0:00:04 > 0:00:08And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter,
0:00:08 > 0:00:11and upon this rock I will build my church.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23The Vatican.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27A tiny sovereign state in the middle of Rome.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31The focus of the faith of a billion people.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Tourists flock to St Peter's Square,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40but the Vatican's inner life has been shrouded in secrecy.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Until now.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49For the first time,
0:00:49 > 0:00:51the Vatican has allowed cameras
0:00:51 > 0:00:54deep into a world few have ever seen,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58filming a unique community of faith.
0:00:58 > 0:00:59The men,
0:00:59 > 0:01:05women and children who devote their lives to serving the Pope
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and his guests.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17The curators who tend its treasures.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25The archivists who guard its secrets.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31- TRANSLATION:- This is the interrogation of 12th April 1633,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34the first time Galileo was summoned before the Inquisition.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41From the bones of St Peter
0:01:41 > 0:01:44to the marvels of the Sistine Chapel.
0:01:44 > 0:01:50This is a journey into the hidden world of the Vatican.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
0:02:14 > 0:02:20The capital city of the Catholic Church is a place of great beauty
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and profound controversy.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25NEWSREADERS: Pope Benedict XVI set off another political firestorm,
0:02:25 > 0:02:29saying condoms could make the HIV/AIDS crisis worse.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31The excommunications of four bishops,
0:02:31 > 0:02:33including one who denied the Holocaust,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36angered Jewish groups and perplexed the Vatican...
0:02:36 > 0:02:39The crisis for the Roman Catholic Church over child sex abuse
0:02:39 > 0:02:40has deepened tonight.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42..launching an all-out defence of the Pope
0:02:42 > 0:02:45as a priest abuse scandal rocks his native homeland...
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Since he was elected here by the College Of Cardinals in 2005,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Pope Benedict XVI has faced doctrinal disputes,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00intense criticism of his attitude to AIDS and contraception,
0:03:00 > 0:03:02and the revelation of shocking abuse
0:03:02 > 0:03:05in Catholic institutions throughout the world.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And it's a job he never even wanted.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Five years before he became Pope,
0:03:18 > 0:03:22Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger formally requested to retire to private life.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27The answer was no.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38TRANSLATION: 'The Pope carries a very great weight on his shoulders'
0:03:38 > 0:03:41because the task of leadership is demanding.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46A leader bears great responsibility and with that comes great strains.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Cardinal of the Curia,
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Angelo Comastri is one of the most powerful men in the Vatican,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and one of Pope Benedict's few close friends.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04TRANSLATION: I remember the words of Don Primo Mazzolari,
0:04:04 > 0:04:10a wonderful priest of the Italian Church, who said a few decades ago,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12"there will come a time
0:04:12 > 0:04:17when leadership will almost resemble a crucifixion."
0:04:39 > 0:04:43The Vatican exists because of a crucifixion,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46but not that of Jesus Christ.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48According to Christian tradition,
0:04:48 > 0:04:53the Roman Emperor Nero had the apostle St Peter executed here.
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Peter, the first Pope, asked to be crucified upside down,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03because he did not feel worthy of the same death as his messiah.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09When Christianity became Rome's state religion,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14the world's largest church was erected over his tomb.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Two storeys beneath today's basilica,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27the 2,000-year-old cemetery still survives.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The tombs were largely untouched
0:05:32 > 0:05:37until archaeologists were allowed to dig in the 1950s and '60s.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44They found human bones, confirmed by carbon dating
0:05:44 > 0:05:47to be those of a man from the first century AD.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56The cemetery is now sealed airtight
0:05:56 > 0:05:59to maintain a constant temperature and humidity.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Few have unrestricted access here.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Cardinal Comastri is one of them.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17TRANSLATION: When I step before the tomb of Peter The Apostle,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21I feel as though I'm encountering a centuries-old procession.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26A long procession of souls from the times of Emperor Nero up to today
0:06:26 > 0:06:29is coming towards me and calling to me,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32"Behold, 2,000 years have passed."
0:06:42 > 0:06:46We are slowly approaching the most sacred part of St Peter's Basilica,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49the place where everything was born.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57This orange light indicates the site of St Peter's grave.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07There was nothing here.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09We would have stood under the open sky.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12The Christians took Peter's dead body.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Just imagine - they came to this spot, dug a grave,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and with great emotion, great trepidation,
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and I would add with tearful eyes,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22they buried the body of the first Pope,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25who, like Jesus, had been crucified.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41That's the wall where the inscription was found,
0:07:41 > 0:07:43"Here lies Peter."
0:07:48 > 0:07:52During the excavations, a blow from a pick axe opened that small crack.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56Behind that, a room with marble panelled walls was discovered.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59This indicated that something of great value was here.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03We believe that the bones which were discovered here
0:08:03 > 0:08:04belong to the body of St Peter,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07that they are actually St Peter's bones.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21When I pause in prayer before the tomb, I feel immensely safe.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26It seems to me as if I can feel Jesus, the breath of Jesus,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28the voice of Jesus, who speaks to me,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32"Fear you not, I will build my church,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35"and I guarantee to you that the gates of Hell
0:08:35 > 0:08:37"will not prevail against it."
