Starring: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe, Franco Nero, Laurel Marsden, Cornell S. John, Peter DeSouza-Feighoney
OUR RATING: ★★★☆☆
Story:
Supernatural horror directed by Julius Avery. Inspired by actual case files, The Pope’s Exorcist (2023) centers on Father Gabriel Amorth (Russell Crowe), a priest who acted as Chief Exorcist of the Vatican and performed more than 100,000 exorcisms in his lifetime. We follow Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
Best Quotes
Enzo: [possessed] I am legion. I am Satan. I am foulmouthed behemoth.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] Difficult to believe.
Enzo: [possessed] You doubt me?
Father Gabriel Amorth: If you are Satan, what is my name? Describe hell.
Enzo: [possessed] You will find out soon enough.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [to the possessed Enzo] Possess the pig. Show me you are the Prince of Darkness. Show to me your power!
Father Gabriel Amorth: [after he drives the demon into a pig, which is then shot] You can sleep now, my son. The demon has gone. God is with you.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The only thing that arrests God’s love is a person’s freedom to choose. But God cannot be God, unless he allows for this choice, even for the damned.
Bishop Lumumba: Do not worry, Gabriel. I will defend you.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Defend me? My faith does not require defense.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] Sugar is the work of the devil.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Exorcism is my job, but the vast majority of the cases to which I’m assigned do not require an exorcism. They just need a little conversation, a little understanding, and sometimes a little theater.
Bishop Lumumba: Cardinal Sullivan, in my observation, ninety-eight percent of the cases that are assigned to Father Amorth are then further recommended by him to doctors and psychiatrists.
Cardinal Sullivan: And the other two percent?
Father Gabriel Amorth: Ah, the other two percent. This is something that has confounded all of science and all of medicine for a very long time. I call it evil.
'We will all be judged by how much we love.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
Father Gabriel Amorth: I am not a doctor. I am not a psychologist. But I am a theologian. I am a lawyer. I am a journalist. And I am a practical man. I was also a partisan in the war, so I know a firing squad when I see one. So, what is this about?
Cardinal Sullivan: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has recommended to this panel that the position of Chief Exorcist be formally vacated.
Father Gabriel Amorth: So, what you are saying is that evil does not exist?
Father Gabriel Amorth: Explain to me, please, Your Eminence. If evil does not exist, what then is the role of the Church? I think we all have to be careful of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Sounds to me like they want us all out of a job.
Father Gabriel Amorth: I am the Chief Exorcist of the Vatican. My position was appointed by my bishop. My diocese is Rome. My local bishop is the Pope. If you have a problem with me, you talk to my boss.
Asmodeus: [as he possesses Henry] You’re all going to die.
Interpreter: [referring to Henry] All of his vitals and brain functions seem to be normal.
Julia: Wait. Normal? What do you mean? He was convulsing.
'A mother's love is the closest thing we know to God's love.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
Asmodeus: Bring me the priest.
Asmodeus: [as Esquibel is tossed out of the room] Wrong f***ing priest!
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] They tell me you are sick.
The Pope: [in Italian] Yes, they hope so. They wish to see me weak. But, no, they are.
The Pope: [in Italian] Your search for truth is delightful, Gabriel, but pay attention to your desire to educate. Pride manifests itself in different forms.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] Pride? Me?
'Our sins will seek us out.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
The Pope: [to Amorth] There’s a case that needs your attention. A boy in Spain. Something about it disturbs me greatly. This boy’s possession is progressing very fast.
The Pope: [to Amorth] San Sebastian Abbey in Castile. This place has given the Church problems before. I sense a great evil coming from there. Something dark that only you can help solve.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [to Julia] If you would at least just let me see your son. I can give you my opinion, and you can do with it what you will.
Asmodeus: [to Amorth] Your prayers are worthless here.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Who are you?
Asmodeus: Your worst fear. I am your demise.
'The devil is the great deceiver.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
Father Gabriel Amorth: Why are you possessing this boy?
Asmodeus: Because it feels so good to ruin such innocent flesh. But I prefer the challenge of an exorcist’s soul.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You only serve to diminish yourself.
Asmodeus: Don’t lecture me, priest.
Father Gabriel Amorth: What is your purpose?
Asmodeus: I’m here for you.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Then you must know my name.
Asmodeus: I know your soul and every shameless sin.
Asmodeus: God is not here.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] God is everywhere.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Whatever you do, you only do because God allows it.
