The Order

Every life is a riddle.

The answer to mine

is a knowledge born of darkness.

It wasn't always so.

In the beginning,

I still had questions.

In the beginning,

my mystery still remained.

Brother Dominic...

scholar of the Catholic arcane.

Believer in

the unsanitized church.

A church that no longer

believes in itself.

The church

of stigmata...

and exorcism, saints...

and demons...

and me.

I believe in many things.

So do I.

And right now,

I believe it's time.

Are you ready to

make your confession?

Forgive me, Alex.

I have sinned against you.

There he is. That's Alex.

- He's young.

- But an old soul, Clive.

He's an old soul.

Mea culpa. Mea culpa.

Mea maxima culpa.

- Corpus Christi?

- Amen.

- Corpus Christi?

- Amen.

- Corpus Christi?

- Amen.

I need to speak with you.

Do you always say

the mass in Latin?

- It's how I was taught.

- It belies your age.

And with your back

to your audience, no less.

You know, six or 700 years ago...

they wouldn't have

seen you at all.

You'd have sung the mass in Latin

behind a huge choir screen...

out of the sight of a congregation

who was only allowed to... listen.

I think you would have liked the choir

screen, Alex. You're a contradiction.

What I am is stuck here because the church

doesn't know what to do with me.

Well, the church doesn't know

what the hell to do with itself.

Look, I won't pretend I don't know

you have certain qualifications...

certain skills, that set you apart

from other priests.

However, the diocese has certain questions

about your faith, Alex.

So, what do you want from me?

Well, I have

sad news for you.

- Dominic, the head of your order-

- I know who he is.

He's dead.

Today. In Rome.

Is this your mother?

Say good-bye, Alex.

It's time to say good-bye.

Good-bye.

Leave your tears here

and then forget them.

Alex?

Alex? Alex?

How is it that a cardinal has enough

time to come and tell me this?

Because I loved him.

Because he was my mentor.

Because the circumstances

of his death are... curious.

I need to go to Rome.

The diocese will arrange a flight.

In the name of God, in the name of

Jesus Christ, I order you back to hell.

Your time is coming.

In the name of God, in the name of

Jesus Christ, I order you back to hell.

In the name of God, in the name of

Jesus Christ, I order you back to hell.

F*** your god!

All mouth, no trousers.

Your church will be lost,

Priest.

The dark pope... rises.

- Hello?

- Ah, Thomas.

- I've been trying to reach you, mate.

- Alex.

-

- How are you, SpaghettiO?

Yeah, listen to me.

Dominic died.

- Dominic?

- Yeah.

Ah, no.

- When did it happen?

- Last night.

Where are you? In New York?

At St. Anthony's?

Yeah. Listen,

I'm going to Rome, Thomas.

- When?

- Tomorrow.

And guess what.

So are you.

Just be there.

Hi.

Hi.

When did they release you?

I was released today.

Years ago, it was a dorm

for all the priests.

Now it's empty.

You're here.

True.

-

- Oh, I'll wait.

Uh, we're looking

for Alex Bernier.

That's me.

Is there something wrong?

Just a heads-up, Father.

You know a...

Mara Williams?

Yes.

She escaped today from the mental-health

facility where she was remanded by the court.

Remanded, huh? And what does this

have to do with me?

Well, she was locked up

for trying to kill you, wasn't she?

That was the main reason, yes.

I just thought you'd like to know

she's unaccounted for.

Look, I could have a car drive

by here once in a while.

- No, I'm fine. Thank you.

- Well, like I said, a heads- up.

You know, it says here-

I couldn't make it out in this copy-

that she, uh- that she shot you

at an exercise class?

No, at an exorcism.

Oh.

Have a good night.

You, too, Father.

You lied. You said

they released you.

No, I didn't. I didn't lie.

I said I was released.

I didn't say who did it.

- Mara?

- Alex...

you didn't say good-bye.

They said it would be better

that I didn't see you for a while.

For a year?

I don't know.

- I started painting again.

- Did you?

Yeah. Flowers mostly.

I wanna paint sunflowers,

but I don't have the guts.

Do you think I'm crazy?

I know you're not.

Why'd you come here?

- I heard you call me.

- Mara, don't say that.

Okay, I got a feeling...

that I should be with you...

in case one of us

has to say good- bye.

I've never been to Rome before.

- Is it amazing?

- I bet it is.

- It scares me-

ever since I was a boy.

And you're staying here.

No, I'm not staying here.

I can't stay here.

And you need me

whether you know it or not.

- And?

- The nightingales are gone.

- Are they?

- Yeah.

They've been gone for about a year.

Same as you.

Alex, look at me.

It's you and me.

You and me

till the wheels fall off.

Promise you won't try to kill me.

Cross my heart, hope to die.

It's here.

Hey.

Mara?

- What are they?

- Orphans.

But of what I have no idea.

I've been in worse places.

It just needs light, that's all.

What are those?

Aramaic.

It's the language of Christ.

What does it say?

Barath-mae. "Blood in."

Down there, barath-sec.

"Blood out."

This must have been where

they found Dominic's body.

Alex, what are you thinking?

It was a ceremony.

The message I got said suicide.

Sleeping pills, signore.

Is that him?

Yes, it's him.

Thank you.

No, no. I didn't pay

to look at his face.

- If you don't mind.

-

What are these?

- Okay, let's go, please. Hurry up.

- No, no, no. What are these?

- Do you know what these are?

- Maybe a birthmark.

- I don't know. I'm not a doctor.

- That's not a birthmark.

- When's the body due to be released to the church?

- It isn't.

When we are done with it,

it goes to the state...

for burial in the state cemetery.

Okay. Please, let's go.

Please. Come with me.

It's always nice to see a priest.

- And a Carolingian, no less.

- You've seen others?

A Dominic Sousa, perhaps?

Carolingians...

you surpass even theJesuits in your

heretical search for knowledge.

It's important to stay

inside the lines.

- What lines?

-

This way.

Those were the marks.

Dominic, what were you doing?

"Bread and salt

eaten off the body...

the sins of one man

consumed by the other."

A sin eater.

If Hitler had had one in the bunker,

he'd be sitting on a cloud right now.

- Of course, sin eaters...

haven't existed for two centuries,

have they?

What did Dominic buy from you?

Many things over the years.

Last time, a vellum parchment

written in Aramaic.

What did it say?

I'm not as clever as Dominic...

scholar of mysteries.

He delved deep and dark.

Always after knowledge.

I think he'd have sold his soul

for knowledge.

- Do you?

- His heretic soul or something precious to him.

Is there a price tag

on your head?

What's that supposed to mean?

Sometimes it's better

for a priest not to know.

Knowledge is the enemy of faith.

And sometimes when you

look into the abyss...

the abyss looks back into you.

- Look, his order meant everything to him.

-

Now, Dominic should be buried with

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