Sunday, September 20, 2015
Saturday, September 19, 2015
Thank you, Gary Bergeron
BOSTON MASSACHUSETTS, SEPTEMBER 19, 2015
The following is a statement released by Survivors Voice Co-Founder Gary Bergeron on the invitation extended to Pope Francis to address the US Congress: "The term ‘History will be the judge’ is often used when speaking of public officials. The public and quite often members of the press continue to display what seems, at times, to be an almost a giddy admiration of Pope Francis as he begins his journey to the United States. As an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I would like the public to reflect on the recent history of the institution this man heads. "The United Nations investigated the Vatican and concluded that 'The Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which has led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators' This is not ancient history, or decade old history. This report was released in 2014. "Justice, is the term most victims of crime use when asked what they seek. For adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the term ‘Justice’ is an elusive term rarely obtainable. One of the major road blocks continues to be the statute of limitations surrounding childhood sexual assault. "While under the leadership of Pope Francis, this institution continues to fight Statute of Limitations reform in nearly every state where such laws have been proposed, even hiring lobbyists and public relations firms in some states to bolster letters to parishioners and admonitions from the pulpit. This is not ancient history. Pennsylvania State Representative Mark Rozzi has testified that this practice continues to this very day. (Source: Reuters News Organization - ‘The Catholic Church is fighting to block bills that would extend the statute of limitations for reporting sex abuse’ September 10th, 2015 http://www.businessinsider.com/r-as-pope-visit-nears-us-sex-victims-say-church-remains-obstacle-to-justice-2015-9) "For the 60 million adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the United States (Source: United States Department of Health and Human Services) Justice, while elusive, can be found in accountability and in change. If the true test of the morality of a society is how it treats its children, then the moral compass we use to measure ourselves as a country must be changed. Those responsible, regardless of their position or power, must be held accountable. "In a country founded on the principals of separation of church and state, the hypocrisy of inviting Pope Francis to address congress is equal to the fact that while thousands of survivors have found the courage to speak of their abuse, not one senator or one congressman has had the courage to investigate the institution or its leaders which have caused it. "This hypocrisy will only be corrected when instead of being invited to address Congress, Pope Francis is called to testify at congressional hearings on the sexual abuse of children by the very institution he leads." Gary Bergeron, an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a catholic priest, is the Co-Founder of Survivors Voice, an organization founded to help adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. He is the author of the book ‘Don’t call me a victim, Faith, Hope & Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church’ and also the executive producer of the documentary film ‘BASTA, No Pity-No Shame-No Silence’.
The following is a statement released by Survivors Voice Co-Founder Gary Bergeron on the invitation extended to Pope Francis to address the US Congress: "The term ‘History will be the judge’ is often used when speaking of public officials. The public and quite often members of the press continue to display what seems, at times, to be an almost a giddy admiration of Pope Francis as he begins his journey to the United States. As an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, I would like the public to reflect on the recent history of the institution this man heads. "The United Nations investigated the Vatican and concluded that 'The Holy See has not acknowledged the extent of the crimes committed, has not taken the necessary measures to address cases of child sexual abuse and protect children, and has adopted policies and practices which has led to the continuation of the abuse by and the impunity of the perpetrators' This is not ancient history, or decade old history. This report was released in 2014. "Justice, is the term most victims of crime use when asked what they seek. For adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, the term ‘Justice’ is an elusive term rarely obtainable. One of the major road blocks continues to be the statute of limitations surrounding childhood sexual assault. "While under the leadership of Pope Francis, this institution continues to fight Statute of Limitations reform in nearly every state where such laws have been proposed, even hiring lobbyists and public relations firms in some states to bolster letters to parishioners and admonitions from the pulpit. This is not ancient history. Pennsylvania State Representative Mark Rozzi has testified that this practice continues to this very day. (Source: Reuters News Organization - ‘The Catholic Church is fighting to block bills that would extend the statute of limitations for reporting sex abuse’ September 10th, 2015 http://www.businessinsider.com/r-as-pope-visit-nears-us-sex-victims-say-church-remains-obstacle-to-justice-2015-9) "For the 60 million adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the United States (Source: United States Department of Health and Human Services) Justice, while elusive, can be found in accountability and in change. If the true test of the morality of a society is how it treats its children, then the moral compass we use to measure ourselves as a country must be changed. Those responsible, regardless of their position or power, must be held accountable. "In a country founded on the principals of separation of church and state, the hypocrisy of inviting Pope Francis to address congress is equal to the fact that while thousands of survivors have found the courage to speak of their abuse, not one senator or one congressman has had the courage to investigate the institution or its leaders which have caused it. "This hypocrisy will only be corrected when instead of being invited to address Congress, Pope Francis is called to testify at congressional hearings on the sexual abuse of children by the very institution he leads." Gary Bergeron, an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse by a catholic priest, is the Co-Founder of Survivors Voice, an organization founded to help adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. He is the author of the book ‘Don’t call me a victim, Faith, Hope & Sexual abuse in the Catholic Church’ and also the executive producer of the documentary film ‘BASTA, No Pity-No Shame-No Silence’.