0:09:01 > 0:09:032,000 years after the time of St Peter,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07the Vatican consists of a complex of buildings and gardens
0:09:07 > 0:09:11built around the basilica that still bears his name.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31Officers from the papal Swiss Guards and the Vatican City gendarme
0:09:31 > 0:09:35tightly control access to the world's smallest state,
0:09:35 > 0:09:37the size of just 40 football pitches.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44350 CCTV cameras cover every corner of the city,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48and staff at the control room work around the clock.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Their main challenge comes when the Pope
0:10:03 > 0:10:06holds his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15Every Wednesday,
0:10:15 > 0:10:17up to 30,000 visitors are screened
0:10:17 > 0:10:20like passengers at an international airport.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24It's always a tense moment for the Pope's head of security.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31TRANSLATION: One must appreciate that the Pope is very special.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35The Pope's persona is not that of a president or a pop star.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37You're not trying to keep people away from him.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41The Pope must be able to approach people,
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and we have to give him that option while at the same time,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47guaranteeing his safety with a minimum of fuss.
0:10:55 > 0:11:02Also on duty today is Vatican head photographer Francesco Sforza.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06He's been taking pictures of the Pope for 23 years.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11TRANSLATION: I'm probably here because of my discretion,
0:11:11 > 0:11:13the discretion that one has to show
0:11:13 > 0:11:16when one is as close to the Holy Father as we are.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19One must be as inconspicuous as possible.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22We have to ensure that we don't cause the slightest upset.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23You have to be...
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Not a perfect person, but somebody who doesn't talk,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28somebody who doesn't gossip.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43EXCITED MURMURING
0:11:43 > 0:11:46As thousands file through the security gates,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Pope Benedict prepares for his weekly encounter with the faithful
0:11:50 > 0:11:51in the chapel
0:11:51 > 0:11:54of his private apartment high above St Peter's Square.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08A lifelong academic with a passion for the music of Bach and Mozart,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11Pope Benedict does not appear to relish
0:12:11 > 0:12:12the public aspects of his job,
0:12:12 > 0:12:17unlike his gregarious predecessor, John Paul II.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:12:42 > 0:12:45The Popemobile enters the square -
0:12:45 > 0:12:51always a dramatic moment for security chief Davide Giulietti,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54especially since Pope Benedict refuses to wear body armour.
0:13:07 > 0:13:11TRANSLATION: When you're actually there, honestly,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15you really don't see or hear anything else.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18You're concentrating on anything that might be happening.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It's become a habit of mine to watch a person's eyes or else the hands.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24It can be a quick way of assessing
0:13:24 > 0:13:27what kind of person you have in front of you.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29Of course, you can still be deceived.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36GUNSHOTS AND SCREAMING
0:13:36 > 0:13:39NEWSREADER: Suddenly, shots from the crowd.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42According to eyewitnesses, the Pope froze in shock for a second
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and then slumped to the seat of his jeep.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51During a general audience in 1981, a gunman tried to kill John Paul II.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Shooting from the crowd,
0:13:54 > 0:13:58he hit the Pope three times, inflicting near-fatal injuries.
0:13:58 > 0:14:04That day radically changed the way the Vatican security forces worked.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06TRANSLATION: In earlier times,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11probably nobody imagined that somebody would shoot at the Pope.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Naturally, today, we have units and security detachments
0:14:15 > 0:14:16that didn't exist before.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21I definitely think that everyone is more on guard now.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25In contrast with 20 years ago, today we assume that anything can happen.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Except for the bodyguards,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39only one man is permitted to get close to the Pope
0:14:39 > 0:14:43when he's exposed to the public like this - Francesco Sforza.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55TRANSLATION: There is one Pope, one photographer.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59This is the thing, the uniqueness that gives me most strength because,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03well, you sometimes find yourself in difficulty,
0:15:03 > 0:15:05emotionally, I mean, because
0:15:05 > 0:15:09it's not easy when you're in front of hundreds of thousands of people.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30When you stand before the Pope, he's a figure that...
0:15:30 > 0:15:33Well, it's almost as if it were the first time.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37When I happen to greet him, it's always very emotional,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40even though I'm close to him a lot.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Sometimes, I think about it honestly and ask myself, "Is this for real?
0:15:44 > 0:15:47"Is it really me?"
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Or, "Am I really doing this on a regular basis, like, forever?"
