SPOTLIGHT - a few thoughts on the issues the film raises

A movie depicting the Boston Globe newspaper's 2002 explosive revelation of historic and systemic child abuse in the Catholic church might not sound like hugely entertaining subject matter but it's compelling stuff. Spotlight is a story that needed telling and this well-paced and lucid movie handles the emotive material with a notable lack of hysteria without losing any of the impact. The film offers no easy answers to the many questions it poses - but then that's not the point. This is a dramatic recollection of a series of events that ultimately proves an effective conduit for debate, because like a good, investigative journalist, it pursues a story rather than an ideal.

One of the biggest issues that stood out for me was the idea that the widespread, endemic and *statistically consistent nature of the abuse would seem to point towards some kind of specific psychosis or 'condition'. (This was mentioned by an ex-priest-turned-therapist in a telephone conversation with one of the journalists.)

Are men with particular character traits attracted to the priesthood as a career that offers them free access to children? Possibly. Are some genuine in their faith but find themselves unable to control their urges once they are in such a position of power? Maybe. No doubt abuse happens in other organised religions but the fact that such a high percentage of Catholic priests have historically behaved in this way does seem to point to a specific combination of factors proving toxic.

The abolishment of celibacy for priests is frequently debated, but argue for it as a means to remove or even tackle the potential for abuse and the argument becomes flawed. Repressed sexuality per se cannot be responsible because obviously not everyone who is sexually repressed abuses children. The acquisition of power can lead to all sorts of unpleasant behaviours but thankfully it does not generally or necessarily include the direct abuse of children. And while the legacy of childhood abuse is far-reaching and corrosive, it does not follow that the victim will perpetuate the damage done to future generations. However, add these three components together, throw in the 'titillation' ecclesiastical guilt might provide and it seems you have all the ingredients for some kind of perverted 'perfect storm'. The icing on the cake being the absolute protection offered by the Catholic church; after all, why confront a problem when you can just move it to another parish or better still, a developing country? 

Apart from the phlegmatically evasive Cardinal Law (under whose watch this catalogue of abuse took place and who now *spoiler alert* languishes within the very corridors of power in Rome) no single human 'villain' is concentrated on in the movie because as each journalist peels away another onion skin, the problem is revealed to be far greater than the sum of its parts; the rot lies at the very core of the establishment and too many people have been complicit in its spread. If there is one pervasive thought the film carries it's that: 'it takes a whole village to raise a child and it also takes a whole village to abuse one'. In this way, Boston had become a kind of litmus paper that provided exactly the right sort of environment to nurture the perpetrators of such a fundamentally damaging crime. But Boston of course wasn't and isn't an isolated case, as the comprehensive list of cities and countries at the end of the film makes painfully clear.

So why has there never been a strong, decent and high-ranking enough member of the clergy to tackle this issue, this shuffling, elephantine shadow that lurks within the bosom of Catholic power? Because it would require nothing less than an overhaul of the entire foundations of the Church to destroy it. Time to step up, Pope Francis...? He has addressed it of course; he has apologised unequivocally. And an acknowledgement is a start, I guess.

We know that a mixture of breathtaking arrogance, shame and at best misplaced loyalty has perpetuated and facilitated the cycle of abuse. But now that that the game is up, where do we go from here? There is already a shortage of priests so it's safe to say that anything that might further jeopardise enrolment won't be explored. There are no easy solutions but I do know that unless someone does something to tackle the problem, this could be the beginning of the end of institutional Catholicism in the (so-called) developed world. It's hard enough to hold onto faith in a beautiful ideal when those who administer that ideal prove so wretchedly earthbound. 

One thing is for sure, 'sorry' means very little at this stage. People need to know that something robust is being done.

#Spotlight

*A recent, extensive survey indicates 4% of US Catholic priests were/are abusers. Spotlight suggests that figure to be as high as 6%.

The term 'abuse' in this article refers to 'child sexual abuse'.