Watching may make viewers more cynical about the Catholic church and the papal system, though whether that's a positive or negative message is debatable. The show's sensibilities seem cynical, with very little nobility shown from any quarter.

Violence is occasional, though can be shocking, like a scene in which we see a heart being put into a patient on a table, or one in which a character dies suddenly of a heart attack.

Breasts and buttocks are visible in fantasy sequences with women dancing. Characters discuss sexual identity, pedophilia, and same-sex attractions, as well as the Church's stance on chastity for priests. A nun gives a Pope a sponge bath and then appears to masturbate; we see her flushed face as she sighs.

Language is infrequent but expect "damn," "hell," and "f--k" (in Italian, subtitled).

The series takes pains to show us the wealth of the Church: elaborate rooms, fancy vestments, gold jewelry and crosses.

Characters smoke cigarettes and a pipe.