Spotlight on the Church

by Admin · March 9, 2016

When the film Spotlight won this year’s Oscar for Best Movie, many Catholics will have choked a little. The film’s subject matter is difficult to swallow: it charts the investigation by the Boston Globe newspaper into the systemic cover-up by Catholic Church leaders, and the whole system, of clerical abuse of minors.

The real-life Boston globe journalists who brought to light the cover-up of abuse in the archdiocese of Philadelphia. (Photo: Twitter.com)

At the same time many Catholics also lauded the film’s honour as an act of validation for the survivors of abuse.

The newspaper’s investigation, which broke to the public in early 2002, opened the floodgates to revelations of the mishandling—through conspiracy and incompetence—of reported clerical abuse by diocesan hierarchs, not only in the United States but throughout the Catholic world.

It became apparent that the culture of covering up abuses in order to preserve the Church’s good reputation was systemic, infecting not only diocesan chanceries but every level of the Body of Christ—even some families of abused youngsters.

Sadly, many in the Church reacted to these shocking revelations defensively, showing scant concern for the survivors of abuse. It took longer than it ever should have for the Church to find its way. By the time it did, the damage to its reputation was acute.

The distressing saga brought humiliation to the Church. It broke trust between Church leadership and laity. And it tarnished the Catholic priesthood which has become the undeserved target of hackneyed punchlines by legions of cut-price comedians who care little that the rate of abuse of minors by Catholic priests is roughly identical to that of the general population.

Since 2002, the Church has made massive strides in redressing its failings in protecting minors from predatory priests. Periodic lapses in good judgment notwithstanding, it is fair to say that today children are safer in the Catholic Church than they are in many other institutions, including religious bodies.

Strict protocols are in place to govern how allegations of abuse are to be handled.

In Southern Africa, all reports of abuse are referred to the police for investigation and possible prosecution before the Church initiates its own proceedings. During the investigation accused priests are removed from active parish ministry.

Similar strict protocols—some argue too strict—apply in the United States.

Pope Francis has set up a commission that is tasked to advise him on flaws in the systems. When a French monsignor recently advised newly-appointed bishops attending a training course in the Vatican that they are not required to report allegations of abuse to the police—an astonishingly ill-advised statement—the pope unambiguously and publicly corrected him.

In the US, several bishops have resigned under Pope Francis’ watch for having failed to deal properly with allegations of clerical abuse, though many others have not been held to account.

While one may argue about details and acknowledge that more work needs to be done, nobody can reasonably accuse the Church or the pope of inaction or of otherwise being insincere in the efforts to protect children.

So it was disappointing that Michael Sugar, the producer of Spotlight, in his Oscar acceptance speech offered Pope Francis his advice that “it’s time to protect the children and restore the faith”, as if the Church has been idle in the intervening 14 years.

Spotlight is an important and fair movie which has taken remarkably little artistic licence in dealing with the facts. It highlights an important service which a pool of investigative reporters did, not only to the survivors of abuse but also to the Catholic Church, a body which needed the painful lancing of a noxious boil.

The Boston Globe must be credited with setting in motion a global process of intense change in one of the world’s most powerful institutions.

Surely this is the crowning culmination of the work done by the courageous journalists who are depicted in the film.

There obviously won’t be a sequel to Spotlight. Nobody will want to see a film about how the Church has worked hard, in increments, to change itself—and doing so in the face of ongoing resistance from within and the refusal to assume responsibility by some Church leaders.

Perhaps that story cannot be fully told until that process of reform is completed. And we are not yet at that point.