that quote incensed maciel's victims. they would go public with the testimony they now had on maciel. >> cardinal joseph ratzinger... >>narrator: the official responsible for investigating child abuse cases, was cardinal ratzinger. he had to respond to the news media about the charges against maciel. >> there's a question whether... >> come to me when the moment is given-- not yet. >> narrator: but he was in a bind. john paul's public celebration of maciel made it very difficult for him to take action and all the while, maciel's activities went unchecked. >> the situation changed at the end of 2004. at that time, cardinal ratzinger made a decision, to his credit that maciel had to be investigated. so he sent a canon lawyer in his office, monsignor charles scicluna, to america and mexico to take the testimony of these men. he clearly knew that whoever would become the next pope needed to have maciel under investigation, lest the vatican be tarnished by this scandal of a much accused pedophile and nothing happening to him.