The Catholic Church is once again facing the heat in another child abuse scandal, this time in Manchester, England. According to Richard Scorer, a child abuse specialist in a Manchester law firm, all diocese possess a hidden archive where secret documents regarding legal and moral documents relevant to the church are housed under lock and key.

Scorer also claims that the church adheres to a ‘Code of Canon’ Law where these secret files are to remain guarded from the public until a time of true need. The Manchester attorney insists these files have been protecting the Catholic Church from public scrutiny and legal prosecution for centuries.

In any event, Scorer maintains this is the time of need and the alleged files should be released and examined for evidence in his current case . This could be a trend setting case if it is found the legal system has the right to order them “open”. Given it is “Canon Law” to protect these locked boxes (and their existence), it is unlikely we will be hearing a rebuttal from church officials anytime soon.

It’s not exactly the Da Vinci Code but considering all these rumors, secrets, abuses, scandals, and litigaton, there’s probably a book in it somewhere once this all plays out.

Richard Scorer is a member of the Pannone law firm in Manchester, England