Thank you, Bob Hoatson
MEDIA RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 18-19, 2015 – PAPAL VISIT EVENT
NEW YORK
Road to Recovery
PAPAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES SHOULD INCLUDE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN
What
A press conference and distribution of flyers alerting Catholics, the media, and general public that Pope Francis has not made clergy sexual abuse and TRANSPARENCY about it a focus of his visit to the United States beginning September 22, 2015
When
Sunday, September 20, 2015 from 10:00 am until Noon
Where
On the public sidewalk in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets, Manhattan, New York City
Who
Victim/survivors of sexual abuse and members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, including its co-founder and President, Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., who was sexually abused as a young adult by religious brothers (including Irish Christian Brother John P. O’Brien who later became an Archdiocese of New York priest, and Irish Christian Brother Joseph Mark Clark, his novice master). Robert Hoatson was abused in the Archdiocese of New York and in other dioceses and counties of the State of New York and was found to be credible by the Irish Christian Brothers
Why
Victim/survivors of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic hierarchy, clergy, religious life, and other church personnel are not able to share in the excitement of the visit of Pope Francis because they have yet to receive the TRUTH about their abusers and enablers. The Catholic Church is still not TRANSPARENT about sexual abuse of children, teenagers and vulnerable adults, and Pope Francis himself has not yet acted definitively regarding abusers who are still in ministry and not removed from the clerical or religious states, bishops who have covered up, and how victim/survivors will be given the resources and services they need to recover. Demonstrators will call on Catholics to demand of Pope Francis that he:
1) Admit his own lack of transparency about what he knew about cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
2) Publicly release the names of all priests, deacons, religious brothers and nuns, and all other employees of the Catholic Church who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of children;
3) Publicly release the names of the thousands of bishops who have allowed the sexual abuse of innocent children to occur; and,
4) Meet with victim/survivors to discuss the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the healing process, and programs that address the safety of children.
Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc., Livingston, NJ 07039 – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250
Road to Recovery
PAPAL VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES SHOULD INCLUDE TRANSPARENCY REGARDING SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN
What
A press conference and distribution of flyers alerting Catholics, the media, and general public that Pope Francis has not made clergy sexual abuse and TRANSPARENCY about it a focus of his visit to the United States beginning September 22, 2015
When
Sunday, September 20, 2015 from 10:00 am until Noon
Where
On the public sidewalk in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Fifth Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets, Manhattan, New York City
Who
Victim/survivors of sexual abuse and members of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families, including its co-founder and President, Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., who was sexually abused as a young adult by religious brothers (including Irish Christian Brother John P. O’Brien who later became an Archdiocese of New York priest, and Irish Christian Brother Joseph Mark Clark, his novice master). Robert Hoatson was abused in the Archdiocese of New York and in other dioceses and counties of the State of New York and was found to be credible by the Irish Christian Brothers
Why
Victim/survivors of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic hierarchy, clergy, religious life, and other church personnel are not able to share in the excitement of the visit of Pope Francis because they have yet to receive the TRUTH about their abusers and enablers. The Catholic Church is still not TRANSPARENT about sexual abuse of children, teenagers and vulnerable adults, and Pope Francis himself has not yet acted definitively regarding abusers who are still in ministry and not removed from the clerical or religious states, bishops who have covered up, and how victim/survivors will be given the resources and services they need to recover. Demonstrators will call on Catholics to demand of Pope Francis that he:
1) Admit his own lack of transparency about what he knew about cases of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
2) Publicly release the names of all priests, deacons, religious brothers and nuns, and all other employees of the Catholic Church who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of children;
3) Publicly release the names of the thousands of bishops who have allowed the sexual abuse of innocent children to occur; and,
4) Meet with victim/survivors to discuss the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the healing process, and programs that address the safety of children.
