As with many Italian-American families, the predominant religion of the Sopranos is Roman Catholicism. And, like many mobsters, the Soprano’s use the religion’s rituals to shield their shady business dealings. In the very first season, at the wedding of an associate’s daughter, the crime family members present are told by the bride’s father that the FBI is getting ready to hand out indictments. The capos discuss what should be their plan of action and it’s agreed everyone should undertake some “spring cleaning.” During the wedding dinner, the capos gather their families and depart the wedding early to dispose of or hide any incriminating evidence, much to the surprise of the bride.
In season three during the burial of Tony Soprano’s mother Livia, the FBI has been observing the proceeding as they prepare to conduct another sting. When the Feds identify their suspects and move in to make arrests, Silvio Dante, Tony’s right-hand man, asks, “At a funeral?” He acts as though he cannot believe the Feds would intrude on such a solemn occasion. But once Silvio and other mobsters have been handcuffed, he unleashes a tirade of obscenities, completely forgetting that he’s attending a funeral.
And in the final season, incarcerated mob boss of the Lupertazzi family, Johnny Sacrimoni, is released from prison for six hours to attend his daughter’s wedding at a Catholic church. At the reception, Johnny asks Tony Soprano for a favor regarding one of his associates. Sack requests that Tony whack Rusty Millio to avoid another power struggle like the one they just overcame. To avoid being overheard by the Feds, they speak in code. Later, when U.S. Marshals say it’s time for Sack to return to prison, he wails and sobs uncontrollably saying the Feds aren’t respecting the reverence of the marriage ritual.
While the Soprano men often use their religion as a front, from behind which they conduct business, they are certainly not the only mobsters to do so. In The Godfather trilogy, in probably what is the most famous scene depicting this point, Michael Corleone stands at the baptism of his nephew serving as his godfather, while orchestrating hits on his enemies. Similar to the men in The Sopranos, Michael hides behind his Catholic faith, while acting as a godfather in two distinctly different capacities.
Tony Soprano also uses his religion as a front, but he does not find Catholicism quite as irrelevant as does Michael Corleone. In the second season, when A.J. asks not to be confirmed because he says there is no God, both Tony and Carmela are appalled. In a session with his psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi, Tony tells her that it is not normal for A.J. to question the faith. He also complains that A.J. has taken an interest in the philosophy of Nietzsche, which only confuses Tony. Dr. Melfi explains that existentialism is a natural part of adolescence, and it was probably repressed in Tony’s childhood. Still concerned about A.J.’s attitude toward life and his faith, Tony asks Big Pussy, A.J.’s godfather, to offer his son guidance on the matter and point him back toward the teachings of the Church.
Also during season two, in an episode titled “From Where to Eternity,” Tony’s nephew, Christopher Moltisanti, is shot and has a near-death experience that affects almost everyone. At the hospital, Christopher’s heart stops, and Carmela Soprano prays to Jesus for help. She asks that Christopher be saved and given “vision,”, but the kind of vision he encounters is probably not what Carmela was praying for. Christopher sees his father in Hell, being eternally tortured, and his father tells him this is where he’ll end up when he dies.
Hearing Christopher’s story, Tony is aghast and doesn’t believe Christopher deserves Hell. In Tony’s mind, Hell is reserved for criminals like child molesters— not wise-guys like he and his crew. Tony thinks that he and his crew follow a “code of honor” which basically gets them off the hook as far as eternal damnation is concerned.
However, one of Tony’s crew, Paulie Gualtieri, is also deeply affected by Christopher’s vision. He has a series of dreams in which he’s dragged, kicking and screaming, to the depths of Hell. Paulie consults a psychic for affirmation that he isn’t such a bad guy; but he complains to his parish priest that after all his years of donations, he shouldn’t be having dreams of Hell. The parish priest tells Paulie he should have come to him and not seen a psychic. It’s Paulie’s attitude that all the money he’s given to the Church is essentially protection money, and he shouldn’t have to worry about things like going to Hell.
During another incident in season six that demonstrates how the Soprano men can fear their faith, Paulie has a close encounter with the Virgin Mary. After he scrimps on the maintenance of a carnival ride during the Feast of Elzéar and festival goers are injured, Paulie’s mother, Nucci, tells him that he must pray a novena for the people who were hurt. That night, he can’t sleep, so Paulie makes a journey to the Bada Bing strip club. Entering the empty club, Paulie comes face-to-face with an apparition of the Virgin Mary standing on the bar. A shaken Paulie is driven to make amends for his sins, due to his “vision” of the Blessed Mother.
