to Voiello; Sofia learns what her husband has been keeping from her; Voiello ties up loose ends; Ester expands her business; Brannox agrees to a live TV interview.
A brutal act of terrorism in France leads to an unconventional response from the pope that strikes a chord with the public; Sofia reaches out to Brannox; Pius XIII's followers flock to Venice when there's a sudden change in his condition.
Brannox decides to pay a visit to Pius XIII and is confronted with the intensity of his predecessor's followers; Voiello prepares for a long war with the defiant Sister Lisette after the nuns go on strike; the church faces the prospect of bankruptcy.
After being elected pope and taking the name John Paul III, Brannox preaches the importance of family, truth and love in his first public homily and to the cardinals; Ester bonds with widower Fabiano, who offers an unusual solution to her money woes.
Voiello, Gutierrez, Assente, Aguirre and Sofia travel to the U.K. estate of Sir John Brannox, hoping to convince him to return with them to the Vatican and accept the holiest of roles; Ester shares her son's story with the press to make ends meet.
Following his sudden heart attack, Pope Pius XIII lies in a coma; as the threat of terrorism and the potential risks of Pius' idolatry loom, Secretary of State Cardinal Voiello makes a hasty move that throws the church into even greater chaos.