Asmodeus: [as the cross on the wall drops] Did he allow that? This is just the beginning.
'The only thing that can defeat us is ourselves.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
Asmodeus: You don’t know who you’re dealing with.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Then tell me. Tell me your name. Unless you are too afraid.
Asmodeus: I’m not some stupid f*** you convince to get into a pig.
Asmodeus: My name is blasphemy. My name is nightmare.
Father Gabriel Amorth: My nightmare is France winning the World Cup.
Asmodeus: You prideful fool. You can’t hide behind your jokes forever, Gabriel. I know your nightmares too.
Asmodeus: Beware, your sins will seek you out. I’ll be waiting for you, Gabe.
'To die in a war is heroic. To survive a war, complex.' - Father Gabriel Amorth (The Pope's Exorcist) Share on X
Father Gabriel Amorth: This demon, it says things that it could not know.
Father Esquibel: So it’s real?
Father Gabriel Amorth: What do you know about demons?
Father Esquibel: Only the basics, that they are fallen angels. One serves the other in a hierarchy.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The higher the demon, the more access it can have.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [to Julia] Your son is under the influence of a very powerful demon. Removing the boy from this place could be fatal. I say to you now the only way your son comes back to you is through faith.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Mrs. Vasquez, did anything happen to Henry?
Julia: He was in the car accident that killed his father. He saw his father impaled. That memory, that’s his demon.
Father Gabriel Amorth: I give you my word, I will not walk away from you, or your son. Trauma, such as you describe, can be a gateway for the devil. Suffering can make a soul desperate for connection. It can make the innocent more vulnerable.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Tell me, Julia, have you ever believed?
Julia: When I was a little girl, I used to think that my guardian angel walked me to school.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You should pray to that guardian angel.
Asmodeus: I’m in Hell.
Julia: What do we do?
Father Gabriel Amorth: Coffee. The demons, they grow more strong in the night. I’m going to need my energy.
Father Esquibel: How long will this take?
Father Gabriel Amorth: That is hard to say. Hours. Days, maybe. This demon is very strong. The boy won’t last long.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The demons, they are self-preserving. They do not understand suffering. Eventually, he will give himself up because he cannot stand the pain of the prayer.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The demon can smell your sins if they are not absolved.
Father Gabriel Amorth: What rites of the exorcism do you know?
Father Esquibel: None.
Father Gabriel Amorth: None?
Father Esquibel: It has never come up.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Do you know any jokes?
Father Esquibel: No.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You should learn some. The devil does not like jokes.
Asmodeus: Readying for battle? You ran out on me last time, like the coward you are, soldier boy. Not very becoming of the Chief Exorcist.
Asmodeus: Are we going to talk all night, or do you want to battle? Know what I’m going to do to you, Gabriel? I’m going to f*** you. You’ll sense yourself coming, and you’ll hate yourself for the release you feel when I f*** you.
Father Gabriel Amorth: I command you, unclean spirit, whoever you are, along with all of your minions, now attacking this servant of God, Henry, by the mysteries of the incarnation…
Asmodeus: F*** you and your incarnations.
Asmodeus: You’ve been played, Amorth. You took the bait. And I’ll destroy you. Your Holy Church will crumble from the inside.
Father Gabriel Amorth: It can sense our guilt, and it uses it against us as a distraction.
Father Gabriel Amorth: We need to find out the name of this demon. Knowing its name, it weakens them.
Father Gabriel Amorth: This is not about the boy. It has a bigger plan.
Asmodeus: No one’s getting out of here alive. No one.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You don’t get to stay handsome in this business for too long.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Did you consider why the demon does this?
Father Esquibel: To scare us, hm?
Father Gabriel Amorth: For what benefit?
Father Esquibel: Chaos.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Distraction. The devil is the great deceiver.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [referring to the San Sebastian Abbey] There is something underneath this place. Something is hidden here.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [as they go under the abbey] A little gas. A little sulfur. A little death. So, no smoking, huh?
The Pope: [in Italian, from the letter] “Your cardinal protector writes to inform you of our worst fears. A great evil has taken hold of San Sebastian Abbey. It must be buried here forever. All attempts at exorcism have failed. Satan owns this ground now. I have never seen a demon this powerful before.”
Father Gabriel Amorth: We are getting closer to Hell.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The exorcist becomes possessed himself.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Centuries of persecution and torture, the worst abuses of the Inquisition, all started by the friar, and done in the name of God by the devil. The Vatican must have known this. The Church covered it up, and they buried the truth here.
Father Gabriel Amorth: “The great dragon was hurled down. Hurled into the earth, where he was bound.”
Father Esquibel: “And his angels with him.” Revelations.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Two hundred rogue angels buried into the earth. This abbey is one of those godforsaken places. This demon, he is trying to find them. To raise an army and destroy the Church.
Father Gabriel Amorth: His name, the king of Hell. Asmodeus.
Father Esquibel: Those were the first words the demon said. “Bring me the priest.” It didn’t mean me. It wants you. This demon feeds on exorcists.
Father Gabriel Amorth: He had a plan once. To lure the friar here, hide amongst the righteous, and commit heinous acts in the name of God. It wants to do the same thing again. Using me to infiltrate the Church.
Father Esquibel: What greater victory for the devil, than to claim the soul of the Pope’s exorcist.
Father Gabriel Amorth: The only thing that can defeat us is ourselves. He will use your sins against you.
Father Gabriel Amorth: In all of my years, I have tried to embrace what is said in Matthew. “What you do for the least among you, you do for me.” But when it mattered, I failed.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [referring to Rosaria] To hear after her death the rumors of the sexual abuse, the cover-up within the walls of the Vatican City. That innocent girl. I did not help her when she needed me. Her soul is my burden. And this demon, he knows that.
Father Gabriel Amorth: To defeat the king of Hell, we require the armor of God.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Pray for Henry.
Asmodeus: No amount of prayers can save Henry.
Rosaria: I burn in Hell because of you!
Father Gabriel Amorth: You are not there. You are only in my mind.
Asmodeus: Get out of my house!
Father Esquibel: This is the house of God!
Julia: Not without my son!
Asmodeus: Your son is gone! His soul burns and rots in Hell.
Father Gabriel Amorth: A mother’s love never fails.
Henry: Mommy, they’re hurting me.
Julia: Oh, God.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Henry, we need your help. You must resist.
Henry: I can’t.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You must resist!
Father Gabriel Amorth: Julia, resist! Don’t lose faith!
Julia: Give me back my children!
Asmodeus: Your children are gone!
Father Gabriel Amorth: It’s me you want. Let the children go.
Asmodeus: They all suffer because of you. Say the words, piggy. Be the martyr you dreamed of being. Be my piggy.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Take me.
Asmodeus: [as he possesses Amorth] Your soul is mine.
Asmodeus: [to Amorth] I knew you would sacrifice yourself to save those children, and now you are mine.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You will not take me!
Asmodeus: You prideful fool. The friar said the exact same thing.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Damn us both to Hell.
Asmodeus: It would be my great pleasure to excoriate your soul and eviscerate your memory.
Father Esquibel: Gabriel, listen to me. Fight it. It is just in your head. We can only be defeated by ourselves.
Asmodeus: He is not here!
Asmodeus: God is not here!
Father Esquibel: God is always in our hearts. Focus on the prayer. Where two of you gather in my name, there am I.
Asmodeus: We’re not done yet. You’re coming to Hell, priests. I will take you both.
Father Esquibel: [after they drive Asmodeus away] Gabriel, are you okay?
Father Gabriel Amorth: Not so bad. Tomás.
Father Esquibel: What?
Father Gabriel Amorth: You look like s**t.
Father Gabriel Amorth: You know, the God, he works in very mysterious ways.
The Pope: I’m glad to see you. You had me worried this time. Sounded dangerous.
Father Gabriel Amorth: [in Italian] Yeah. Not too bad.
The Pope: Sometimes you fly a little too close to the sun.
Father Gabriel Amorth: It has not killed me yet.
Father Gabriel Amorth: A full report. So Cardinale Sullivan can tell me again that evil only exists in my imagination?
The Pope: You haven’t heard? Cardinal Sullivan has taken a sabbatical in the Isle of Guam.
Father Gabriel Amorth: I shall pray for Guam.
The Pope: See thee beneath God.
Bishop Lumumba: Asmodeus has been defeated, but there are many more to be found. Soon, we will know all of the other hundred and ninety-nine sites on Earth where God is not welcome. Gabriel, will you take on this task?
Father Gabriel Amorth: This would be more than a lifetime’s work for one priest. But two priests. What do you think, Tomás? Can you see this now as a calling? And that we must serve God the way he wants us to serve him?
Father Esquibel: Let’s go to work.
Father Gabriel Amorth: Let’s go to Hell.
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