0:15:50 > 0:15:53I don't know, I still think that I'll wake up sooner or later.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08The crowds have long departed,
0:16:08 > 0:16:11and the rituals of another morning begin.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14This is the future of the Vatican,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17altar boys and trainee priests reporting for work at dawn.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21The boys' first duty is to dress the priests.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27TRANSLATION: On some mornings, there really are lots of them,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30and we have to be prepared for them. As soon as one of them turns up,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33we dress him immediately and then get out of the way,
0:16:33 > 0:16:37otherwise, another altar boy may pass by and grab the altar,
0:16:37 > 0:16:40the one that you and your priest go to every morning.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50By 6am, altar boy Valentino Dumitrana
0:16:50 > 0:16:56is already hard at work in the vaults beneath St Peter's Basilica.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00Seven hours of formal schooling lie ahead, but before that,
0:17:00 > 0:17:04he must prepare the 12 subterranean chapels for early Mass.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09He's hoping one day soon to serve the Pope himself.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16TRANSLATION: I said to myself, the good ones always go to the Pope's Mass.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19They're all showing off saying, "I've seen him three times already."
0:17:19 > 0:17:25I haven't even seen him once, so I'll work really hard during normal Masses in order to meet the Pope,
0:17:25 > 0:17:27which isn't an easy thing to do.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38The well-being of the Vatican altar boys
0:17:38 > 0:17:42is another of Cardinal Angelo Comastri's many responsibilities.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55TRANSLATION: Young people are the future of the Church.
0:17:55 > 0:17:56This is obvious.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02This is one group of boys who have been chosen to perform the liturgy in the Basilica.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04What we try to offer them
0:18:04 > 0:18:08is a beautiful and deep Christian path in life.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13They are nurtured in loyalty, in generosity, in altruism,
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and in sacrifice.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21No calling or mission in life can be built without sacrifice.
0:18:21 > 0:18:26A vocation may develop out of this education, out of this nurturing,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28if it's God's will.
0:18:39 > 0:18:45It's a hard life, with the hours of formal classes supplemented by homework every evening.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49A real challenge for the not-very-academic Valentino.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59TRANSLATION: Life here is really strict for me so I don't know what to do.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03I can't keep up with all the schoolwork.
0:19:03 > 0:19:08The others are already used to it and can easily keep up, but not me.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12With the praying and the Masses, we're really tired all the time.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19It would definitely improve things if there was more leisure time
0:19:19 > 0:19:21because we're really exhausted.
0:19:34 > 0:19:39On the northern side of the city stands the Vatican's secret archive.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48Religious laws and diplomatic messages from over nine centuries
0:19:48 > 0:19:50lie in every corridor,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54along with thousands of restricted files.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Only bishop Sergio Pagano and his team are allowed to enter.
0:20:00 > 0:20:03TRANSLATION: "Secret" immediately evokes an air of mystery.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07Those who know their history, however, know that in the Renaissance
0:20:07 > 0:20:10all sovereigns' archives and libraries were referred to as secret.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Everything belonging to a prince was secret, the library, the archive,
0:20:14 > 0:20:19even the kitchen, so the Pope, who is the Prince of Princes after all,
0:20:19 > 0:20:21also had his secret archive.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29In the archive's laboratory, Bishop Pagano oversees the restoration
0:20:29 > 0:20:34of important documents such as this, the actual transcript
0:20:34 > 0:20:39of astronomer Galileo's interrogation by the Inquisition in 1633.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43At the time, the Church taught that the Earth
0:20:43 > 0:20:45was the centre of the universe.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Galileo incensed the papacy
0:20:48 > 0:20:52by arguing that earth was just one of many planets orbiting the Sun.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56When he published the mathematical evidence for his theories,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Galileo put his life on the line.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03TRANSLATION: The further interrogation commenced, which was more arduous for Galileo,
0:21:03 > 0:21:06because his dialogue, his positions, were questioned.
0:21:06 > 0:21:12Also, at the end of this, he signed in his own hand, "I, Galileo Galilei, confirm the above."
0:21:12 > 0:21:14He attested to everything,
0:21:14 > 0:21:18thereby saying that his words were reflected completely and truly
0:21:18 > 0:21:21in the record and did not differ, that it was the absolute truth.
0:21:21 > 0:21:27There was no falsification committed either by the notary or the Inquisition.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33To save his life,
0:21:33 > 0:21:39Galileo was forced to abjure, curse and detest his heretical beliefs.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44His books were banned and he spent the rest of his life
0:21:44 > 0:21:45under house arrest.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Bishop Pagano and his team are trying to repair
0:21:50 > 0:21:53over three centuries of damage to the Galileo manuscripts,
0:21:53 > 0:21:58some of the most important documents in the history of both science and religion.
0:21:58 > 0:22:05TRANSLATION: The Church could have been far more advanced than it was in the 17th and 18th centuries
0:22:05 > 0:22:08had it listened to Galileo's scientific reasoning.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13So, the deep regret that we clergymen feel over this makes us study this man,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18makes us study his time and the mechanisms that led up to this trial,
0:22:18 > 0:22:23because the repercussions of this trial are still affecting us today.
