MASSACHUSETTS
Eagle-Tribune
Posted: Friday, November 6, 2015
By Mike LaBella mlabella@eagletribune.com
HAVERHILL — A major motion picture about a newspaper investigation into the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal is showing in theaters, and the character of Ronald Paquin, a former Haverhill and Methuen priest, has a strong presence in the film.
Paquin is free after serving 12 years in prison for raping boys while he was a priest. The Essex District Attorney tried recently to get him committed to a mental hospital, where he would be held after his prison term, but a judge refused.
Boston lawyer Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented more than 100 victims of the scandal and currently represents victims from 13 different countries, recently filed a civil suit against the Archdiocese on behalf of a former Haverhill woman who said she was sexually abused by already convicted Haverhill priest Kelvin Iguabita.
Garabedian said he recently attended a screening of the movie “Spotlight” and found it to be accurate for the most part. Actor Stanley Tucci portrays Garabedian in the movie.
“It’s a powerful film that drives home a message of the evils of clergy sexual abuse,” Garabedian said. “It also addresses the cover up by the church, the power and influence of the Catholic church, and the ability to have the truth revealed. It’s a film that shows how the law, the media, and victims of clergy sexual abuse are combined to overcome the most powerful institution in the world.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.