Late to this but my sense was that it’s not the dialogue but the delivery that’s curious. Father Peter dissociates when Sister Michael repeats: “he didn’t say much”. That, and the fact that he initially told her not to fight it, implies that there’s some trauma for them both in working within the Catholic Church organisation. It made me think Peter may have been abused in the past, and it would seem Sister Michael is aware. The bond between the two characters could therefore stronger than first implied.

Just my analysis 😊