0:22:25 > 0:22:30In 1992, the Vatican formally rehabilitated Galileo,
0:22:30 > 0:22:35359 years after these manuscripts were written.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42This is Castel Gandolfo, 18 miles south of Rome.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45It's the Pope's home during the heat of the summer
0:22:45 > 0:22:49and the site of the Vatican's very own observatory.
0:22:53 > 0:22:58Here, the Vatican's astronomers, all Jesuit priests,
0:22:58 > 0:23:03are using technology and exploring ideas that would have horrified the papacy in Galileo's time,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07searching for evidence of life way beyond Planet Earth.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22We've found hundreds of stars now that have planets.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Many of them might be systems that could have Earth-like planets.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28It's a wonderful idea.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33We'd love to find life, because we don't really understand life now
0:23:33 > 0:23:38and to have more than one example of life, more than one example of a planet with life,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41would allow us to understand better what is unique about life on Earth
0:23:41 > 0:23:45and what is common to life everywhere in the universe.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Will there be intelligent life in the universe?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51I'd be shocked if there wasn't.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Will it change the way that we view our understanding of God?
0:23:54 > 0:23:59I hope so, because I know my understanding of God is woefully incomplete,
0:23:59 > 0:24:04but I'm not going to speculate about how it's going to change it until I find the life.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10Before he joined the Church, Consolmagno worked for NASA
0:24:10 > 0:24:15and taught at prestigious universities such as Harvard and MIT.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Reconciling science and faith is his life's work.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24It's funny, the people who think there's a contradiction between science and religion
0:24:24 > 0:24:28generally don't really know what science is, or they don't know what religion is, or both.
0:24:28 > 0:24:33Now, within the universe, there are laws, there are effects
0:24:33 > 0:24:37on energy and matter and we can study how energy and matter interact,
0:24:37 > 0:24:43but there are truths about life, about the universe, that science will never approach.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46The truths of love, the truths of beauty.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49We can describe, but we can never explain why
0:24:49 > 0:24:53beauty exists, why love exists.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57And yet life without love and beauty is clearly incomplete.
0:24:57 > 0:25:04So, I think you need this wide range of understanding, this wide range of saying,
0:25:04 > 0:25:11"My religion tells me that God made the universe, but my science can tell me the way it's done."
0:25:11 > 0:25:16As Guy Consolmagno looks to the heavens for a new insight into creation,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Cardinal Comastri, the Vatican's chief renovator,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24works to keep the Church's ancient wisdom intact.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35TRANSLATION: My job is to make the stones talk.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38They are full of history and messages
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and one must listen to these messages.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50A hundred feet above ground,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53on scaffolding clinging to the side of St Peter's Basilica,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Comastri is checking up on the latest restoration project.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05He's responsible for the maintenance of the entire city-state,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and many buildings are showing their age.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15It took 120 years to build St Peter's.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Its dome is still the biggest self-supporting brick structure in the world.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25But smog and pollution are taking their toll.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49TRANSLATION: The Basilica is like a living body, and therefore
0:26:49 > 0:26:52it shows signs of the passage of time, one could say the signs of age.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55We are rejuvenating it,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59but without concealing the wrinkles that time has inevitably created.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06BELL TOLLS
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Some of the Vatican's treasures need a different kind of care.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32Deep below the museum is the ethnological and missionary department.
0:27:36 > 0:27:42It's home to a unique collection of religious and cultural artefacts from all around the world.
0:27:50 > 0:27:57Stefania Pandozy is head restorer, and she's facing a serious backlog of work.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05TRANSLATION: Ten years ago, when we were entrusted with this project,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09this collection was in a hideous state of decay.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13The artefacts had been neglected for a long time
0:28:13 > 0:28:16and their state of conservation was really bad.
0:28:20 > 0:28:26Some of the priceless objects in these vaults have deteriorated almost beyond repair.
0:28:38 > 0:28:44TRANSLATION: There's a nucleus of 70,000 works, but it's always expanding.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47We've now counted 80,000 in all.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51We still have no complete record of the entire scale of the material.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02This 18th-century Indian goddess is riddled with woodworm.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Before Pandozy's team can restore her,
0:29:05 > 0:29:07she needs some radical treatment.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12The scientists wrap the statue in plastic,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16seal it carefully and pump in nitrogen gas.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22It takes a month for the gas to kill the worms
0:29:22 > 0:29:26and, while they wait, they move on to the next challenge.
0:29:31 > 0:29:35TRANSLATION: Our work is both prevention and conservation.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37It's a bit like first aid, really.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40We're like an emergency room where we treat some symptoms
0:29:40 > 0:29:43and then send the patients on when they're a little better.
0:29:57 > 0:30:03Amid the history and the high culture, there's an everyday side to life inside the Vatican.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08The altar boys are allowed to play football in the Pope's private gardens,
0:30:08 > 0:30:14but this does not bring Valentino Dumitrana any closer to the man he most wants to meet.
