Usually when I put in a movie for the night it's one that's filled with action or sappy romance. Whether it's some big battle or tear-jerker, it's most likely to be fiction. Last night was different - whilst browsing Amazon Prime, I decided upon a nonfiction film.
'Spotlight', directed by Tom McCarthy, follows a team of investigative journalists working for The Boston Globe. In 2002, Walter "Robby" Robinson, Michael Rezendes, Matt Carroll, and Sarah Pfeiffer worked together to shed a light on the sexual abuse occurring in the Roman Catholic Church. Their journey began with the crimes of John Geoghan, but their discoveries led to findings about the entire system. Simply put, there's a lot of abuse that was (and is) happening in the church, all of which was swept under the rug.
Tom McCarthy skillfully turns two hours of journalism into two hours of suspense and drama. The movie is almost just as fast-paced as the next action movie - the reporters are each quick to think on their feet, and their constant research brings up findings left and right. If anything, 'Spotlight' is not boring. It's an exciting 2 hours of discovery and horror.
Upon finishing the movie, I decided to look more into the topic of abuse in the church. I was aware that it was happening since it surfaced on the news last year with remarks from Pope Francis, but I never understood the inner workings. What compelled these priests to act in such a disgusting way? What happened to John Geoghan and Cardinal Law? What was Pope Francis doing to stop the problem?
I found several responses to my first question, all of which were detailed on Wikipedia. Many people theorize many different reasons, but here are some of the prominent ones:
Celibacy. Apparently, the doctrine of celibacy creates a superiority complex among priests, causing the abuse. Hints of this theory can be seen in the film, where one of the priests who was an abuser notably said: "Yeah, I molested them. But there wasn't any pleasure for me." Further, according to Joseph Druce, the ultimate murderer of Geoghan while the latter was in jail, testified in court that during a confrontation with Geoghan, he said that the Catholic church was spending a lot of money on the priest to handle sexual abuse charges. "They're spending $10 million on you," Druce said. Geoghan replied, "I'm worth $20 million."
Declining moral standards. Some even go so far to say that the cause of the abuse is a consequence of declining moral standards among the general public. However, this theory would therefore mean that there would be less abuse as we go further back in history, which is not the case. According to BBC: 'A Church-commissioned report in 2004 said more than 4,000 US Roman Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years, in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys.'
In response to my second question,
1. Geoghan was strangled to death in prison at the hands of Joseph Druce. When asked why he committed the crime, Druce said that he felt as if he were 'alone against the abuse in the church' and cited reasons to being molested himself as a child. To read more about Druce and why he did it, click this link: https://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/24/us/inmate-testifies-why-he-killed-molester-priest.html .
2. Cardinal Law died in 2017. After stepping down from his post in Boston, he was embraced by the Vatican.
In response to my third question - Pope Francis has done nothing. He has even gone so far to accuse victims of false accusations. The Pope promised to bring change and to cleanse the church of abuse, but so far, that change has yet to be materialized. A proposed motion to try bishops never happened. Pope Francis even went so far to grant Cardinal George Pell leave to defend himself in Australia. If you weren't aware, Pell is 'the highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate to be formally charged with sexual offenses' (NY Times).
'Spotlight' and my research have shown me the true monstrosities of sexual abusers in the church. Though the problem has been brought to the public eye, there is still much change that needs to be made. The Vatican needs to use all efforts to crack down on abusers within their system. There is no excuse to keep shifting the problem. While I agree that the church has done a lot of public good, they have not done sufficient work in eradicating the abuse within their walls. 'Spotlight' shines a light on many of the victims - the ones who are still alive. Many turned to drug abuse and fell victim to depression. The impacts on the children and their families is devastating. The fact that grown men who are supposed to provide reprieve from the hardships of daily life have the power to abuse others without consequence is disgusting. The entire system needs to do better, all the way up to the Vatican.
I close this by advising you to watch 'Spotlight' and to be loud about the topic. Change will happen when enough people are angry about it.
To read the article that was published by the Spotlight team, click here: https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/special-reports/2002/01/06/church-allowed-abuse-priest-for-years/cSHfGkTIrAT25qKGvBuDNM/story.html?_sp=113cfd92-5158-4a4f-a1b2-3f74a35d4a40.1560393139557
To learn more about abuse in the Catholic church, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_sexual_abuse_cases
If you are a victim of sexual abuse from the priest, get help here: http://www.snapnetwork.org/events
'Spotlight' (2015) trailer:
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