It was exactly nine months since Pope Pius XIII announced his intentions to rule the Catholic Church with an iron fist, and all while sporting a velvet glove adorned with jewellery no less. While the pope's desire to rule has already come to fruition, his fundamentalist views seem to be resonating far beyond the walls of the Vatican and the city of Rome.
"The Young Pope" episode 6 shows Cardinal Ozolins in Ketchikan, Alaska, far away from the safe, warm walls of the Vatican and looking completely miserable. He also seems to be celebrating Mass outside the cold Alaskan winter, and it's anybody's guess why he seems to be doing it. It could be under the orders of Pope Pius XIII because it is something that his character would not hesitate to do.
Back at the Vatican, Pope Pius XIII is given a mouthful by Voiello. Tourism numbers in the Vatican are plummeting, as are the donation numbers, but the Pope doesn't even seem to care much about what is happening around him. "The faithful will return", he casually remarks as if nothing is wrong in the kingdom he governs. Voiello immediately reminds him of the rise in fundamentalism similar to that of Islam. The pope simply checks out his nails and says "Islam has more followers than the Catholic Church", which leaves Voiello visibly shocked.
He even begins to question who Pope Pius XIII is after hearing such remarks from the leader of the Catholic Church. Pius says nothing as if he's implying whether he (Voiello) understands what he is trying to say or not. Voiello's childhood friend, Cardinal Dussolier, belongs in the group that doesn't understand what the pope is implying.
The red-headed bishop makes a return trip to his diocese in Honduras before he goes back to Rome to take up a permanent residence. He has a threesome with a man and a woman, the latter of which could be the spouse of a probable drug lord. When he finally returns to the Vatican he is shocked by what he discovers.
The Pope has ordered the church to hire male prostitutes to seduce aspiring priests so that they can easily weed out the homosexuals. He expresses extreme guilt at this revelation as he knows that he too, does not live up to these standards and he has singlehandedly crushed the hopes of young applicants, per Rolling Stone.
This episode ends in a bit of a tragic note as one of the young men barred from the seminary confronts Cardinal Dussolier and splashes wine on his face, labels him a murderer, and proceeds to end his life by jumping to his death in St. Peter's Square. Per Vulture, could prove to be the first wedge between the pope and Dussolier, which in turn will result in a PR nightmare.
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