Directed by: Amy Berg
Starring: Monsignor Cain, Oliver O'Grady, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, Nancy Sloan, Marie Jyono
Distributor: Lionsgate
Genre: Documentary
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 101 min
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10
Deliver Us From Evil follows Father O'Grady, the most notorious pedophile in contemporary history. O'Grady used his authority as a religious leader to exploit and rape dozens of children across California.
"He was a perfect example of that you would think a Priest would be.""He was the closest thing to God that we knew."
Being a victim of priest abuse himself, O'Grady looks at himself as an unfortunate product of his environment. Compared to the church representatives, O'Grady comes off as humble and obsequious man. It's easy to see why this man was so trusted by the numerous families he went on to hurt.
O'Grady tells the camera, the he "should have been removed" from priesthood by Cardinal Mahony. He claims that his superiors chose to ignore his condition rather than risk career advancement due to scandal. Instead he was put in counseling and re-assigned from paris to parish. At one point a Bishop promises to movie O'Grady to a monastery in exchange for no charges filed. Less than a year later, O'Grady was moved to a parish only an hour away.
Not one of O'Grady's superiors have faced any punishment. Cardinal Mahony denies having any significant contact with O'Grady, though documents seemingly prove otherwise.
Through side-stories, we learn how communion went from being a celebration of the lord to a political reward. And how much of the problem within the church could be stopped if priests were allowed to have families. As it turns out, being celibate to God is something fairly new. Even the fist Popes were allowed a wife and kids. It's really an interesting question. Normally I would say that having a wife would not stop a potential pedophile from striking against you kids but people seem to point to the Jewish religion where family is possible and none of these problems exist. May-be the Catholic religion attracts these type of people out of guilt? What is for sure, something should be done. But the Catholic Church refuses to even look at the problem, nevermind make changes.
What may be most disturbing is the fact that churches admit to not responding to complaints involving little girls, claiming it as "normal sexual curiosity." They don't see a difference in a victim that is five years old or 50 years old. But if the abused is male, than the church views this in a different light. Homosexuality is not considered "normal sexual curiosity."
In footage from the court deposition, Bishop Mahony claims he couldn't connect the dots from the more than a few cases in O'Grady's file. In the 2004 deposition footage, Mahoney states that expressing sexual urges toward a 9-year-old would not be automatic cause for removing a priest from duty. This is so unbelievable and crazy that this new footage has sparked a new interest among law enforcement officials, which according to the New York Times, are considering a criminal case against Cardinal Roger M Mahony.
What is really heartbreaking to watch is the footage of some of the families discussing how this man changed their lives forever. For years, Ann Marie Jyono hasn't been able to visit her parents without busting into tears. Her father, Bob, now refuses to ever set foot in a Catholic Church. And all the while he blames himself for the whole mess because he once told his daughter that he would kill anyone who ever hurt her. And because of that statement, she never spoke up. She didn't want her father to go to prison for murder.
But to think that O'Grady only received 7 years in prison, and now walks the streets free in his home country of Ireland.
The film's director Amy Berg spent a total of four years investigating pedophile priests for CBS and CNN. Berg chose not to include narration in the documentary because she says that she "wanted O'Grady and others to speak for themselves." She adds, "it didn't seem fair to add my opinion."
That isn't to say that Berg completely ignores the use of filmmaking devices to tell her story. O'Grady admits an attraction to young children in underwear while walking around a playground full of little kids. Berg also chose to play the audio of self described graphic abuse stories over footage of O'Grady praying in church.
The Los Angeles District Attorney has requested the full disclosure of the LA Archdiocese's personnel files that document complains and misconduct. Under Bishop Mahony's direction, the Los Angeles Archdiocese is spending $2 million dollars a month paying high-priced attorneys to prevent the release of this possibly incriminating information.
"These are million of dollars being spent for their protection, rather than the victims welfare. It shows where their priorities are," exclaims Berg. And I thought she wanted to let the film speak for itself...
The Los Angeles district attorney's office has over 500 civil suits, some naming Cardinal Mahony. If this film can reopen discussion, than it is a cause for celebration.
What really makes this more than a talking head affair, is the unprecedented access to an admitted pedophile priest. O'Grady's candor is both unsettling and frightening. Deliver Us From Evil is a disturbing expose into the Catholic Churches. A must see for any Catholic, past or present.
/Film Rating: 7 out of 10