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.
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Monday 15 March
On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will host annual consultations in Tokyo with the European Union, attended by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.
Meanwhile, US Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will be in London where, among other things, he is scheduled to participate in a discussion with his outgoing UK counterpart Sir Mervyn King on lessons learned from the financial crisis.
Tuesday 26 March
Also, South African President Jacob Zuma will host his counterparts from Russia, India, China and Brazil for a two-day summit in Durban.
In Doha, heads of state and government will convene for the annual League of Arab States summit, which also runs until Wednesday.
Lastly, in the United States the Supreme Court will take up the contentious issue of same-sex marriage, when it hears arguments in a case relating to California’s Prop 8. On Wednesday, the nine justices will hear arguments in a challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act.
Wednesday 27 March
The UN Security Council, meanwhile, is scheduled to discuss Mali.
Finally, a review into the ability of US military commanders to overturn convictions of servicemen is due to be handed to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. It follows criticism when this was used recently to overturn the conviction of an Air Force serviceman who had been found guilty in Italy of sexual assault.
Thursday 28 March
On Thursday, the latest mission to the International Space Station is due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Finally, newly-inaugurated Pope Francis is scheduled to hold a Holy Thursday mass at a juvenile prison in Rome.
Friday 29 March
Pictures courtesy of Shutterstock.com – SeanPavonePhoto / Action Sports Photography
]]>Monday 18 March
On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council will formally consider a highly critical report on Israeli settler activities that was published at the end of January.
Meanwhile, in Yemen a national dialogue conference is scheduled to open to try resolve the deep tensions in the country, with a view to holding credible elections next February.
Iran’s nuclear programme will be discussed at a technical meeting of representatives from the p5+1 (E3+3) grouping in Istanbul. It follows talks last month in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Finally, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will hold his monthly press conference in Brussels at which the focus is expected to be Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai’s recent inflammatory rhetoric.
Tuesday 19 March
Also Tuesday, incumbent governor of Japan’s central bank Masaaki Shirakawa will step down. He will be replaced on Wednesday by Haruhiko Kuroda, who is moving across from the Asian Development Bank. Kuroda has pushed for looser monetary policy in Japan.
In New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will host a UN Security Council debate on Afghanistan, in what is billed as the highlight of Russia’s presidency of the UNSC this month.
Wednesday 20 March
On Wednesday, US President Barack Obama will begin his first visit to Israel since taking office. The trip, which will also see him travel to the West Bank and Jordan, was nearly overshadowed by post-electoral wrangling as Netanyahu sought to form a coalition government.
In Japan, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver what is billed as a major foreign policy address. Observers will be particularly interested to see what Kishida has to say about relations with China, and the Senkaku/Diaoyu island dispute.
Finally, in Brussels EU High Representative Catherine Ashton will host another round of negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia.
Thursday 21 March
In Turkey, imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan is expected to declare a ceasefire between the PKK and Turkish government, timed to coincide with Nowruz.
Meanwhile, an immigration appeals tribunal will hold a bail hearing in the case of Jordanian radical cleric Abu Qatada, who was arrested earlier this month for breaching his bail conditions.
Friday 22 March
The oft-delayed posthumous trial of whistleblowing Russian lawyer Sergey Magnitsky is scheduled to resume, after it was delayed again on March 11.
Also Friday, the trial of so-called Devil’s Advocate lawyer Giovanni Di Stefano on fraud charges is expected to conclude. Di Stefano has previously represented figures including Gary Glitter, Saddam Hussein and Ian Brady.
Weekend
A final hearing in former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s appeal against his conviction on tax evasion charges is scheduled for Saturday, when a verdict may come. He has called for nationwide protests in piazzas against what he alleges is a politicised judicial process.
