Pontiff

The Pontiff is far advanced in years and visibly failing, a frail old man draped in the vestments of the Holy See's highest office. He is depicted as one who ought to be nearing death, yet clings to life through sheer will. His frailty is offset by the immense ceremonial authority he carries as the church's foremost priest.

Beneath the office lies a man troubled by how little his life amounted to. Reflecting on his long tenure outside Vritannis, he concludes that while he never truly failed as head of the faith, nothing about his years held real weight or distinction. That quiet regret fuels his fixation on Griffith, in whom he sees a final chance to lend his existence lasting significance by proclaiming him mankind's savior.

The command he holds over the faithful is nearly absolute, and countries steeped in religion across Midland defer to him without question. On the road to Vritannis he receives a vision in which the Falcon of Light appears to him directly, flooding him with renewed vigor. He links the vision to Mule and Sonia of the reborn Band of the Falcon, and through them to Griffith, whom he thereafter treats as the Falcon made flesh. When he arrives outside Vritannis with the band, the assembled nobles bow at once, and it is his backing that lets Griffith take military command over Midland's lords.

Later, at Falconia, the Pontiff personally conducts a great mass funeral, leading the citizens in prayer as Griffith calls up the spirits of the dead to reunite with the living. Afterward he shares tea in the castle garden with Griffith, Charlotte, and Sonia, and reassures the worried princess that he will not pass on until he has set the crown upon Griffith's head and joined the two in marriage. He looks on in shock when Rickert arrives and strikes Griffith across the face.