Before Vatican II: A devout Catholic’s entertainment was heavily filtered. Movies bore the “A-1” (morally unobjectionable) seal. Dance halls were segregated by gender. Popular novels were vetted by parish libraries. The family rosary followed the evening news.
After Vatican II: The Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) urged Catholics to engage joyfully with modern culture, not retreat from it. Suddenly, bowling leagues replaced benediction societies. Parish basements hosted folk Masses alongside square dances. The index of forbidden books faded into irrelevance. Scandal in The Vatican 2
While a literal film titled Scandal in The Vatican 2 does not exist, the narrative is alive in Paolo Sorrentino’s The New Pope and the thematic sequels to his filmography. These works provide a sophisticated, stylized look at the hypocrisy and beauty of the Vatican. They remind the viewer that in the highest seats of power, scandal is often not an aberration, but a mechanism of politics. Before Vatican II: A devout Catholic’s entertainment was
What makes Scandal in The Vatican 2 historically significant is not just the money—though €350 million is staggering for a micro-state of 800 people. It is the exposure of a deeper malady: a governance system designed for secrecy, where authority rests on personal loyalty rather than institutional checks. What makes Scandal in The Vatican 2 historically
Pope Francis has responded with sweeping reforms. He issued new apostolic letters mandating transparency for all Vatican contracts, centralized financial procurement, and forced the Secretariat of State to submit its budget to an external audit. He also opened the Vatican’s “secret archives” on the trial to journalists, a level of transparency unprecedented in papal history.
Yet critics note two troubling realities. First, no layperson or outside prosecutor was involved in the investigation; the Vatican judged itself. Second, despite the conviction of a cardinal, the ultimate source of the corruption—a culture that for decades treated Church funds as a private purse for senior prelates—remains largely intact.