What do you know about the Spotlight movie?

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yellowbird said:
I think so much of the abuse happened in a different era. Attitudes in general were different. My elderly Mom talks about her Uncle - everyone knew he “fiddled” with little girls and the grown ups’ response was to “try to keep an eye on him” but that didn’t stop him from sexually abusing several of his young relatives. When he sexually abused a neighbor girl his family sent him back to Italy. The police were never called - it was all hushed up.

This was in the early 1950’s. No idea why that’s the way it was handled - just the way it was.
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I don’t know either. Now the pendulum has swung completely in the opposite direction which I think has resulted in some false accusationd and quick judgments. I am glad more precautions are in place.
 
We went to see SPOTLIGHT. Words defy the sickening feeling we experienced. Makes one feel hopeless.
 
Wannano said:
We went to see SPOTLIGHT. Words defy the sickening feeling we experienced. Makes one feel hopeless.
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This thread belongs in popular media forum but nevertheless, this is something that needs to be said! I believe this sex abuse crisis really blew big around 2010-2011 and I definitely remember being sick about this issue. The very fact that this would happen in God’s Holy Church and to His faithful children was beyond disturbing! Of course, there were many bishops that covered this up and as such were removed by Pope Benedict! If I recall correctly, he was responsible for many of the policies that were put into place to make sure this never happens again.

Still the very fact that it happened is disheartening, yet you must not lose faith in the Church of Rome. Corruption has entered its halls before and it is during such times that Saints were born to cleanse her spotless as our Lord wishes His bride to be.
 
I thought the movie was quite well done. I expected to be angry when I left, but ended up with an overall sense of sadness. Yes, there was evil done by those in the Church. But there was also evil on the part of lawyers who turned this into an income opportunity rather than an opportunity to make things right, and judges who approved non-disclosure agreements. Lots of blame to go around, but also recognition that we need a free press to be able to investigate hidden things and bring them to light.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
I thought the movie was quite well done. I expected to be angry when I left, but ended up with an overall sense of sadness. Yes, there was evil done by those in the Church. But there was also evil on the part of lawyers who turned this into an income opportunity rather than an opportunity to make things right, and judges who approved non-disclosure agreements. Lots of blame to go around, but also recognition that we need a free press to be able to investigate hidden things and bring them to light.
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I want to see the movie again because I have this feeling that I may have missed or misinterpreted some things. I thought they were saying that the church controlled the lawyers, judges etc. But yes I do realize this is a movie based on a true happening which may not necessarily present all things factual. Mostly my questions are of a deeper level than the happenings within the events. I am not a member of the Catholic Church but I do know that Catholic members go to Confession to have their sins forgiven by the priest. I am thinking I am right in believing that the priest acts as mediator between the person and God. If a priest would have this kind of sin his own life while forgiving others for their sins, is he really able to be effective before God on behalf of the other person? I guess you can tell I am not well versed in this but I hope you understand what I am asking.
 
Wannano said:
I am not a member of the Catholic Church but I do know that Catholic members go to Confession to have their sins forgiven by the priest. I am thinking I am right in believing that the priest acts as mediator between the person and God. If a priest would have this kind of sin his own life while forgiving others for their sins, is he really able to be effective before God on behalf of the other person? I guess you can tell I am not well versed in this but I hope you understand what I am asking.
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You’re right that Catholics go to confession to ask forgiveness for their sins.

In a perfect world, the priest would be a pure and holy man. And many of them are. Some – as the movie showed – are far from that ideal. But even a sinful priest can be a conduit for God’s love and mercy.

I was commenting to a friend that the lawyers didn’t particularly come off as any better than the priests in the movie. But then added that by my usual standards, I wouldn’t expect the conduct of priests and lawyers to be on the same level, so that’s not exactly a perfect comparison.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
I thought the movie was quite well done. I expected to be angry when I left, but ended up with an overall sense of sadness. Yes, there was evil done by those in the Church. But there was also evil on the part of lawyers who turned this into an income opportunity rather than an opportunity to make things right, and judges who approved non-disclosure agreements. Lots of blame to go around, but also recognition that we need a free press to be able to investigate hidden things and bring them to light.
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I agree. I also had a deep sadness.

By the way, there is already a thread on Popular Media forum about this movie. They should be combined.
 
