The decades-old scandal that had influenced even the recent election of Pope Francis as leader of the 1.2-billion strong Roman Catholic Church will soon be seen in cinemas around the world.

Reports said that DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media just purchased from Boston Globe the story of the clergy sex abuse scandal published by the U.S. daily a decade ago.

The story will be made into a movie to be directed by Tom McCarthy and co-written by Josh Singer.

Holly Bario, the president of production at DreamWorks, said the Boston Globe story is extremely important for the Massachusetts and global community. It would be recalled that at the March conclave, Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien was barred from participating and even forced to resign after he admitted having sexual relations with priests during his younger days.

"The Boston Globe's coverage of the Catholic priest scandal opened the door to a bigger story that had worldwide ramifications. The story of how this team of editors and reporters came to uncover the truth will make a dramatic and compelling film, especially with the talent of our director Tom McCarthy and his co-screenwriter Josh Singer on board," Ms Bario said in a statement.

Ahead of the film showing, Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights President Bill Donohue forecast the film will bomb at the tills.

"Films about the sexual abuse of minors have all flopped - there is no market for such fare. People want to be entertainment when they go to the movies, and there is no entertainment value in these flicks," The Christian Post quoted Mr Donohue.

The Boston Globe story of documented cover-up of pedophile priests by the Boston archdiocese, won for the newspaper the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003.

It opened the door for more reportage of similar stories, including the revelation that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left a thick folder of an investigation on clergy abuse of minors for his successor to deal with.

It is not the first time that clergy sex abuse was the subject of films. In an article in 2010, The Week listed five such films.

1. Deliver Us From Evil (2008) - A documentary on the defrocked priest, Oliver O'Grady who admitted molesting 25 boys and girls in California from the late 1970s to 1991. The film implicated Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Archbishop of Los Angeles.

2. The Boys of St Vincent (1992) - The film revolves around a 10-year-old orphan and a Christian brother in a Newfoundland orphanage, with focus on the sexual and physical abuses the male wards suffered from the hands of the orphanage head. The movie implicated the Christian brothers at the Mount Cashel Orphanage and the Newfoundland diocese in Canada.

3. Hand of God (2006) - An investigation of how the Boston archdiocese mishandled its probe on Fr Joseph Birmingham, accused of molesting a boy named Joseph. It implicated Bishop John McCormack of Manchester and Cardinal Bernard Law, former Archbishop of Boston.

4. Sex Crimes and the Vatican (2006) - A documentary on how Pope Benedict covered up sex abuse cases as doctrine enforcer in Vatican under Pope John Paul II. Besides the pope emeritus, the film implicated retired Bishop Brendan Comiskey of Fern, Ireland.

5. Twist of Faith (2004) - It is the story of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes who had to deal with his sexual abuse during his adolescent years while living just five houses away from his alleged abuser, former priest Dennis Gray. The movie implicated Bishop James Hoffman of Toledo who died in 2003.

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