Valley of the Shadow, The Times, October 28, 2007

Valley of the Shadow

The Times
October 28, 2007

http://www.thetimes.co.za/Entertainment/Movies/Article.aspx?id=592142

Reporter Amy Berg's painful documentary exposes sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. John Koch reports

CNN reporter Amy Berg tried to do a TV news story on the paedophile Father Oliver O'Grady who sexually abused hundreds of boys and girls. Whenever an accuser came forward O'Grady was rapidly moved to a new diocese, where he still had access to children. He was eventually brought to trial, but spent only seven years in prison and now lives free in Ireland.

PRAYED UPON: Hundreds of victims have come out with the truth

Berg says that she realised she was onto a bigger story when she was denied interviews by the church, in the person of Cardinal Roger Mahony, who was allegedly responsible for moving O'Grady from parish to parish to hide the scandal, without ever exposing him.

"As a journalist, whenever you're doing a story and the main person in the story will not be interviewed, it's a sign that you have to investigate more," says Berg. "The church makes its own rules. They won't talk to a journalist unless you give them all your questions in advance . "

The victims, however, spoke out. "Their characters were so incredible," says Berg, "their stories and their pain was so gut- wrenching and raw. That's what created the drama."

Berg did eventually persuade O'Grady, who still lives in Ireland, to talk to her and his interview is devastating. He denies nothing and shows scant penitence or remorse, not even when he talks about seducing a protective mother so that he could gain access to her 10-year-old son.

When Deliver Us from Evil was released, it won an Oscar and had an unexpected social impact. After its release, 45 victims of sexual abuse by clergy won their court cases against the archdiocese of Los Angeles and were given compensation for the acts committed against them .

The Los Angeles archdiocese currently has over 500 pending cases from alleged victims of clergy abuse, many of them naming Mahony, but Berg has reservations about whether attitudes have really changed.

"Now the church wants to paint O'Grady as a monster, but why didn't they take him out of his ministry in 1976 when he wrote a letter telling them what he had done? There are so many stories related to religious cover-ups and religious misconduct. The manipulation of power, especially religious power, on individuals can make people do crazy things" says Berg. — © 2007 New York Times Partner Publications