Contacts
Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc., Livingston, NJ 07039 – 862-368-2800
Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250
Friday, September 18, 2015
Just ship the perp priests to Latin America
Astounding, from Boston local NPR station
Posted by
Investigators Allege a Clergy Abuse PipeLine: From The USA to Latin America
UNITED STATES WGBH [with audio] By PHILLIP MARTIN
Pope Francis arrives in the United States next week and will be traveling to DC, New York and Philadelphia. Boston, the nation’s 4th largest archdiocese, is not part of the Pope’s agenda on this trip. No doubt such a visit would have resurrected still unresolved issues connected to the Sex Abuse Scandal. But this week the issue came to the surface with the publication of a new investigative report tracing some accused clergy to parishes outside the U.S. What happens to Catholic clergy accused of sexually molesting children? Some have been successfully sued. A handful have been convicted. And some of them have ended up presiding over parishes throughout Latin America.
Pope Francis arrives in the United States next week and will be traveling to DC, New York and Philadelphia. Boston, the nation’s 4th largest archdiocese, is not part of the Pope’s agenda on this trip. No doubt such a visit would have resurrected still unresolved issues connected to the Sex Abuse Scandal. But this week the issue came to the surface with the publication of a new investigative report tracing some accused clergy to parishes outside the U.S. What happens to Catholic clergy accused of sexually molesting children? Some have been successfully sued. A handful have been convicted. And some of them have ended up presiding over parishes throughout Latin America.
Posted by
Kay
Ebeling
Producer, City of Angels Blog
Not just L.A., the City of Angels Is Everywhere
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
It worked with pedophile priests, why not try it with politics, climate, economics etc.
When I see all the false facts released as news today, I can't help but think: They tried this technique out on us first. The Catholic church's misinformation campaign about pedophile priests worked so well, the "powers" decided to use it now on the entire nation's population.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Spotlight Toronto Reviews: Oscars, pedophile priest crimes in news coming soon
Reviews and articles about Spotlight from Toronto Film Fest linked here: (UPDATED through Sept 21)
SEPT 16
From Sept 14-15
MORE
MORE
-
MORE (from Twitter #Spotlightmovie
More to Come...
'
September 7, 2015
More
More (Sept 20)
More Sept. 21
***********************
Posted by Kay Ebeling,
producer, City of Angels Blog
The City of Angels Is Everywhere
SEPT 16
Why Spotlight Is the Best Picture Front-Runner
Slate Magazine (blog) - 1 hour ago
This article originally appeared in Vulture. I recently had dinner with a top film publicist who remarked that the start of Oscar season feels a little quieter than usual. A lot of the presumptive contenders have started screening to so-so reviews, she ...
From Sept 14-15
- More To Come, see also:
- 'Spotlight' Links (thanks to Abuse Tracker and Bis...
- Spotlight on Spotlight, Videos
- YES! Director of Spotlight goes after Vatican
- Reactions to Spotlight are in and, WOW!
- Spotlight on Spotlight 2
- Spotlight on Spotlight
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted.@MarkRuffalo joined us for SPOTLIGHT & #Periscope'd his view from the #TIFF15 red carpet http://ow.ly/Sd627
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedWrote about SPOTLIGHT, which I loved, loved, loved. My favorite movie of the year so far. #TIFF15 http://uproxx.it/1FaONEx
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedI think we've got a Best Picture frontrunner now, and it's the terrific SPOTLIGHT. My take: http://bit.ly/1VYztPA
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedSPOTLIGHT is flawless: A rigorous, humane investigation story that left this lapsed Catholic (and child of newspaper people) teary. #TIFF15
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedWow, SPOTLIGHT is spellbinding. Easily one of the best movies of the year, not just #TIFF2015 & best journalism film since President's Men.
