The Last Confession

Synopsis

The Vatican 1978: a little-known Cardinal from Venice is elected to succeed Pope Paul VI. A compromise candidate, he takes the name Pope John Paul I, and quickly shows himself to be the liberal the reactionaries within the Catholic Church most feared. Just thirty-three days later, he is dead. No official investigation is conducted, no autopsy is performed, and the Vatican’s press release about the cause of death is later found to be, in large part, false. And just the evening before his death, John Paul had warned three of his most influential but hostile Cardinals that they would be replaced. His death marks the climax of fifteen troubled years of controversy and machination within the Church; schisms threaten its unity and the shadow of the Mafia hovers over its financial affairs. Only Cardinal Benelli has the power to challenge the dead Pope's enemies. This incisive thriller tracks the dramatic tensions, crises of faith and political manoeuvrings inside the Vatican surrounding the death of the man known as 'the Smiling Pope’

Our Review:

9 May 2007

There is certainly plenty for every closet conspiracy theorist to enjoy in Chichester's new play The Last Confession. Part murder mystery, part Manchurian Candidate, this handsomely designed production deals with the behind-the-scenes shenanigans in the Vatican leading to the death of “smiling Pope” John Paul I who died (or was knocked off, depending on who you believe) in 1978 after a reign of just 33 days.

This is well-trodden grounds and has already been the subject of a best-seller (David Yallop's In God's Name), numerous documentaries and even a Sub-theme in Francis Ford Copolla's Godfather III. By all accounts Cardinal Albino Luciani, a humble priest who loved the poor and wanted the church to improve the quality of life for Catholics, angered Church conservatives with his liberal ideas when he become Pope. He was about to put an end to the Machiavellian antics of those who dealt with Vatican finances, including Roberto Calvi - ...

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Latest User Review

rds - 30 April 2007:

This is a truly gripping, well crafted, superbly acted and stunningly staged play. It deals primarily with the idea that there was a conspiracy, all the rage today, behind the death of Pope John Paul I, And that rather than dying peacefully in his sleep he was in fact murdered, and not just by any old murderer who wandered in off the streets, but by someone in the Vatican. An absolutely shocking idea at first sight, and might just seem plain daft until the play begins to unfold. I found it gripping and deserving of a wider audience. I hope a West End transfer is on the cards, and after that - Broadway? This must be one to watch out for at next years Bafta's....

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