Vatican

“There’s a palpable excitement here,” says author Peter Kornbluh from Havana, as word broke of US-Cuban talks to normalize relations. “This is a new dawn … and I think everybody here has realized that almost immediately.”

American nuns have come in for sharp criticism in the past from Vatican officials. But the Catholic Church’s latest report on nuns in the US offered praise instead, a welcome change at a time when American religious orders are growing older and more cash-strapped.

Catholic bishops meeting at the Vatican have suggested the church “welcome home” gays and lesbians. While the church leaders are not supporting same-sex marriages, the synod is striking a historically open note on gays, divorce and other culture-war issues.

The Vatican is dense with art and history — every arch, piece of art and ceiling has a story to tell. But so do the floors, which are easy to miss. Whether paved with marble from the Coliseum or sporting mosaics from ancient villas, the floors of the Vatican have much to tell.

Frontline’s new documentary, “Secrets of the Vatican,” uses leaked documents and interviews to expose turmoil, corruption and abuse in the final year of Pope Benedict’s papacy. It’s a legacy that Pope Francis is now trying to overcome.