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedSO PROUD of our friend @briandarcyjames, who gives a superb, game-changing performance in @SpotlightMovie ##TIFF
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedSPOLIGHT is picking up awards buzz by the hour at #TIFF. As the lights go down on the public screening, my review: http://mashable.com/2015/09/14/spotlight-review-toronto-international-film-festival-boston-globe-catholic-church/#CYVU8jxDGPkt …
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted'Spotlight' movie review: A thrilling dive into masterful journalism http://on.mash.to/1QB9v1D
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedSPOTLIGHT is not only a terrific movie with an amazing cast, but it has a rare understanding of how newspapers actually work. #TIFF15
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedLong, long lineup for #Spotlight. Around the block, across the street, down another block. #TIFF15
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweeted
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedA roundup of "Spotlight" movie reaction from critics at the Toronto International Film Festival http://bos.gl/63nCisK
- SPOTLIGHT Movie retweetedSPOTLIGHT could easily win a whole bunch of awards http://vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/09/spotlight-toronto-review-oscars … #tiff15
VANITY FAIR 
TIFF 
Mike Ryan 
Sasha Stone 
Kyle Buchanan 
Vulture 
Brian Raftery 
Kevin Polowy 
Scott Mantz 
Anthony Bonato 
Meredith Goldstein 
Josh Lincoln Dickey 
Mashable 
Matt Carroll 
Lou Lumenick 
Donna Tranquada 
Spotlight Team 
The Boston Globe 
Richard Lawson MORE
MORE
-
Michael Keaton is back in the Oscar-season Spotlight
Entertainment Weekly - 4 hours ago
When director Tom McCarthy told Walter “Robby” Robinson that Michael Keaton would be playing him in Spotlight, the true story of the Boston Globe reporters who exposed the Roman Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal in 2002, the veteran journalist was ...
‘Danish Girl,’ ‘Spotlight” to open Mill Valley Film Fest http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Danish-Girl-Spotlight-to-open-Mill-6504305.php?cmpid=twitter-tablet … via @SFGate @spotlightmovie @MVFilmfest #spotlightmovie
- The sad, sad news biz: Even as #SpotlightMovie celebrates @BostonGlobe , 12 journos there let go. http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/09/15/boston-dot-com-layoffs/ …
- Investigative journalism and perseverance. #SpotlightMovie shines as a #TIFF favorite. http://iTunes.com/TIFF
Jim Rainey
iTunes Movies
‘Spotlight’ movie reaction from critics in Toronto http://www.bostonglobe.com/2015/09/14/spotlight-movie-reaction-from-critics-toronto/8psNrWFrCNUNb3RBMWm95M/story.html?event=event25 … via @BostonGlobe @SpotlightMovie #SpotlightMovie @Participant
- #SpotlightMovie is superb and a surefire Oscar contender. Our review: http://screencrush.com/spotlight-review-tiff/ … #TIFF15
ScreenCrush Did Pope Francis Pick Philly Over Beantown To Avoid The Abuse 'Spotlight'?
BOSTON (MA)
WGBH
It was January 2002 when the Boston Globe’s spotlight team broke the stunning news about widespread sexual abuse in the Catholic Church — dozens of priests accused of molesting children, and rather than confront the problem, the church instead moved those priests from parish to parish, hiding their pasts from unsuspecting new victims.
James Porter, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan were three priests who were said to have had as many as 100 victims each — victims whose parents complained to the Boston Archdiocese. At the time, Boston Cardinal Bernard Law admitted he knew John Geoghan had been accused of molesting children, saying:
“I was aware of the case. I was aware of the way the case was being handled. I was aware of the advice that was being given… and as I have indicated before — in retrospect — mistakes were made … I’ve acknowledged that the policy was flawed.
Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:25 PM
WGBH
It was January 2002 when the Boston Globe’s spotlight team broke the stunning news about widespread sexual abuse in the Catholic Church — dozens of priests accused of molesting children, and rather than confront the problem, the church instead moved those priests from parish to parish, hiding their pasts from unsuspecting new victims.
James Porter, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan were three priests who were said to have had as many as 100 victims each — victims whose parents complained to the Boston Archdiocese. At the time, Boston Cardinal Bernard Law admitted he knew John Geoghan had been accused of molesting children, saying:
“I was aware of the case. I was aware of the way the case was being handled. I was aware of the advice that was being given… and as I have indicated before — in retrospect — mistakes were made … I’ve acknowledged that the policy was flawed.
Posted by Kathy Shaw at 2:25 PM
'
September 7, 2015
Spotlight, the Catholic Sex-Abuse Drama, Is a Worst-to-First Triumph
UNITED STATES
GQ
By Scott Tobias
In the 16 years I've been attending the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom McCarthy's The Cobbler may be the single worst movie I've seen here. And during that time, I'm typically seeing four or five movies a day over seven to ten days, so conservatively speaking, I've seen somewhere around 500 movies. Many of them are terrible: Bloated awards-trawlers, impenetrable navel-gazers, "discoveries" by first-time/last-time directors, and those random slot-fillers that yield a masterpiece two percent of the time and a dud the other ninety-eight. But The Cobbler was a special kind of misfire, a magical realist comedy featuring unsettling racial overtones, Adam Sandler at his most clinically depressed, and a shocking series of third-act misjudgments.
