“Spotlight”
the movie that reveals how a team of reporters exposed the child abusers in the
Catholic church in 2002, is giving the U.S. -- and soon the World a wake-up call. Survivors of abuse by priests are coming
forward in large numbers to talk about that abuse - some for the first time.
They are contacting survivor advocacy organizations, hotlines, and the media –
because the movie gives them courage and credibility.
It
has been 13 years since the Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team first revealed that in
Boston, Cardinal Bernard Law covered up for Fr. John Geoghan a serial sexual
abuser of children and let him keep working. Since then, the scandal spread to
more than 100 cities in the U.S. and at least 100 more cities around the
world. The Globe wrote 600 stories on
priest sexual abuse in 2002. Because the problem did not go away after 250
priests and brothers were accused in Boston, the Globe and other news media
continued their quest for pedophile priests and their enablers. Today, more
than a decade after American bishops pledged to better protect young people
from sexual abuse, the abuse scandal is still not over. Bishops in Kansas City
and Minneapolis were recently removed from their posts for continuing to cover
up for abusive priests.
Michael
Rezendes, one of the original Spotlight reporters who broke the story hasn’t
stopped his investigative reporting of church abuse. The Globe has continued to
hold the church accountable for its actions regarding clergy sexual abuse.
In
2014, the Globe reported that a prominent American cleric named by Pope Francis
to prosecute cases of priestly abuse was himself involved in the coverup of child
sexual abuse. Pope Francis named the
Jesuit, Fr. Robert Geisinger, formerly the head of the Chicago Jesuits, to be
the Vatican’s top prosecutor for serious crimes, including raping and molesting
children. The Globe reported that Geisinger had extensive knowledge for years
about a serial sexual abuser within the Jesuit order, a Fr. Donald McGuire (who
is now in prison), but allowed him to continue in the Jesuit ministry.
The
Internet helped spread the Spotlight Team’s stories worldwide, prompting
lawsuits, investigations by other news organizations, and complaints from
thousands of victims. This exposure is “catching”
since survivors in other religions and in non-religious places like schools,
organizations for boys and girls –anywhere children are supervised by adults --
are also speaking out.
While
the movie is making more people aware of the abuse there is still much work to
do if we are to really protect the children.
We need to vote so that politicians will stop helping the church and
other religious and public organizations to keep statute of limitation laws on
the books in so many states. Clergy abuse — which the church once silenced by
settling with victims and swearing them to secrecy — has cost the Catholic
Church in America $4 billion since 1950 in settlements, therapy for victims,
and other cost – so they are motivated to keep survivors from suing them.
Since
the movie opened, bishops are all making statements --Cardinal Sean P.
O’Malley, the archbishop of Boston and a top adviser to Pope Francis on clergy
sexual abuse policy, was among the first to speak up. He said the church must
continue to seek forgiveness from victims and to make amends. But Terry
McKiernan of Bishop Accountability, an organization that tracks the abuse
crisis, said the bishops have failed to fully address issues related to the
abuse crisis that remain unresolved.
The
bishops could have agreed to make lists of abusive priests available nationwide
said Terry. Only about 30 of the 178 dioceses have done so, he said. Although
the Boston diocese provided a list, advocates complain it is incomplete. More
than 2,400 abusive priests nationwide have never been named, Terry said, and it
is impossible to know how many are still living.
“In
a way, the movie is all about that issue: Who are these men who have done these
things, how many are there, what are their names? Where have they worked? What
have they done? It’s all about making a list,” he said. “I think it’s such an
obvious thing to address for the bishops, especially those who haven’t made a
list yet.” The bishops are all getting
on the “we’re sorry” bandwagon but don’t talk about the failures where bishops
are doing the same coverups as in Kansas City, Mo. and Minneapolis.
If
the church really wanted to do something they would do what Terry says, publish
the lists of all pedophile priests – and also of the bishops who covered up for
them. The pope should take responsibility for his employees and what they do --
if he doesn’t, he is an enabler of child
abuse. He should be outraged at what was done and is still being done to
children. He makes saints of pedophile enablers and spends his time worrying
about climate issues rather than saving the children and helping those already
devastated by the abuse.
We
thank everyone who made the movie possible and encourage you to see the movie
and tell everyone you know about it. It
is only when evil hits the “Spotlight” that we can stop it.
