Franco Pinelli

A rural shepherd named Tonino appeals to the Vatican to recognize his miracle-working stigmata. Lenny councils a nun whose sister is gravely ill in Sri Lanka. Ester is torn by a threat from Voiello and her devotion to the pope. Lenny makes a bold decision regarding a sex-abuse case in New York, deciding to send an unlikely envoy. A visit from the prime minister of Greenland stirs Lenny's musical sensibilities.

Nine months after being elected, Lenny has a testy first meeting with the Italian prime minister, a progressive at odds with Pius XIII's uncompromising vision of the church. Newly minted Cardinal Gutierrez reluctantly moves out of the Vatican for his new assignment abroad. After a brief reunion with the faithful in Honduras, Dussolier assumes his new duties as Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, but is thrown by Lenny's strict guidelines towards prospective priests. Voiello is questioned about the disappearance of Tonino, who is looking to break from the church. Ester's miracle comes true.