DaddyGirl said:
But why hopeless?
Pope Francis is working hard to get to the bottom of this and make changes and try to ensure it stops.
Thank goodness this all came to light, or it could have gone on for many more years–who knows how many more children may have been hurt.
But we are moving in a positive, more open direction now, are we not?

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The movie audience gasped at end when it was revealed at the end that the Cardinal responsible for all the cover-up was removed from Boston to Rome where he enjoys a posting in a prestigious setting. This kind of justice creates a feeling of hopelessness. Why would lying and deception be rewarded?
 
Wannano said:
The movie audience gasped at end when it was revealed at the end that the Cardinal responsible for all the cover-up was removed from Boston to Rome where he enjoys a posting in a prestigious setting. This kind of justice creates a feeling of hopelessness. Why would lying and deception be rewarded?
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It kind of depends on how you look at it. Maybe Cardinal Law was rewarded. But there’s also the fact that he went from being head of an entire archdiocese to being basically the head of a single parish. And that parish was in Rome where the Pope could keep an eye on him.

And again, when it comes to an inadequate response, there were no criminal charges against him. The Church took him out of the immediate situation, but the State did nothing. I suppose the problem comes with statutes of limitation, but there have been very few arrests of either abusers or those who covered it up.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
It kind of depends on how you look at it. Maybe Cardinal Law was rewarded. But there’s also the fact that he went from being head of an entire archdiocese to being basically the head of a single parish. And that parish was in Rome where the Pope could keep an eye on him.

And again, when it comes to an inadequate response, there were no criminal charges against him. The Church took him out of the immediate situation, but the State did nothing. I suppose the problem comes with statutes of limitation, but there have been very few arrests of either abusers or those who covered it up.
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That answer is like a breath of fresh air, it is easy to jump to wrong conclusions based on limited information. I am hoping you are right.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
It kind of depends on how you look at it. Maybe Cardinal Law was rewarded. But there’s also the fact that he went from being head of an entire archdiocese to being basically the head of a single parish. And that parish was in Rome where the Pope could keep an eye on him.

And again, when it comes to an inadequate response, there were no criminal charges against him. The Church took him out of the immediate situation, but the State did nothing. I suppose the problem comes with statutes of limitation, but there have been very few arrests of either abusers or those who covered it up.
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Well to be fair the statute of limitations had often run in many of the cases to file anything criminally, and the evidence was even harder to come by often years or even decades later even in cases where the statute of limitations hadn’t run. However that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, or that it wasn’t capable of being proven to the civil standard, which is often why the civil cases that were filed were quietly settled out of court.

Watched the suit then settlement happen with 3 different priests including the monsignor pastor at my long time Catholic parish before I left. One even got to the trial phase and didn’t get settled until the sordid details were being discussed in open court. Also saw the latter happen with an avowed Jesuit novice at my Catholic high school. And at least one Jesuit priest at my Catholic university just during my time there.

Just because the church paid to keep the details locked away, doesn’t mean the priests were innocent. Quite the contrary to my mind.
 
Padres1969 said:
Just because the church paid to keep the details locked away, doesn’t mean the priests were innocent. Quite the contrary to my mind.
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Oh, I absolutely agree. I read somewhere that the various dioceses in the US paid out almost $4 billion in settlements. You don’t spend that kind of money if you think the priests are innocent.

The money is sad – think about any kind of project or program you like within the Church and think about what $4 billion could do, how many people it could reach and help. Beyond that, to my mind, at least, the Church has lost moral credibility and it will take a generation or more to recover.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Oh, I absolutely agree. I read somewhere that the various dioceses in the US paid out almost $4 billion in settlements. You don’t spend that kind of money if you think the priests are innocent.

The money is sad – think about any kind of project or program you like within the Church and think about what $4 billion could do, how many people it could reach and help. Beyond that, to my mind, at least, the Church has lost moral credibility and it will take a generation or more to recover.
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In another post on the thread about this movie in Popular Media is a link to a story of a priest who tried to warn people back in the 1950’s and no one listened. The Boston Globe was sent information in the 1990’s and did not investigate. In case there is any confusion, this story broke in 2002, not 2010 or 2011. Sadly in the theatre I went to people applauded at the end of the movie. it was sad to see the columns of cities where sex abuse cases had been reported. There were so many I did not have time to read them all. They were cities around the world.
 
