Written by Roger Crane First performance 27 April 2007 Setting Vatican City | Date premiered 27 April 2007 Playwright Roger Crane Original language English language | |
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Characters Pope John Paul I, Jean-Marie Villot, Pope Paul VI, Pericle Felici, Alfredo Ottaviani Genres Religion, Crime Fiction, Drama Similar Oleanna, Amadeus, Long Day's Journey Into Night, All My Sons, Buyer & Cellar | ||
The last confession
The Last Confession is a stage play by Roger Crane about the election and death of Pope John Paul I. The play follows Giovanni Benelli (David Suchet) who recounts, during his last confession, his role in the death of John Paul and how this led him to lose his faith.
Contents
48 hours the last confession
Plot
Disturbed by the corruption in Vatican City, caused mainly by Paul Marcinkus and Jean-Marie Villot, Benelli attempts to manipulate the August 1978 conclave and elect Albino Luciani as Pope. The plan succeeds and Luciani becomes Pope John Paul I but his unconventional views and actions make him enemies in the Curia.
Just thirty three days into his reign, John Paul dies suddenly and Benelli investigates the death, suspecting the Pope was murdered. Realising that a request for an autopsy would damage the church, Benelli decides to end the investigation and tries to become Pope himself. This time his efforts to manipulate the conclave fail and a compromise candidate, Karol Wojtyła, is elected Pope.