Secrets of the Vatican

Secrets of the Vatican is an American television documentary film. It was first aired on the PBS Channel on 25 February 2014 as an episode of PBS' Frontline TV series. The film covers the period after the death of John Paul II up to the first year of Pope Francis while positing a theory of what made Pope Benedict XVI resign from the papacy in 2013. It presents a return of trust in the Vatican and its new Pope, Francis, by millions of Roman Catholics after a long period of controversy regarding sexual abuse by Church authorities. It delves into reports of the existence of a "gay mafia" inside the Church, and highlights the scandal involving Legionnaires of Christ founder Marcial Maciel who allegedly had the backing of John Paul II. The film also tackles the papacy's struggles with cleaning up the Vatican Bank of its corrupt financial policies as an international institution, starting with Benedict XVI's hindered investigations and ending in Francis' supposedly radical initial reforms. The film approaches the controversial topics of the documentary not from perspectives outside of the Church but with testimonies by devoted Catholics—sexual abuse victims, corruption witnesses and priest investigators.