I know nothing about this stuff. What kind of power a pope has that it is so competitive? I enjoyed the movie, but no idea what would be motivation of the people there.
The Pope directs the spiritual priorities of his Bishops and thereby all Catholics, a lot of people. He's not going to be able to say "Kill, fornicate, and steal now!" without losing all credibility, but he can say, "We're going to ask for contributions monthly for X good cause." There's also money and diplomatic effort to be directed to dioceses around the world.
It's a big deal x)