As I wrote at the time, "The Cobbler is a paradox: A film that must be seen to be believe, but mustn't be seen." One year later, however, McCarthy is back with Spotlight, a gripping account of the Boston Globe's comprehensive investigation of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church, and among people who report on Best Picture frontrunners, it has been declared the Best Picture frontrunner. As worst-to-first comebacks go, pick your analogy: The 1991 Minnesota Twins, '80s Neil Young to '90s Neil Young, 1941 to Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's tempting to say that The Cobbler is the sort of terrible movie that only a great director could make, but McCarthy isn't some cinematic visionary. His other films—The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win—are all small-scale, accessible, meat-and-potatoes dramas that rely on well-honed performances and empathetic storytelling. With The Cobbler, he made the mistake of trying to sing in a higher octave.
Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:34 AM
GQ
By Scott Tobias
In the 16 years I've been attending the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom McCarthy's The Cobbler may be the single worst movie I've seen here. And during that time, I'm typically seeing four or five movies a day over seven to ten days, so conservatively speaking, I've seen somewhere around 500 movies. Many of them are terrible: Bloated awards-trawlers, impenetrable navel-gazers, "discoveries" by first-time/last-time directors, and those random slot-fillers that yield a masterpiece two percent of the time and a dud the other ninety-eight. But The Cobbler was a special kind of misfire, a magical realist comedy featuring unsettling racial overtones, Adam Sandler at his most clinically depressed, and a shocking series of third-act misjudgments.
As I wrote at the time, "The Cobbler is a paradox: A film that must be seen to be believe, but mustn't be seen." One year later, however, McCarthy is back with Spotlight, a gripping account of the Boston Globe's comprehensive investigation of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church, and among people who report on Best Picture frontrunners, it has been declared the Best Picture frontrunner. As worst-to-first comebacks go, pick your analogy: The 1991 Minnesota Twins, '80s Neil Young to '90s Neil Young, 1941 to Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's tempting to say that The Cobbler is the sort of terrible movie that only a great director could make, but McCarthy isn't some cinematic visionary. His other films—The Station Agent, The Visitor, and Win Win—are all small-scale, accessible, meat-and-potatoes dramas that rely on well-honed performances and empathetic storytelling. With The Cobbler, he made the mistake of trying to sing in a higher octave.
Posted by Kathy Shaw at 6:34 AM
'Spotlight' And 'Truth' Shine Brighter Than 'Trumbo' At The Toronto Film Festival
Tom McCarthy's “Spotlight” chronicles the Boston Globe reporters who ... Michael Rezendez (Mark Ruffalo), Sacha Pfeiffer (Rachel McAdams) and ..
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More
'Carol' and 'Spotlight' Will Be HIFF Centerpiece Films
East Hampton Star (blog)-3 hours ago
Tom McCarthy directed Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d'Arcy James, and Stanley Tucci in the film, ...
MOVIE BLOG: Fall movie preview
The Sentinel (blog)-Sep 17, 2015
... “Spotlight” starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams as journalists investigating child molestation and the Catholic church; ...
More (Sept 20)
'Spotlight,' 'Carol' will feature in Hamptons film fest
Newsday - 16 hours ago
"Spotlight," the festival's Saturday centerpiece film, tells the story of The Boston Globe investigation that broke open the worldwide child-sex scandal within the Catholic Church. The cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams.
More Sept. 21
- how does the country root out pedophilia at its core if we ignore those in power who enable it. #SpotlightMovie http://cityofangels12.blogspot.com/2015/09/reporters-do-not-connect-dots-even.html …
- Great to hear #roomthemovie and #SpotlightMovie took the two top awards at #TIFF15 - well-deserved. Both will be major Oscar contenders.
- #SpotlightMovie is second runner-up of the People's Choice Award at #TIFF15 Awards: http://tiff.net/whats-on/news-events/room-pca-winner …
Kay Ebeling 
JoBlo.com 
Rachel McAdams [RMO] ***********************
Posted by Kay Ebeling,
producer, City of Angels Blog
The City of Angels Is Everywhere
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