0:30:19 > 0:30:24TRANSLATION: Everyone thinks that those who live near him see him every day, but it's not like that.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29When the Pope takes a walk in the garden, all the streets and paths are blocked off
0:30:29 > 0:30:32and nobody can pass, even in an emergency.
0:30:34 > 0:30:35If we're playing football,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39they make us move somewhere else, or they won't let us play at all.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41It depends who's on watch.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Today, the man on watch is Davide Giulietti.
0:30:54 > 0:30:58His task - to make sure that Pope Benedict can have absolute privacy
0:30:58 > 0:31:01during his daily 30-minute walk in the garden.
0:31:05 > 0:31:10There are dozens of CCTV cameras hidden in the trees and bushes,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13but Giulietti likes to take a look for himself.
0:31:20 > 0:31:24TRANSLATION: The Holy Father's daily walk is certainly a private moment,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27so if the Holy Father manages to find half-an-hour during the whole day
0:31:27 > 0:31:32it's our highest duty to ensure that he may be by himself,
0:31:32 > 0:31:36that he doesn't meet anyone and that he doesn't even see the police,
0:31:36 > 0:31:39because we hide ourselves in order to guarantee him
0:31:39 > 0:31:42a certain amount of privacy and discretion.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00The security chief, like most Vatican employees,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02is a devout Catholic,
0:32:02 > 0:32:06and for him a job protecting the Holy Father
0:32:06 > 0:32:09is the fulfilment of a childhood dream.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18TRANSLATION: My priest took us to an audience when I was 12, 13 years old
0:32:18 > 0:32:24and I was fascinated by this world, and particularly by the people taking care of the Pope's security.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Those people made a great impression on me.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33So, I guess, that's how this got started.
0:32:33 > 0:32:36It was a kind of obsession to come and work here one day.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Working here,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46if you don't have a minimum of faith, then who are you working for?
0:32:46 > 0:32:51To be here, at the service of the Pope, means that in any case
0:32:51 > 0:32:54you believe in him and in who he represents.
0:32:54 > 0:32:59In my opinion, if you have no faith here, then you're in the wrong job.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Everything is ready for the Pope's walk in the garden.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20Davide Giulietti takes over control of the operations room.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28PHONE RINGS
0:33:40 > 0:33:45The emphasis on secrecy is so intense that, once the Pope arrives,
0:33:45 > 0:33:48even the CCTV cameras protecting him are switched off.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13When he was elected in 2005,
0:34:13 > 0:34:18Benedict XVI had to give up his private life almost completely.
0:34:20 > 0:34:26Before his walk, he likes to pause at the Vatican's replica of the grotto at Lourdes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29It's one of the few quiet moments in his day.
0:34:40 > 0:34:48His time in the garden is also a chance to discuss important Church business in total privacy.
0:34:48 > 0:34:49And there's a lot to talk about.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Pope Benedict must combine being a spiritual leader
0:34:53 > 0:34:56with running one of the largest institutions in the world.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06The Vatican has many of the trappings of a nation state.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10There's a post office, a daily newspaper, a world-famous library,
0:35:10 > 0:35:15a chemist - where you can't buy contraceptives - and a radio station.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18..the English programme of Vatican Radio.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24Radio Vatican broadcasts around the world in 48 languages.
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Gudrun Sailer has worked in the German department for seven years.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36TRANSLATION: As a journalist at Vatican Radio, you have to obey certain rules.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40You obviously cannot call and say, "Hey, Eminence, what about lunch
0:35:40 > 0:35:43"and telling me what's really going on in there?"
0:35:43 > 0:35:46No, you must always be respectful.
0:35:46 > 0:35:52A hierarchical thinking is very much in place here, stronger than many would like to have it,
0:35:52 > 0:35:57and it's not always easy to get along here, especially when, as a journalist,
0:35:57 > 0:36:02you ask questions and don't get answers because the doors are closed.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04It's not an easy terrain.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14In the Vatican, it's still unusual to see a woman.
0:36:18 > 0:36:25TRANSLATION: The first...and I'm very sorry to say so, but the first were the toilet attendants
0:36:25 > 0:36:27at the end of the '60s.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Those were the first jobs to be given to women,
0:36:31 > 0:36:33and then there were secretaries,
0:36:33 > 0:36:35and there were more of them.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39I think it is quite important that there will be more women
0:36:39 > 0:36:42at the Vatican, because they bring, well, a certain normality
0:36:42 > 0:36:45into the state of priests.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50Gudrun Sailer is visiting the personnel department
0:36:50 > 0:36:53to research the history of women in the Vatican and the story of
0:36:53 > 0:36:56the first woman ever employed here.
0:36:56 > 0:37:02She was a German archaeologist called Erminia Speier, and she was Jewish.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06- Erminia Speier.- Ah, si.- Bellissima.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12TRANSLATION: Erminia Speier was also a pioneer and fascinated me
0:37:12 > 0:37:16because as far as we know she was the first woman in the Vatican
0:37:16 > 0:37:23and I thought, "Wow, a Jewish German woman in the '30s, that alone contradicts so many cliches."
