The Lesson is Murder

Newly elected Pope Pius XIII, a.k.a. Lenny Belardo, defies expectations as he settles in at the Vatican to begin his reign. The youngest pope in history and first-ever American, Lenny's ascension was orchestrated by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Voiello, who mistakenly believed the young pope would follow his lead on policy and protocol.

Sofia, the Vatican's marketing director, receives a surprise directive as Lenny prepares for his first public appearance. While the cardinals await an audience with their new pope, Sister Mary catches up with Lenny's childhood friend Andrew Dussolier, another orphan-turned-cardinal. Lenny reaches out to Cardinal Spencer to take over a high Vatican post.

Baffled by the pope's intentions and desperate to retain control in the Vatican, Voiello considers his options in the face of public reaction to Lenny's speech. In a press conference, Sister Mary outlines the pope's policy towards questions and concerns from the media. Elder Cardinal Caltanissetta enjoins Spencer to put his resentment aside and accept Lenny's offer.

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.

Voiello orchestrates a scandalous scenario designed to cripple the pope. Lenny decamps with old friend Andrew Dussolier, both in the present and the past. As his ornate papal tiara arrives, Pius XIII decides the time has come to address the College of Cardinals in the Sistine Chapel.

Nine months after being elected, Lenny has a testy first meeting with the Italian prime minister. Newly minted Cardinal Gutierrez reluctantly moves out of the Vatican for his new assignment abroad. Dussolier assumes his new duties as Prefect of the Congregation of the Clergy, but is thrown by Lenny's strict guidelines towards prospective priests.

Concerned by negative publicity surrounding the suicide of a would-be priest, Voiello ponders new and familiar scenarios to take down Lenny. Mary struggles with her conscience as Lenny is distracted by the possibility of a family reunion. In the disturbing aftermath of a social event in Rome, Dussolier informs the pope he wants to return to Honduras.

Lenny and Sister Mary deal with a shared loss in their own peculiar ways. Returning to the Vatican, Sofia suggests that the new pope embark on his first-ever trip abroad: a visit to Africa in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Sister Antonia's much-heralded "Village of Goodness." Lenny is heartened by a visit from his favorite author and dismayed by a sudden departure.

Lenny and Sister Mary relive a momentous incident from the past as the pope faces the prospect of an unthinkable loss in the present. In New York, Gutierrez faces daunting odds, including the threat of blackmail, in his ongoing investigation of Kurtwell, a powerful archbishop suspected of longtime sexual misconduct.

Reunited with a changed Gutierrez at the Vatican, the pope considers an appropriate course of action regarding Archbishop Kurtwell. Father Tomasso gets a promotion, while Sister Mary takes on a new role. The prospect of a reconciliation leads the young pope to make an unexpected change of travel plans -- and policy.