For 2,000 years, Catholicism has been one of the dominant forces on the planet. Its secrets and covered up scandals have been ongoing but are getting harder to ignore. This is mainly due to a pair of new books by Italian journalists and a current pope who is bent upon reforming is beloved church.

An Italian reporter specializing in finance and economics as well as a famous television and media scandalmonger have released books this week detailing the enormous scope of financial regularities that have perpetually been swept under the proverbial rug behind Vatican City’s imposing walls, according to The Washington Post.

The scandals and the secrets are everywhere, according to these two journalists. From an $800 million pension fund that has become a black hole, to church real estate holdings being worth at least as much as eight times more than is reported, to the elite cardinals who live lavish lifestyles in lavish penthouses all for free. Even recordings made by Pope Francis I have not been out of bounds. It is a threshold that the Catholic Christian church has never crossed before.

Cardinals and other high church officials have always been used to being shown deferensce and awe but it seems that this may no longer be the case. Many mainstream journalists who cover the Vatican have commented of late that it is a new era for the Vatican. The Catholic faithful are becoming fed up with the antics of the church and want to know the real stories behind what has been going on.

This past week, Vatican police arrested two people on suspicion of leaking secrets and classified information to the Italian media. These were people who worked on the inside and know intimately the secrets being closely guarded there. Some of the information revealed in these new books tell that tale of an out of control Vatican bureaucracy that was so entrenched that many believe that was the sole reason Pope Benedict resigned.