0:37:35 > 0:37:38TRANSLATION: This is interesting.
0:37:40 > 0:37:42"..whether she was of Jewish faith."
0:37:42 > 0:37:46The reply comes a week later, on 15th February, 1938,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50from the Pontifical Gendarmerie, the Vatican's police forces.
0:37:54 > 0:37:55"She is Jewish."
0:37:56 > 0:38:03Someone obviously must have given the matter some thought and decided to go against their principles twice -
0:38:03 > 0:38:06not only do we employ a woman,
0:38:06 > 0:38:09but also a woman who's not even Catholic.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13I, for example, had to produce my baptism certificate
0:38:13 > 0:38:16and confirmation record when I signed a contract with Vatican Radio.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21Erminia Speier was a very fortunate woman.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Millions of other European Jews faced Nazi persecution
0:38:25 > 0:38:29and finally fell victim to the Holocaust.
0:38:29 > 0:38:34Pope Pius XII was elected shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.
0:38:34 > 0:38:39His behaviour towards Nazi Germany and other fascist regimes
0:38:39 > 0:38:41remains deeply controversial.
0:38:41 > 0:38:46Many key Vatican papers from this era remain under lock and key.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48But not all.
0:38:48 > 0:38:55Gudrun has been given permission to see letters written by desperate Jews to the Vatican,
0:38:55 > 0:39:00one of them from Edith Stein, a philosopher who converted to Catholicism in 1922.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07TRANSLATION: "All of us being loyal children of the Catholic Church,
0:39:07 > 0:39:10"following the events in Germany with open eyes,
0:39:10 > 0:39:15"do fear the very worst for the Church's reputation if its silence persists."
0:39:15 > 0:39:21She's imploring the Pope to raise his voice against the persecution of the Jews,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23and he didn't.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28The answer she got was a standard reply full of empty phrases such as,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32that the letter had been duly presented to the Pope.
0:39:32 > 0:39:33That was it.
0:39:33 > 0:39:39The tragedy of the matter is that, 11 years after writing the letter,
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Edith Stein died, being murdered in a gas chamber.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49Here I see an analogy to Erminia Speier that...
0:39:49 > 0:39:51that leaves me speechless.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54They do have a similar biography.
0:39:54 > 0:39:59They were both German Jews, who converted to Catholicism.
0:39:59 > 0:40:05One is murdered while the other is saved, because she was fortunate enough to be in the right place
0:40:05 > 0:40:09at the right time, namely, at the Vatican, under its protection.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24The galleries in the Vatican Museum attract some 12,000 visitors a day.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28But, once they leave,
0:40:28 > 0:40:33Stefania Pandozy and her fellow curators have the place to themselves.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41TRANSLATION: During the day, the rooms are bursting with people.
0:40:41 > 0:40:44We, however, can experience the museum in another way,
0:40:44 > 0:40:49once everything is closed, when we are ending our working day.
0:40:49 > 0:40:55The lights are still on, some employers are still tidying up or checking that the windows are shut.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00Then there's an extraordinary magical atmosphere.
0:41:00 > 0:41:05It's as if the din of the world is fading and one hears is the music of the paintings
0:41:05 > 0:41:07and the harmony of those compositions instead.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33Perhaps the greatest perk of Stefania Pandozy's job
0:41:33 > 0:41:38is the chance to enter the Sistine Chapel at night-time
0:41:38 > 0:41:43for a private view of one of the greatest artistic achievements of all time -
0:41:43 > 0:41:46Michelangelo's frescoes.
0:41:48 > 0:41:53It took the artist four years to paint these vast religious images.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Many believe them to be the most sublime artistic expression of faith
0:41:58 > 0:42:00ever created.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04Michelangelo spent most of that time
0:42:04 > 0:42:07on top of elaborate wooden scaffolding,
0:42:07 > 0:42:12gradually conjuring scenes from the Old Testament and the Last Judgments
0:42:12 > 0:42:14into life.
0:42:14 > 0:42:19Here, Christ judges the resurrected, sending them to heaven or hell.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28TRANSLATION: Before the Last Judgment, we are lost for words.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30It's beyond architectural design.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32There's nothing here but man.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36Man in all his suffering and his humanity.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42When I linger here, I'm enthralled, but I'm also scared.
0:42:42 > 0:42:46It really is a new experience every time you enter the Sistine Chapel,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50a new search for meanings and symbols.
0:42:51 > 0:42:56And for me, in my smallness, I always find myself saying,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58"Lord, Thy will be done,"
0:42:58 > 0:43:01because there are too many questions we could ask ourselves,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04and Michelangelo asked himself those questions
0:43:04 > 0:43:06through every character he painted
0:43:06 > 0:43:09and in some ways I think he found answers.
