John Hurt: Priest

Quotes 

• Priest : Why go through all this? Why sit there all this time and tell me your life story? Why not just kill me?

  The Confessor : Because I needed you to know.

  Priest : Know what?

  The Confessor : Who I am. What I am. Speaking of which...

  [opening the partition between them] 

  The Confessor : Would you like to take a moment, Father? To make peace with God?

  Priest : [the Confessor takes aim with his gun]  You said you wouldn't kill me.

  The Confessor : What's wrong? Are you afraid to die?

  Priest : Yes.

  The Confessor : Why?

  Priest : Everyone wants to live.

  The Confessor : My mother didn't.

  Priest : Oh, please don't.

  The Confessor : She preferred to kill herself rather than spend another moment with you.

  Priest : What do you want me to say?

• The Confessor : Do you think God will be waiting for you on the other side?

  Priest : Yes.

  The Confessor : Do you think he will forgive you for your sins?

  Priest : Yes.

  The Confessor : Good. Because I never will.

  [he fires a single shot; it's revealed that he missed intentionally] 

  The Confessor : I came here today because I wanted to know if you truly had changed. I believe you have. I believe that your faith has allowed you to show love and compassion. But I didn't kill you tonight because a moment of fear and a painless death doesn't even come close to making up for the lifetime of suffering that you've caused. No, Father. Killing you would be far too easy. So I want you to have a long and healthy life. And I want you to know that I'm still out there and I will continue to kill. And every time I do, I'm going to send you a newspaper clipping so you know that it's me. And you will have to live with my actions and the knowledge that you made me what I am, and you can carry the guilt of knowing that in part, you were responsible for the deaths of those people. And here's my favorite part. I have the sanctity of the confessional. You will have to keep my secret forever. Goodbye, Father.

• Priest : What I did to you, no words can put right, I know that. But I have lived with it every day of my life.

  The Confessor : Are you telling me that you've suffered? You don't know the meaning of the word.

  Priest : Why do you think I became a priest?

  The Confessor : I don't care. You think your guilt and your shame can make this right?

  Priest : God's love has freed me from my pain.

  The Confessor : How nice for you, Father.

  Priest : His love could do the same for you.

  The Confessor : No. My pain ends here tonight. With you.

  Priest : I have rebuilt my life. I'm not the man I used to be. I've changed. And so could you.

  The Confessor : We've passed that point in the conversation.

• Priest : You're going to kill me.

  The Confessor : What do you think?

  Priest : You told me that if I told you my darkest secret, you wouldn't kill again tonight.

  The Confessor : That's right.

  Priest : You going to keep your word?

  The Confessor : Yes. But I didn't say anything about tomorrow. Can you feel the fear, Father? The knowing that something evil is out there, lurking, waiting? Not knowing when it's going to strike, only that it will. That was my life with you. Now it's your life with me.