At CERN, Father Silvano and Dr. Vittoria Vetra (Ayelet Zurer) created three canisters of antimatter. Silvano is murdered, and one of the canisters is stolen. The Catholic Church mourn the sudden death of Pope Pius XVI, and prepare for the papal conclave to elect his successor in Vatican City. Father Patrick McKenna (Ewan McGregor), the Camerlengo and a former helicopter pilot, takes control of the Vatican. Four of the "preferiti", the favoured candidates to be Pope, are kidnapped by a man claiming to represent the Illuminati. He sends the Vatican a warning, claiming he will murder each of the cardinals from 8pm to midnight, when the stolen antimatter will explode and destroy the city, hidden somewhere within.