GFII - I never got that scene of Gilday praying when the pope died. Gilday was a crooked archbishop, and I doubt he was a true believer, so why would he be praying?
In the novel Puzo notes that some of the men at the Commission meeting were believers. Note also Clemenza with his statue of Mary during the "mattresses" sequence. This is a truly remarkable fact, for which there is a mountain of historical examples -- brutally violent criminals who are genuine believers. To take another example from the GF, recall the scene in III when Connie says "Do it!" to Neri and Vincent, referring to the hit on Zasa -- after she says it she is on her knees praying in front of a statue of Jesus! There is no doubt in my mind that there is nothing here that doesn't accurately represent something to be observed in the "real world."
