Church paedophilia film gets Oscar nomination
January 25th, 2007 by Zsofia
“Deliver Us From Evil” exposes paedophilia and corruption at the Catholic church through the story of “Father” Oliver O’Grady, whose abusive behaviour in the 1970s was covered up by the Church. Directed by Amy Berg, the film has been nominated for an Oscar and has been picked up by Lions Gate distribution.
Former Roman Catholic priest Oliver O’Grady was convicted in 1993 on four counts of lewd and lascivious acts on minors. During the film, O’Grady details how he preyed on children, how the Diocese of Stockton, California, knew about the abuse, and how church officials covered up his case for two decades by moving him from parish to parish.
“I want to promise myself this is going to be the most honest confession of my life,” O’Grady says in the film. “And in doing that, I need to make a long journey back, understanding what I did and to acknowledge that. And in some ways make reparations for that.” The filming of O’Grady takes place in Dublin, Ireland, where he is now a free man after serving seven years in prison.
In a statement to CNN, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles called the documentary an “obvious anti-Church hit piece.” Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg said the film is “primarily based on anti-Church assertions by the plaintiff’s attorneys who stand to gain financially and on the self-serving comments of former priest O’Grady, a sick, twisted monster and, like most molesters, a master manipulator.”
O’Grady told Berg he thinks of his victims all the time, though he can’t remember them all. He said in the film he hopes to meet those victims again and ask for their forgiveness. “Maybe not hug me,” he said, “but at least shake my hand.” O’Grady said he would move to Canada if the film is released.
In her blog, Amy Berg says it has been “a brutal experience to be spending weeks and countless hours on the phone with a man who is disturbingly ill.”
“This takes a toll after a while and it was difficult to have a life outside of this story. It gave me perspective (only slight however) on how much the people affected by this crisis have had to wade through to TRY to have a “normal” life. From this vantage point, it seems like an impossible act.”
Watch the trailer at the “Deliver us from evil” Homepage
