Last week, a conflict between the Vatican and Belgian authorities over the handling of abuse cases within the Roman Catholic church came to head. The Catholic church had been dealing with abuse cases through an internal commission until Belgian authorities—no strangers to brutal pedophilia cases—raided a meeting of bishops to secure evidence. There were reports that some clergymen were detained for many hours. Vatican officials protested the Belgian authorities, claiming that the way in which they dealt with church officials were “unprecedented even under communism.” The controversy shows how church–state relations are shifting in light of the abuse scandals within the Catholic church.