It's admittedly odd to think of it this way, but I guess the truth of the matter is, every time you leave a little something in the collection plate if you're attending a Catholic church, you're contributing to compensating the victims of those young boys that have been sexually abused by perverted priests over the years.

In the United States alone, the amount paid out to victims is estimated at $2 billion.

The shocking controversy the church finds itself in yet again is the subject of our broadcast tonight at 8 and 11 pm on TVO.

Of course, this latest chapter of abuse has taken on added urgency because there may be a trail right to the office of the Pontifex Maximus himself, Pope Benedict XVI.

While the pontiff gave what most writers have called a sincere, heartfelt apology to those that were abused, he has also come under fire for appearing to circle the wagons, and care more about protecting the church's reputation, lest its enemies (as he sees them) exploit this scandal for their own ends.

As it happens, I was in Rome and Vatican City over the Easter Weekend.

I spent considerable time visiting St. Peter's Square, and also talking to Italians in their homes, where presumably they would feel no need to hold back speaking their minds.

What surprised me about what I experienced was that the Italians I spoke with seemed unshocked by the latest revelations.

It may be because he is a German pope that Italians are not particularly enamoured with Benedict as they clearly were with previous Italian pontiffs such as John XXIII, Paul VI, John Paul I, and even John Paul II, even though he was Polish.

But I suspect much of the lack of interest around the subject stems from the fact that the church is no longer the influential authority in peoples' lives, even in Italy. To be sure, the church is still a huge draw for its magnificent cultural contributions to Italy: its art, its architecture, its sculptures. The Vatican Museums, St. Peter's Basilica and Square, the Bernini Columns, a church of significance on almost every street corner --- they are still important lures in the country.

It, of course, would be a mistake to read too much into a single trip to Rome. But I found it strangely disquieting that so few Romans that I spoke with seemed perturbed by recent events. If the church is only relevant as a tourist attraction, but not as a spiritual guide on how to live, then its problems may be more significant than dealing with yet another sexual abuse scandal.