Throwing the ‘Spotlight’ on Boston clergy abuse scandal
Print Edition
It was a scandal that shook the Roman Catholic Church to its core: Hundreds of priests molested children for decades and got away with it because church leaders covered it up.
More than a decade later, the story of how The Boston Globe exposed the church’s secret is being told in “Spotlight,” a movie starring Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo, set for release in the United States on November 6.
In Boston, where the scandal led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law and settlements with hundreds of victims, key figures featured in the film say it captures the shock of the scandal as it unfolded, the pain suffered by the victims and the work done by journalists to bring it to light.
“We obviously stumbled upon something far more extensive and horrifying than we had any right to expect to find,” recalled Walter Robinson — played by Keaton — who led the Globe’s Spotlight Team, the investigative unit that broke the scandal with a series of stories in 2002.
The stories detailed how church higher-ups — including Law — knew priests were abusing children but moved them from parish to parish instead of removing them. The series won the Pulitzer Prize for public service in 2003.
The film shows the anguish of victims as they tell their stories to Globe reporters. Actor Neal Huff plays Phil Saviano, a Boston man who was abused by a priest when he was 11.
In one scene, Huff holds a childhood photo. “When you’re a poor kid from a poor family and when a priest pays attention to you, it’s a big deal. How do you say no to God?” he says.
Alexa MacPherson, who was molested and sexually assaulted by a Boston priest for six years, starting at age 3, said she and several other victims plan to go see the movie together so they can support each other.
“I feel like in some ways it will be cathartic and healing, even though it brings stuff to the surface and the forefront.”
For the reporters, the film is a realistic depiction of both the failings and triumphs of journalism. Before the 2002 series, the Globe had written numerous stories about abusive priests but had not delved deeper to report on who within the archdiocese knew what was going on.
The movie, directed by Tom McCarthy, has already sparked some Oscar buzz. In its review, Variety compared it to one of the most famous movies about journalists — “All the President’s Men.”
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