Deliver Us from Evil (2006 film)

Deliver Us from Evil (2006) is an Academy Award-nominated documentary film directed by Amy Berg which tells the true story of the pedophile Catholic priest Oliver O'Grady, who sexually abused potentially hundreds of children between the late 1970s and early 1990s. The film won the Best Documentary Award at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival. The title refers to a line in the Lord's Prayer, or the "Our Father." The film chronicles O'Grady's years as a priest in Northern California, where he committed his crimes. After being convicted and serving seven years in prison, O'Grady was deported to Ireland, where Amy Berg interviewed him in 2005. O'Grady speaks candidly about his crimes. Additionally, the film presents trial documents, videotaped depositions, and interviews with activists, theologians, psychologists and lawyers which suggest that not only were Church officials aware of O'Grady's crimes, they actively took steps to conceal them.^{[1] [2]} The Irish Independent criticized Amy Berg for filming children in Ireland without their knowledge.^[3] The film was very well received by critics, earning a rare 100% 'fresh' review from RottenTomatoes.com^[4]. As of December 2007, the film ranks 4th on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the best reviewed movies of all time ^[5].

Some movie claims

Over 100,000 victims of clergy sexual abuse have come forward in the United States (alone).

Experts say more than 80% of sexual abuse victims never report their abuse.

Most countries are just beginning to report clergy abuse.

Since 1950, sexual abuse has cost the US Catholic Church over one billion dollars in legal settlements and expenses (not including the LA settlement).

Pope Benedict XVI was accused of conspiracy to cover up sexual abuse in the United States. At the Vatican's request, President Bush granted the pope immunity from prosecution.

The John Jay Report (2004) commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was based on surveys completed by the Catholic dioceses in the United States. The Report found accusations against 4,392 priests in the USA, about 4% of all priests who served between 1950 and 2002. The study also revealed that 10,667 people reported that they had been abused by priests as children during that period.

Related Claims:
On July 16, 2007, Cardinal Roger Mahony (Archbishop of Los Angeles) and the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles apologized for abuses by priests after 508 victims reached to a record-breaking settlement worth $660m. Since 2002 nearly 1,000 people filed sexual abuse claims in California. Earlier a $157m settlement was paid by the diocese of Boston.

A.W. Richard Sipe, a psychotherapist, former priest and author of 'Sex, Priests and Power' estimates that about 6% of priests have had sexual relations with children. He calls the John Jay study's finding that fewer than 11,000 children have been abused "not possible. That's low-balling."

Considering that only 20% of the victims report their abuse, we come up with the staggering figure of approximately half a Million Americans or almost one in a hundred Catholics having been sexually abused by Priests.

References

See also

• Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
• Roger Cardinal Mahony#Controversy
• Roman Catholic priests accused of sex offenses
• Ferns Report, on sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns, Ireland
• Crimen sollicitationis
• Pontifical Secret
• Sex Crimes and the Vatican (Panorama Documentary Episode)
• Barbara Blaine, founder of SNAP (Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests)
• Pedophilia and child sexual abuse in films
• Bad Education, Spanish film dealing with the aftermath of Clerical Abuse

External links

• Deliver Us From Evil at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with director Amy Berg - /Film
• [1]
• Official website for Editor / Producer Matthew Cooke