"Spotlight" starring Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo as reporters working on the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of paedophile Roman Catholic priests deals with just a fraction sexual predation in the Church, its director says.
Reports of sexual misconduct by the late British entertainer Jimmy Savile and other high profile cases are an indication of the global scope of the problem, and of failures to deal with it, Tom McCarthy said before his film's screening on Thursday at the Venice Film Festival.
"These moments where we know people have done things wrong and we don’t, as a society, we don’t stand up to them, it takes years and years and years and the question is why? Why does it take so long?," McCarthy said in an interview on Wednesday.
The Globe's Spotlight team exposed the attacks over a period of decades and girls by priests in the Boston archdiocese who molested young boys but instead of being reported to the police were given counselling and moved to a different parish. The expose led to the resignation of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law in 2002.
The film for the most part focuses on how the Globe's team tracked down and confronted some of the offending priests.
They interviewed victims who were still distraught and disturbed decades later, and established that the Roman Catholic Church had a policy of paying victims to remain silent, and not rock the boat by making their allegations public.
McCarthy said that despite making some concessions to legal authorities by eventually turning over church records, he doubted the Church had fundamentally reformed.
“There are still cases in the Church, right? The new Pope (Francis) just appointed a tribunal with Cardinal (Sean Patrick) O’Malley out of Boston to oversee these cases but then SNAP (a victims' group) and all these different organisations are saying it’s not enough, you’ve appointed an in-house tribunal, we are not going to get justice from that," McCarthy said.
"I still believe in the Catholic Church, I believe in the good they can do but they are an institution that has to sort of take responsibility for the crimes they’ve committed against their parishioners and their constituency and own it - and they are not yet."
Ruffalo said he hoped the film would help to build pressure on the Church to undertake further reforms.
"Many people left the Catholic faith because of a lot of this and it suffered but I feel like maybe now we can have a discussion with the Pope that’s in...and maybe it could start doing some reparations to the credibility of an institution that has meant a lot to people over the centuries.
"I think it’s essential, it must be done."
Reuters
Fri Sep 04 2015
Cast member Mark Ruffalo poses at the premiere of "Infinitely Polar Bear" part of the Los Angeles Film Festival at Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles, California June 14, 2015. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/Files
Lebih dua suspek dipercayai terlibat kes samun Akhyar Rashid
Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Terengganu, ACP Azli Mohd Noor berkata ia berdasarkan keterangan mangsa.
Sentuhan berbisa Erling Haaland hakis kegusaran Guardiola
Kemenangan itu melanjutkan rekod tanpa kalah Man City dalam EPL kepada 20 perlawanan.
AWANI Ringkas: PM: Kerajaan belum ada keputusan muktamad
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Pemuda maut motosikal bergesel lori di BKE
Pemuda maut motosikal bergesel lori di BKE
Seorang pemuda maut selepas motosikal ditunggang bergesel dengan lori di Kilometer 13.9 Lebuhraya Butterworth Kulim (BKE), tengah hari Sabtu.
Seorang pemuda maut selepas motosikal ditunggang bergesel dengan lori di Kilometer 13.9 Lebuhraya Butterworth Kulim (BKE), tengah hari Sabtu.
Hatrik Cristiano Ronaldo belasah Al Wedha
Pemain veteran Portugal itu dua kali menemui penyudah dalam tempoh 12 minit pertama sebelum melengkapkan hatriknya selepas rehat.
Lapan tahun rogol anak, suami isteri ditahan
Hasil siasatan awal dapati kejadian berlaku sejak tahun 2016 sehinggalah kejadian terbaru pada tahun 2024 dan semua kejadian berlaku dalam bilik rumahnya di Kampung Chuah, Port Dickson.
Dakwaan Subsidi: PM tegaskan kerajaan belum buat keputusan
Tegas Perdana Menteri, setakat ini belum ada sebarang keputusan muktamad diputuskan kerajaan berhubung subsidi bahan terbabit walaupun ada perbincangan awal bersama Jemaah Menteri.
Astro Kem Badminton: 363 peserta hadir di Pulau Pinang
Ibu bapa boleh daftarkan anak-anak yang berusia 10 hingga 12 tahun secara percuma melalui web rasmi www.astro.com.my/rancangan/kem-badminton atau boleh juga walk-in pada tarikh yang ditetapkan di lokasi berdekatan anda.
Panama bersedia untuk Pemilihan Presiden
Rakyat Panama berharap pilihan raya itu akan membawa perubahan dalam kepimpinan negara.
Kabinet belum bincang isu kenaikan harga petrol, diesel - PM
Laporan negatif media asing berhubung isu itu dilihat dibuat tanpa fakta sahih yang disemak terlebih dahulu.
'The Hulk' pertahan rakyat Palestin, bidas Netanyahu label sebagai "kerosakan sampingan"
Pelakon yang terkenal dengan watak 'The Hulk' itu membela rakyat Palestin, dengan menegaskan mereka juga adalah manusia yang 'kebetulan' dilahirkan di negara itu.
Mark Ruffalo, DJ Khaled, Gigi dan Bella Hadid antara selebriti zahir solidariti buat Palestin
Ramai selebriti terkemuka tidak duduk diam menyatakan solidariti mereka malah mengecam tindakan Israel menyerang Palestin.
Selebriti dunia kongsi simpati tragedi Christchurch
Tidak ketinggalan selebriti terkemuka juga melontarkan reaksi dan belas kasihan atas kekejaman pengganas dalam tragedi yang mengejutkan itu.
'Tiada siapa dapat gantikan Stan Lee! Ini luahan hati pasukan 'adiwira' sedunia
Pelakon-pelakon filem ''Avengers' juga turut meluahkan rasa sedih di laman sosial mereka atas pemergian legenda tersebut.
Avengers 4 hampir siap, gambar cetus pelbagai persoalan
Marvel mengumumkan secara rasmi penggambaran bagi siri keempat filem itu telah siap selepas mengambil masa lebih enam bulan.