Eagle-eyed conclave watchers were quick to spot that one of the priests in Rome for the start of voting for the new Pope looked eerily similar to the star of an iconic crime TV series
The conclave gathered again today in Rome to vote on Pope Francis’ successor. And with all eyes on the Vatican, there’s one priest in Rome who might be used to the cameras thanks to his very famous brother.
Voting for the new Pope will continue as black smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel last night and this morning, but not all attention has been on the chimney. Some eagle-eyed viewers were quick to notice a familiar looking clergyman, Italian-American Catholic priest Father Robert Sirico, in Rome for the ancient proceedings this week, who looks oddly similar to a TV legend.
Father Sirico’s younger sibling was the late Tony Sirico, famous for his role as Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Gualtieri in iconic mob crime series The Sopranos. The Italian-American brothers grew up in a Catholic household in the East Flatbush neighbourhood of Brooklyn, in New York City.
People watching the news spotted the similarities between the two brothers, while Father Sirico, co-founder of the Christian think tank Acton Institute, gave his thoughts on the conclave. The brothers, who took wildly different paths in life, remained close friends.
Actor Tony died in 2022 and Father Robert announced his passing with an emotional tribute, saying: “It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony ‘Tony’ Sirico wishes to inform you of his death on the morning of July 8, 2022.”
He added: “I sensed that the end was coming. So as we sat in a private location, I pulled out a Confessional Stole from my pocket. I looked into his eyes and I said, ‘How about that confession?’ My brother agreed and I did one of the most significant things a priest can do for another human being. I absolved him of all of his sins.”
Tony also made appearances in other iconic films like The Godfather: Part II and So Fine. Before his big break, the priest’s brother had several run-ins with the law and was arrested 28 times including charges like robbery to assault and gun possession.
Father Robert however went straight into religion but had initially stepped away from Catholicism in his youth and explored the Pentecostal Church in the 1970s. The priest made headlines when he came out as gay and he later returned to the Catholic Church.
Cardinals entered the Sistine Chapel again this morning for more rounds of votes after their first secretive meeting failed to select a new Pope to lead the Catholic Church. The group of 133 cardinals did not reach a decision again, and more voting is scheduled for this afternoon.