 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.