Paul Collins

There is seething anger within the wider Australian community, much of it fanned by social media, about sexual abuse and church cover-ups. Following Cardinal George Pell's conviction this has exploded. Beyond anger and outrage, what is really going on here? 

Pope Paul VI was the first pontiff to embrace the 20th century and jettison the trappings and pretensions of the absolutist post-Reformation papacy. There's truth to this, but I'd rather give the honor to Pope John XXIII, who described Montini as "un po' Amletico" (a bit Hamlet-like).