NEW YORK
National Catholic Reporter
Beth Griffin | Feb. 10, 2015
New York
“I did what I did out of love for the church. I don’t have an axe to grind against the church,” said self-described whistleblower Fr. Ron Lemmert. “… Our bad shepherds have done terrible deeds that have caused the sheep to scatter and now we’re reaping the results.”
The New York archdiocesan priest is an inspiration for “A Matter of Conscience: Confronting Clergy Abuse,” a new documentary about Catholic priests and women religious who confronted clergy sexual abuse. Lemmert joined the co-producers of the film in a panel discussion Thursday following a screening at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in Manhattan.
The film, co-produced by Susan A. Michalczyk and John J. Michalczyk, examines the whistleblowers’ motives, actions and the considerable repercussions they experienced for speaking out against abuse. The couple, both professors at Boston College, made the film as a sequel to “Who Takes Away the Sins: Witnesses to Clergy Abuse,” a 2013 documentary compiled from interviews with survivors and advocates.
“You can’t be a bystander. You can’t look the other way. You can and must take a stand,” Susan Michalczyk said.
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