Cardinal Lamberto left Rome with a large sum of money and several documents. Fearing that their corruption will be exposed, Keinszig, Lucchesi, and Gilday plot to murder the Pope. Gilday poisons the pontiff's tea, killing him in his sleep. The character of Lamberto and the film's depiction of the events which led to his murder are based upon one of the conspiracy theories surrounding the sudden death of the real-life Pope John Paul I, Albino Luciani. Like the Lamberto character, Luciani was discovered dead in his bed in 1978, 33 days after his election to the papacy. Various theories, such as the
Pope John XIX IX was found as a successor, although he was still young; according to some sources, he was only 12, but he was more likely to have been about 18 or 20. The next Pope named John was Pope John XXI (1276–77); there is no Pope John XX (see article on John XX for an explanation). Pope John XIX Pope John XIX (; died October 1032) was Pope from May 1024 to his death in 1032. Born Romanus in Rome was the third son of Gregory I, Count of Tusculum and his wife Mary. While his brother Theophylactus held the papacy