March 13, 2013. The world is waiting. Television screens show days-old footage of cardinals in red and white, processing past Vatican guards into the magnificence of the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave.

Every image, from the polished marble floors and gold ceilings to the priceless frescoes on the walls, tells a story of wealth, pageantry and power. Outside, in St. Peter's Square, the crowds are cheering for a man whose name they do not yet know. But there is another soundtrack.

The day before, Pat McEwan, a 62-year-old from Scotland, had described to me how he was raped at the age of 8 by a priest. His voice drowns out crowds and choirs. "I ran home shaking like a dog. I had wee short trousers on and the shite was running down my leg. My mum and my auntie had to wipe me down."