The process of beatifying Pope John Paul II is under way, which suggests that his august and departed person may be acclaimed to sainthood some time soon. Incumbent Pope Benedict XVI says he would be joyous if this were to happen. But the biggest challenge for both men, one who headed the Catholic Church for 26 years and the other who took over in 2005, has been to acknowledge that the world has changed, that hanging on to the old privileges is unlikely to win over new souls or hold on to existing congregations. One of the most controversial marks of this change has been how the child abuse scandal has taken a toll on the Church since the 1990s. There is little evidence to suggest that the abuse has worsened in recent decades. What the growing mountain of evidence does confirm is that what could be covered up for centuries demands public disclosure today, that the dreadful suffering of victims of paedophilia can no longer be kept secret from secular authorities any more.
In the tradition of films like The Magdalene Sisters, which exposed how the Catholic Church had brutalised unmarried, pregnant young women on the pretext of protecting them from moral danger, the new documentary Unspeakable Crimes focuses on Irish Catholic priests who abused children but remained protected by their order. It further discloses a Vatican document urging local bishops to avoid reporting suspected abusers to the police for ?moral and canonical? reasons. Today, the Vatican bank is forced to open its opaque finances to EU scrutiny. The Pope is making nice with condoms because AIDS is threatening Africa, the continent which is a major area of growth for his church. But is he ready to let go of historical cover-ups?