‘spotlight’ Shows How Church Was Impelled to Act, O’malley Says

By Lisa Wangsness
Boston Globe
October 29, 2015

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/29/cardinal-malley-says-spotlight-movie-shows-how-church-was-impelled-deal-with-clergy-abuse/Efc7oCeEq6m2JCRKs376NL/story.html

Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley says the forthcoming “Spotlight” film chronicling The Boston Globe’s investigation of child sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church illustrates how the newspaper’s reports prompted the church “to deal with what was shameful and hidden.”

In a statement to the archdiocesan newspaper The Pilot on Thursday, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston said the movie depicts “a very painful time” in church history. He said the church continues to seek the forgiveness of those harmed, and he reiterated his commitment to ridding the church of abusive priests.

“The Archdiocese of Boston is fully and completely committed to zero tolerance concerning the abuse of minors,” he said. “We follow a vigorous policy of reporting and disclosing information concerning allegations of abuse.”

O’Malley has not seen the movie yet, but plans to do so, a church spokesman said. It premiered in New York and Boston this week, and the film’s distributors held a screening for abuse survivors Thursday night in Boston. The film, which has won critical acclaim in early reviews,