UNITED STATES
First Things
by William Doino Jr.
3 . 14 . 16
When Spotlight, the critically acclaimed film about the Boston Globe’s investigation into clergy sexual abuse, won best picture at this year’s Oscars, producer Michael Sugar accepted the award with a message:
This film gave a voice to survivors and this Oscar amplifies that voice which we hope will become a choir that will resonate all the way to the Vatican. Pope Francis, it is time to protect the children, and restore the faith.
That statement was welcomed by many victims of clergy abuse, who believe the movie’s success validates their long fight for justice; but it was also criticized for leaving the impression that the Church has done nothing to combat sexual abuse since the Globe’s 2001-2002 investigation. As Joan Desmond, who covered the abuse crisis extensively, commented:
Did the producer stop researching this topic after the Globe published its page-one stories about the cover-up in Boston more than a decade earlier? Is Michael Sugar unaware that since 2002 the Church has mounted a massive campaign to establish and implement ambitious guidelines for the protection of children and young people?
It’s a necessary question, but it’s also fair to ask whether Pope Francis, for all the excellent things he has said and done about fighting the evil of clergy sexual abuse, has lived up to all his promises. The answer, at least at this point, is no. And there are fears that he may be backsliding.
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