Marcinkus (play)
Marcinkus is a 2006 one-man play by American author Tom Flannery, based on the life of Roman Catholic Archbishop Paul Marcinkus. Background Marcinkus is a one-man dramatization of events in the life of Catholic Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, whose tenure as head of the Vatican Bank was "surrounded by scandals from missing funds to murder implications," and included suspicions of money laundering, Ponzi schemes, and even assassination. Plot The stageplay takes place in a small office in what may be purgatory, but looks very much like the archbishop's office in Sun City, Arizona, his last residence as a retired man of the cloth. Marcinkus relates directly to the audience stories from his youth, growing up in Al Capone's Chicago and how he eventually became a priest. As the piece unfolds he tell his version of the Vatican Bank Scandal, his appointment as head of the bank, the death of Pope John Paul I, and his job as "bulldog" to Pope John Paul II. Although dramatic, the piece is lightened by the humor that Flannery has instilled in his version of Marcinkus, who was popularly quoted as saying "You can't run the church on Hail Marys" . Production history The play had