0:43:29 > 0:43:34It's Sunday morning and altar boy Valentino Dumitrana
0:43:34 > 0:43:39attends the Pope's weekly Angelus prayer in St Peter's Square.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53TRANSLATION: At the Angelus prayer, you see all these people
0:43:53 > 0:43:56and then you realise that they come from all over the world.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00The ones you notice the most are the Chinese.
0:44:00 > 0:44:04It's nice to listen to the sound of a language that you don't understand at all
0:44:04 > 0:44:10and it's beautiful to realise that there are so many people around the globe sharing the same faith.
0:44:14 > 0:44:20Every year, 1.5 million people take part in the Angelus prayer.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23From the window of his offices in the Apostolic Palace,
0:44:23 > 0:44:27Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing to the faithful.
0:44:45 > 0:44:48THEY CHANT
0:45:01 > 0:45:04TRANSLATION: To see him from far away is a good experience,
0:45:04 > 0:45:09but my biggest wish would be to meet him personally.
0:45:10 > 0:45:12The idea I have of the Pope is...
0:45:12 > 0:45:17I don't how to say it, that he's a person above all others
0:45:17 > 0:45:20and that, of course, he's the kindest person in the world.
0:45:24 > 0:45:30I think the Pope is the crossover, he's the bridge between heaven and Earth.
0:45:35 > 0:45:43..Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46Amen.
0:45:46 > 0:45:50- MAN:- Viva Papa! - CHEERING
0:46:22 > 0:46:26The Pope receives many important visitors,
0:46:26 > 0:46:29all photographed by Francesco Sforza.
0:46:32 > 0:46:37Today, it's President Barack Obama, welcomed with full state honours.
0:46:41 > 0:46:46Chamberlains and Swiss Guards lead the President through the Apostolic Palace
0:46:46 > 0:46:49to his first meeting with Pope Benedict.
0:46:50 > 0:46:56TRANSLATION: When there are such highly important events, like a president, like President Obama,
0:46:56 > 0:47:01there's a moment for me of quiet composure, almost like a football player going out on a pitch,
0:47:01 > 0:47:08and then I always say, "May God be with me and there's truly hope I can do a good job."
0:47:31 > 0:47:34Thank you so much. It's a great honour for me.
0:47:34 > 0:47:40There's a general photo call for the press, but Francesco Sforza has special access.
0:47:43 > 0:47:47TRANSLATION: You're making history, that's the main thing.
0:47:47 > 0:47:51You succeed in bringing to others, to the world, things they cannot see,
0:47:51 > 0:47:54some angles of the Palace that nobody else gets access to,
0:47:54 > 0:47:58so we feel like we're the window of the outside world.
0:48:08 > 0:48:11The official photo is taken and everyone looks at the camera.
0:48:11 > 0:48:17What I look for, though, is that little bit extra, something more natural, maybe as they walk away,
0:48:17 > 0:48:22shortly before the goodbyes, they both look each other in the eye,
0:48:22 > 0:48:27and in those last moments sometimes you get the most relaxed smiles,
0:48:27 > 0:48:29as if they were both at home.
0:48:44 > 0:48:49As someone who makes headlines every week, some flattering, some not,
0:48:49 > 0:48:55Pope Benedict is also a keen consumer of news and makes time to watch it every day.
0:49:15 > 0:49:20Valentino Dumitrana, who came to the Vatican when he was just 14,
0:49:20 > 0:49:24will soon have to face the most important question of his life.
0:49:27 > 0:49:30TRANSLATION: Maybe I will be a priest, I don't know.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32A priest's life is very strict and difficult.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37It requires a lot of patience, which I don't have.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43I really don't know what my future will be.
0:49:43 > 0:49:47Cardinal Comastri, in overall charge of Valentino's curriculum,
0:49:47 > 0:49:51experienced no such confusion of feeling when he was young.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57TRANSLATION: I served as an altar boy when I was young
0:49:57 > 0:49:59as my family was very religious.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02This was a really important experience for me,
0:50:02 > 0:50:04since I was so close to the priest
0:50:04 > 0:50:07that I came to understand a little about his mission.
0:50:07 > 0:50:11I then met priests who were very enthusiastic about their vocation
0:50:11 > 0:50:15and, of course, their joy affected me and became my own joy
0:50:15 > 0:50:18and slowly turned into my own vocation.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29There are still moments in the Vatican
0:50:29 > 0:50:34that feel closer to Cardinal Comastri's childhood than to Valentino's.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36One of them is the Feast of Corpus Christi.
0:50:36 > 0:50:42For 700 years, Rome's Catholics have paraded to celebrate this day.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Such a close connection to the rituals of the past
0:50:45 > 0:50:47nourishes the cardinal's faith,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49but he worries about the future.
0:50:55 > 0:51:00TRANSLATION: Nowadays, the vocation to become a priest is certainly much more difficult,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03as we live in a frivolous world, a noisy world,
0:51:03 > 0:51:05a world full of distractions,
0:51:05 > 0:51:10and that's why today it's become much more difficult to hear the voice of Christ and to respond to it,
0:51:10 > 0:51:15because you need greater courage, greater coherence, greater strength
0:51:15 > 0:51:19to break from a culture that is often completely opposed to the Gospel.