The scene between Nucci and Paulie also demonstrates how Catholicism tends to be more important to the women, and in many respects this is where they often wield power over their men. According to Vincent Velasquez, author of “Religion and the Italian-American Family in The Sopranos and The Godfather,” “It is the women who hold the power over their men in the church, at least in The Sopranos.”[1] Paulie views scrimping on the maintenance of the carnival ride and not providing the statute of St. Elzéar with his traditional gold hat during the festival as a means of saving a buck. Nucci tells Paulie these acts are a sin, and it’s a pretty good bet that combined with his vision of the Virgin, Paulie will beg for forgiveness and make penance.
When Christopher is in the hospital, Carmela also prays for forgiveness of the Sopranos’ many sins, resulting from Tony’s business and her acceptance of it. Both Tony and Paulie are haunted by Christopher’s vision of eternity, and only Carmela finds comfort in her faith. Tony lies to Carmela about what Christopher really saw in his vision; and knowing the truth, she tells him, “If you can’t be honest with me, at least have the balls to be honest with yourself.” Whether it’s a child’s confirmation or a vision of the Virgin Mary, there is the feeling on the part of the Soprano men that for all its burdens, when it gets down to the teachings of the faith, Catholicism should be taken very seriously.
From the beginning of the series, the difference between how men and women view their religion has been clear. In the pilot, Carmela tells Tony that he’s going to Hell for all of his sins when he dies, a sentiment she comes to regret as the series progresses. When Tony is shot by Uncle Junior in season six, Carmela sits by the bedside of a comatose Tony and apologizes for her outburst. It’s not only guilt that Carmela experiences, but realization that she, too, has committed a litany of sins that would be Hell-worthy. Although she hasn’t murdered anyone as Tony has done, Carmela has known what Tony is during their entire relationship, having turned a blind eye to a life of crime in exchange for a life of luxury.
Women in The Sopranos may wield power when it comes to their faith, but they also know how to use Catholicism to their advantage. Carmela tearfully confesses her sins to Father Phil in season one, acknowledging that she is complicit in Tony’s life as a mob boss. Later in season four, Carmela confesses her plan to have an affair with A.J.’s guidance counselor. Carmela knows how to manipulate the act of confession to her advantage because she has no intention of stopping her behavior. For all her talk of wanting to be a better Catholic, confession is Carmela’s “get-out-of-jail-free” card. This is similar to Michael Corleone’s first confession in 25 years that occurs in Godfather III. Michael weeps openly about the many people he has killed, especially his brother, Fredo. The priests grant absolution in both cases, knowing that Michael or Carmela don’t intend to change their behavior.
In The Godfather trilogy, none of the men saw their Catholic faith as anything but a burden. They certainly didn’t fear the teachings of the Church, and twisted the faith by using it to serve their own purposes. While some of that also holds true in The Sopranos, Tony and Paulie actually fear their faith and God. Paulie tries to buy his way into Heaven by giving hefty donations to the Church. When the carnival ride breaks due to Paulie’s carelessness, he is terrified of where these actions might lead. Tony doesn’t fear his faith in the way Paulie does; but along with Carmela, he tries to instill the values of Catholicism into his children, such as insisting A.J. be confirmed.
On the other hand, while Carmela most likely truly believes in the teachings of the faith (such as she and Tony not getting divorced after they separated) and honestly does want to be a better Catholic, unlike Tony or Paulie, she is able to expertly manipulate her faith through the act of confession. All Carmela has to do is confess her actions or those she is about to undertake—even when her parish priest tells her he won’t hear her confession, she is undeterred. Much like Michael Corleone in Godfather III, once she has unburdened herself of guilt, she behaves exactly the way she wants to.
Carmela isn’t the only woman who uses her religion to get what she wants. Phil Leotardo and his wife, Patty, discuss Vito Spatafore’s homosexuality. Patty, a self-righteous religious zealot who considers herself a devout Catholic, complains to Phil regarding her anger and disappointment at having a homosexual in the family. (Phil’s cousin Marie is married to Vito.) But Patty doesn’t stop there. She insists that Vito must pay for the shame his homosexuality has brought on the family, and it’s this conversation with Patty that convinces Phil that Vito must be eliminated.
When Velasquez writes that religion is where the women hold the power, it’s not simply about getting their men to respect their religion. In The Sopranos, at least, women seem to have the upper hand as far as Catholicism is concerned because they know how to use the faith to their advantage. Carmela uses it to cleanse a guilty conscience, while Patty Leotardo uses her faith to purge her family of homosexuality.
Both men and women use Roman Catholicism to accomplish their own personal agendas, while appearing on the surface to be devout. The men hide behind the faith, particularly its rituals such as weddings and funerals, to conduct crucial aspects of their business. Religion tends to be more of an integral part of the women’s lives, but they too, have an agenda. They manipulate Catholicism; most notably confession to absolve themselves of the guilt that comes with the luxury afforded them by the mob lifestyle.
[1] Vincent Velasquez, “Religion and the Italian-American Family in The Sopranos and The Godfather, May 4, 2008.
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