7_Sorrows said:
In another post on the thread about this movie in Popular Media is a link to a story of a priest who tried to warn people back in the 1950’s and no one listened. The Boston Globe was sent information in the 1990’s and did not investigate. In case there is any confusion, this story broke in 2002, not 2010 or 2011. Sadly in the theatre I went to people applauded at the end of the movie. it was sad to see the columns of cities where sex abuse cases had been reported. There were so many I did not have time to read them all. They were cities around the world.
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Yeah. On the one hand it was the newspaper that finally broke the story, but as they showed in the movie, it could have been done years earlier. While this isn’t over yet – two American bishops resigned just this year over their actions regarding sex abuse cases – we can at least hope that it’s coming to its conclusion and that nothing like this will ever be allowed to happen again.
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Yeah. On the one hand it was the newspaper that finally broke the story, but as they showed in the movie, it could have been done years earlier. While this isn’t over yet – two American bishops resigned just this year over their actions regarding sex abuse cases – we can at least hope that it’s coming to its conclusion and that nothing like this will ever be allowed to happen again.
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I pray that it will come to an end! :crossrc:
 
7_Sorrows said:
I pray that it will come to an end! :crossrc:
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So do I, but it probably won’t. Sinners will not be weeded out until the last days, when the wheat will be separated from the chaff.

Just a note: statistically, there are fewer abusers/molesters in the Catholic church than among teachers.
Our culture is hooked on porn, and many make millions from it. This horror is one of the outcomes.

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JimG said:
I just read this recent review of the movie, by Anne Hendershott. Apparently, like any movie based on actual events, the movie narrative often digresses from factuality.

Here is the review:
crisismagazine.com/2015/shining-a-spotlight-on-hollywood-duplicity-and-bias
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even if the movie did take liberties, it cannot reverse what happened between these priests and their victims. I would like to hear from the Church herself to spotlight what happened. I still think Catholics deserve the truth. just because a critic gives a bad review should not detract from the seriousness of what happened by these priests.
 
7_Sorrows said:
even if the movie did take liberties, it cannot reverse what happened between these priests and their victims. I would like to hear from the Church herself to spotlight what happened. I still think Catholics deserve the truth. just because a critic gives a bad review should not detract from the seriousness of what happened by these priests.
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Of course it doesn’t. And I have read favorable reviews as well. But one person portrayed in the movie, as a villain, is suing to have his scene removed because it is false.

““The things they have me saying in the movie, I never said,” Dunn told the Boston Globe. The film depicts Dunn as indifferent to the fact that gay priests sexually assaulted seven male students at the high school over an 8-year period. “The way they have me saying those things, like I didn’t care about the victims, that I tried to make the story go away… The dialogue assigned to me is completely fabricated and represents the opposite of who I am and what I did on behalf of victims… They manufactured dialogue because they needed a villain and they chose apparently to make me a villain.””

When making a movie about actual events, is it fair to fabricate events? This man’s son had to defend his father to his friends when they saw the movie together.

I’ll admit, it’s hard to get everything right, but fabricated dialogue is just that.
 
JimG said:
Of course it doesn’t. And I have read favorable reviews as well. But one person portrayed in the movie, as a villain, is suing to have his scene removed because it is false.

““The things they have me saying in the movie, I never said,” Dunn told the Boston Globe. The film depicts Dunn as indifferent to the fact that gay priests sexually assaulted seven male students at the high school over an 8-year period. “The way they have me saying those things, like I didn’t care about the victims, that I tried to make the story go away… The dialogue assigned to me is completely fabricated and represents the opposite of who I am and what I did on behalf of victims… They manufactured dialogue because they needed a villain and they chose apparently to make me a villain.””

When making a movie about actual events, is it fair to fabricate events? This man’s son had to defend his father to his friends when they saw the movie together.

I’ll admit, it’s hard to get everything right, but fabricated dialogue is just that.
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no. I agree. if the dialogue was fabricated he has a right to sue. but how do you prove it was fabricated? I understood the points she was making, but I am just saying it shouldn’t detract from the sins committed by these priests.
Not sure how many awards this movie might receive. It will depend on what the competition is. For some people, it will be quickly forgotten.
 
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