0:51:51 > 0:51:54After months of studying and serving,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57Valentino's wish finally came true.
0:52:07 > 0:52:12TRANSLATION: I thought it would be a normal Mass, but the master of ceremonies asked,
0:52:12 > 0:52:15"Which of you has never served the Pope at Mass?"
0:52:15 > 0:52:19Everyone had, even two or three times, so I said, "I haven't yet.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21"I have only received communion."
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Then he said, "OK, you and you."
0:52:24 > 0:52:27And so we went over there. "What do we have to do?"
0:52:27 > 0:52:30"You take care of the microphone and you do the book."
0:52:32 > 0:52:36And it struck me immediately, the mic has to be very close to him.
0:52:37 > 0:52:43Then he explained a couple of things, two or three times, because we just couldn't get it into our heads.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47Then we joined the procession and I started immediately with the mic
0:52:47 > 0:52:50and went up there, and was about to make a mistake,
0:52:50 > 0:52:55but the master of ceremonies, who stood close to the Pope, immediately corrected me.
0:53:05 > 0:53:10I stayed there, and my hands were trembling so much that the mic kept moving.
0:53:12 > 0:53:18Photographer Francesco Sforza was close at hand to record Valentino's big moment.
0:53:31 > 0:53:35I was paralysed. I couldn't leave while I was standing in front of the Pope.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38He must have wondered why I wasn't talking.
0:53:38 > 0:53:40"What's wrong with him, that he's not talking?"
0:53:40 > 0:53:46But he wasn't strict. He was a normal person, calm, happy, he was smiling.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50Maybe he understood that this was the first time I'd seen him,
0:53:50 > 0:53:52so it was normal to behave like that.
0:54:04 > 0:54:09Usually, when I'm feeling emotional, my eyes start burning and they fill with tears.
0:54:09 > 0:54:12I almost had to shut my eyes,
0:54:12 > 0:54:16but then I rushed, bowed and I left with tears in my eyes.
0:54:16 > 0:54:19I don't do that on purpose, it just happens.
0:54:19 > 0:54:24I was standing there thinking, "Oh, no, not now,"
0:54:24 > 0:54:27and my eyes began to water, but I couldn't stop.
0:54:27 > 0:54:29My eyes were burning so bad.
0:54:41 > 0:54:45With Christmas approaching, the altar boys are looking forward to
0:54:45 > 0:54:48returning home to their families for the holidays.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50Some of them come from remote regions
0:54:50 > 0:54:53and seldom see their relatives.
0:54:53 > 0:54:58Their secluded life in the Vatican has forged firm friendships.
0:54:58 > 0:55:02But Valentino is going home with mixed feelings.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11TRANSLATION: After being here for two years now, I feel that I won't become a priest.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14I don't feel the calling the way the others do.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17I think I'll choose to be a person like everyone else.
0:55:17 > 0:55:21I'll have a family, but I'll be the only one... Well, maybe not the only one.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24There will be others whose faith is as strong as mine,
0:55:24 > 0:55:29but not many of them will have had the experiences that I've had in here.
0:55:53 > 0:56:00The Pope is due to lead a procession through the centre of the Eternal City.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Whenever he appears in public, huge crowds throng the streets
0:56:04 > 0:56:06to proclaim their faith.
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Francesco Sforza and his assistant move to their position
0:56:15 > 0:56:19on the balustrade of Santa Maria Maggiore Church.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21They expect Pope Benedict shortly.
0:56:42 > 0:56:47On a night like this, Pope Benedict, who is also the Bishop of Rome,
0:56:47 > 0:56:51could almost be mistaken for the true ruler of the city.
0:56:57 > 0:57:02TRANSLATION: When you see these crowds, you have proof that the people of Rome love the Pope.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06I feel like I'd like to get onto my knees and pray with them.
0:57:06 > 0:57:09But then, you're there to take pictures,
0:57:09 > 0:57:13so these are moments, in a way, that don't always go together very well.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25Benedict XVI is the 265th Pope.
0:57:27 > 0:57:32He compared waiting for the conclave's decision to walking towards a guillotine
0:57:32 > 0:57:36and the moment of his election to the blade dropping towards his neck.
0:57:36 > 0:57:42But a Pope's popularity is not only determined by how well or how willingly he does his job.
0:57:43 > 0:57:51Much of it, perhaps most of it, stems from the weight and authority of the institution he leads
0:57:51 > 0:57:55and the belief of millions in what he represents on Earth.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02TRANSLATION: Whoever serves the Lord must allow him to appear,
0:58:02 > 0:58:06must be as translucent as glass, so that one doesn't see HIS light,
0:58:06 > 0:58:10but the light of Jesus Christ, who is standing behind him.
0:58:48 > 0:58:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:50 > 0:58:52E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk