The Pope’s Exorcist is a thriller that delves into the world of the supernatural and the spiritual. This movie follows the journey of a skilled exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth, who takes on a daunting task when Henry Vasquez is possessed by a frightening spirit. Working together with the local priest Father Tomás Esquibel, Gabriele attempts to assist Henry and his family with the troubling issue.
The Pope’s Exorcist is directed by Julius Avery and stars Russell Crowe in the lead. It takes viewers on a chilling and thought-provoking exploration of the battle between good and evil. Whether you were brave enough to make it to the end of the movie or not, we’re here to give you a detailed analysis of the movie’s climax.
The Pope’s Exorcist Plot Summary
The Pope’s Exorcist takes the viewers through a historic and suspenseful horror-thriller journey. In 1987, Father Gabriele Amorth, infamous for his exorcisms, faced criticism from Cardinal Sullivan and his committee for performing unsanctioned exorcisms on people who were mentally ill but pretended to be possessed. Despite the fact that the exorcisms catered to their delusions and aided them in overcoming them, the committee was still displeased with the priest.
Julia Vasquez, a recent widow, and her children moved to Spain to restore her late husband’s family house, San Sebastian Abbey. Her daughter Amy was not pleased, but her selectively mute son Henry seemed to take the change in stride, wandering around the house. When Henry found a secret crack in the wall, he was unaware that he had released an evil spirit that took possession of him. As Henry’s situation deteriorated, Julia called the local priest, Esquibel, upon Henry’s request.
The Pope decides to entrust Henry’s case to his reliable exorcist, Gabriele and sends him to Spain. The Pope also alerts Gabriele to the Abbey’s long-standing issues. When the Pope’s exorcist, Gabriele, turns up, Julia is unwilling to involve the Church, but he guarantees her he is there to offer assistance. After his initial encounter with Henry, during which the possessed kid brings up Gabriele’s complicated past, the exorcist comprehends that a powerful spirit has taken control of Henry’s body.
With Esquibel’s assistance, Gabriel seeks help in subjecting the demon to prayers capable of causing it distress and obtaining its name – a key element in performing an exorcism. Although the prayers seemingly affect Henry, the demon retaliates by using its sinister powers to make Gabriele have visions of Rosaria, a girl he was unable to rescue in the past. Similarly, it provokes Esquibel by evoking the memory of Adella, his former lover.
Gabriele realizes his opposition is more formidable than he thought. He tries to find a new way to handle the situation. Knowing the Church’s past relationship with demonic matters must be relevant to the possession of Henry, Gabriele explores the area while Esquibel keeps a close eye on Henry. As he examines the backyard, Gabriele uncovers a well covered with the Vatican’s seal, revealing its dark past from the era of the Spanish Inquisition.
Gabriele and Esquibel go through the wall of the house to find a hidden room with the corpse of a Cardinal Protector. Further inside the catacomb, they encountered the deceased body of Friar de Ojeda, a well-known exorcist in history, who had started the Spanish Inquisition. His journal exposed the fact that a demon had been controlling Friar de Ojeda during his lifetime. Gabriele soon deduced that the same force had come for him now.
Who’s The Demon in The Pope’s Exorcist?
In The Pope’s Exorcist, Gabriele understands the importance of learning the demon’s name, so he searches Friar de Ojeda’s journal for insight. It contains a thorough report of the Friar’s experiences and mentions his possession by Asmodeus, the ruler of hell.
The angels who rebelled against God transformed into demons and landed in Earth’s place, San Sebastian Abbey. Under the abbey, a large temple was built to honour Asmodeus. Gabriele encountered the former host of the demon, Friar de Ojeda. Asmodeus had taken over the exorcist and initiated the Spanish Inquisition. Ultimately, he was defeated and forced to leave, but the Church chose to keep the occurrence a secret to protect its reputation. Therefore, neither the Pope nor Gabriele had any knowledge of what transpired.
Asmodeus has come back to inhabit the Pope’s exorcist’s body (Gabriele) and manipulate the chief exorcist to ruin the Vatican. He’s taken over Henry, a boy whose father recently died. He wants Julia to bring him a priest. Since the demons are arranged in a hierarchy, those at the highest rank hold the greatest influence. In The Pope’s Exorcist, Asmodeus, being the ruler of hell, is a serious danger to the Vatican. Furthermore, due to his power, the longer he continues to occupy Henry’s delicate body, the faster Henry will go to his demise.
Throughout The Pope’s Exorcist, Gabriele’s main objective is to ensure Henry’s safety. Saving people is the key motivation for Gabriele’s character. Henry initially joined the Church after coming out alive in the war with the Spanish fascists, while his comrades all lost their lives. As a result, he has to battle the feelings of guilt that accompany surviving while others did not, and he believes it is his responsibility to help as many people as he can.
As the demon continued to cause chaos, he appealed to Gabriele’s martyr complex to get him to surrender, enabling Asmodeus to possess him and infiltrate the Vatican. Though the Vasquez family managed to make it out of the situation with Henry unscathed, the repercussions of Gabriele’s sacrifice were felt all the way to the Vatican.
The Pope’s Exorcist Ending Explained
Asmodeus brings Gabriele to his temple deep within the catacombs, where his power is at its peak. Inside, Esquibel finds the exorcist perched atop Friar de Ojeda’s throne, wielding his sceptre.
Esquibel endows himself with the same authority and begins to pray, imploring Gabriele to resist the satanic haze and echo the prayer, as if Gabriele, the host, participated in Esquibel’s supplication, it would have a much stronger effect on Asmodeus. Consequently, Gabriele succeeds in expelling Asmodeus from his body, although the demon takes on a partially human form as his strength increases within the temple.
The Pope becomes aware of the potential danger posed by places such as San Sebastian Abbey, where fallen angels had turned into demons, through Friar de Ojeda’s writings. Therefore, the Vatican establishes a team to study this newfound knowledge. Additionally, the Pope entrusts Gabriele with the job of exploring the other sites, believing he is capable of managing this mission.
At the end of The Pope’s Exorcist, Gabriele invites Esquibel to become his ally in the mission. Even though Asmodeus has temporarily vanished, the yarn finishes with a pledge of further excitement for Gabriele and his newly acquired demon-catching associate, Esquibel.
