The New Pope : Season 1 Episode 1 Apr 2026

In the series premiere of The New Pope (the follow-up to The Young Pope ), the Vatican is thrown into chaos as Pope Pius XIII remains in a coma. This guide covers the key events, characters, and stylistic choices from Season 1, Episode 1.

The Machiavellian Secretary of State trying to maintain control through a puppet pope. The New Pope : Season 1 Episode 1

The shadowy Ambassador of the Holy See who provides "expository clarity" and is linked to Francis II’s sudden demise. In the series premiere of The New Pope

Voiello's bitter rival, also played by Orlando. The shadowy Ambassador of the Holy See who

Nine months after his sudden heart attack, (Lenny Belardo) remains comatose, while a cult of followers gathers outside his hospital, treating him as a living saint. Worried about the rise of "Pius-idolatry," the Vatican’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello , moves to elect a new pope.

Mostly seen comatose, though he remains the central figure of the show's cult-like devotion.

After a deadlocked conclave between Voiello and his doppelganger, , Voiello engineers a tactical vote for a supposedly malleable candidate: Cardinal Viglietti . Taking the name Pope Francis II , Viglietti unexpectedly becomes a radical reformer, opening the Vatican to refugees and demanding the Cardinals surrender their personal wealth.