Secrets of the Vatican director, Anthony Thomas.

On Monday 2 June, the Frontline Club hosted a screening of Secrets of the Vatican, which was followed by a Q&A session with the film’s director and producer, Anthony Thomas. The film focuses on the sexual abuse scandals that emerged from within the Vatican during the time when Pope Benedict led the Roman Catholic Church, and looks to the future with Pope Francis. It hears testimonies from people who have been abused by Roman Catholic priests, as well as members of the clergy and also journalists and experts on the Vatican.

This screening was the only UK screening of the director’s cut of Secrets of the Vatican. Although Channel 4 recently aired a shorter version of the film, Thomas told the audience that too much had been changed.

“I couldn’t identify with that film and, in the end, asked for my name to be removed.”

Many of the audience questions focused on possible difficulties or obstacles he faced when making the film. One audience member noted that the film had four legal advisers, and asked Thomas whether he had encountered many legal barriers?

Thomas admitted that the film did need extensive legal advice due to the nature of its subject and the power that the Vatican holds, but said that the role of the lawyers was mostly to ensure that the film was accurate and that there was nothing in the narration that could be misinterpreted.

Addressing questions about challenges faced, Thomas said that the biggest challenge was in finding witnesses and building their trust. There were many Vatican insiders who didn’t want to be misrepresented, and many victims who needed confidence in coming forward on film. Thomas said, though, that he had been “very well served by the people we interviewed”.

Many people in the audience had had direct experience of the Vatican, or had researched this topic deeply for their own projects, which provided many different angles on this issue to the Q&A.

One audience member had also made a documentary on this topic for the BBC which focused on Pope Benedict’s first year and looked at how the Vatican had responded to the sex abuse scandals. He told Thomas that he felt he had been “too soft” on Pope Benedict in the film, considering the role that he had played as cardinal, investigating the sex abuses, and his knowledge of the corruption and cronyism within the Vatican, and his central role in re-drafting a document prohibiting any bishop from disclosing knowledge of abuse outside the Vatican, before he became the pope. This audience member asked if this was because Pope Benedict had “come good” after he became pope, to which Thomas replied, “No.” He also agreed with several people in the film who had described Pope Benedict as a weak leader with an “inability to administrate”.

Another audience member commented that the Vatican had been behaving like governments or multinational corporations when confronted by accusations of corruption, in their refusal to fully address the scandal and provide justice for the victims. Thomas agreed and said that the words used by the Vatican when addressed the scandals has been “evasive, and the worst kind of corporate speak”.

When discussing Pope Francis, Thomas shared the widely-held optimism in his good intentions and ability to facilitate positive developments in improving the structure of the Vatican. He referred to a statement that Pope Francis had made regarding the place of celibacy in the Catholic priesthood, saying that:

“Pope Francis has said that he favours celibacy, but the door is open for change.”

However, he also discussed the growing opposition to Pope Francis’ approach, which is gradually building up within the Vatican, and pointed out that at 77 years old, he is not sure how much longer Pope Francis can maintain this strength in his determination to change the corrupt systems with the Catholic Church.

Secrets of the Vatican continues to play all over the world; it was screened last week in Germany. It was originally shown on PBS in America and is currently available to watch online. Note: it is not available to watch online from the UK.

Monday 25 February

In Seoul, South Korea’s first female president, Park Geun-hye, will be inaugurated following her victory over Moon Jae-in in last December’s election. Ms Park takes office amid heightened regional tensions, in particular given Pyongyang’s recent decision to test a third nuclear device, provoking widespread international condemnation. Ms Park has vowed to take a more conciliatory approach toward her country’s neighbour to the north than that of her predecessor, Lee Myung-bak.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, meanwhile, will kick off his first international travel since taking up the post with a stop in London on Monday, where he will meet with his British counterpart William Hague. Kerry’s trip will see him visit a number of European and Middle Eastern capitals, though he will not travel to Israel this time around.

Finally, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will host Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Moscow for talks on Monday. Russia ‘s continued support for the Assad regime has frustrated many, particularly the United States.

Tuesday 26 February

Meanwhile, international talks on Iran’s nuclear programme will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Political directors from France, Britain, Germany, the US, the EU, Russia and China will meet with representatives for the first time since last June. Indications about the prospects for progress during the talks are positive.

Finally, in New York City, a court will hear an appeal from Argentina’s government after a court there ruled in favour of billionaire Paul Singer’s hedge fund NML Capital, and others who are suing Argentina for $1.3bn in sovereign bonds owed to them since the country defaulted on its debt in 2001.

Wednesday 27 February

In the US, oral arguments are scheduled in the Supreme Court a case challenging a key element of the Voting Rights Act. Specifically, justices will hear a challenge to Section 5 of the act which which requires state and local governments in certain, mainly southern, US states to obtain federal permission before making changes that affect voting. Critics of the provision say it is outdated and unfairly singles out certain states, while supporters say it provides important protections.

Finally, delegations from rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah are expected in Cairo on Wednesday for further reconciliation talks.

Thursday 28 February

An international meeting on Syria will take place in Rome on Thursday, attended by the US Secretary of State John Kerry as well as representatives of the Syrian National Coalition, including its head Mouaz al Khatib.

In Moscow, President Vladimir Putin will host his French counterpart Francois Hollande for talks on a range of bilateral and multilateral international issues, likely to include Syria.

In India, Finance Minister P Chidambaram will present his budget for 2013/14 before the country’s parliament.

Friday 29 February

Assuming a last-minute deal is not reached during the week, drastic across-the-board cuts to federal spending – known as a sequester – are scheduled to take effect Friday. Last week, the US Department of Defense, which would be particularly hard-hit by the measure, announced plans to furlough 800,000 members of its civilian staff, should sequestration occur. Barack Obama has repeatedly warned that the cuts threaten the US economic recovery.

Lastly, former Italian Prime Minister is expected to appear in person on Friday in Milan’s court of appeal, where he is challenging his conviction last October on tax evasion charges. A verdict in the appeal is tentatively expected on 23 March.

Weekend

In Switzerland, on Sunday, a referendum is scheduled that includes a vote on whether to strengthen shareholders’ influence on the remuneration of directors and management of listed companies in order to prevent excessive pay. The outcome is likely to have international implications.

Finally, the annual policy conference of the powerful American Israeli Public Affairs Committtee (AIPAC) opens on Sunday. The three-day conference traditionally features addresses from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, though these have yet to be confirmed this year. Obama, of course, is scheduled to visit Israel from 20 March.

Images courtesy of Katherine Welles / vipflash / Shutterstock.com