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Spotlight · written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy · 2015
Scene 60 of 143 · ≈ 2 min on screen · Act two
The Boston Globe's Spotlight team pries open the Catholic Church's decades-long cover-up of child abuse — one sealed record, one silenced victim at a time.
Robby's Spotlight team operates comfortably inside its own routine, prospecting a modest police-corruption story under a departing editor's cover.
Baron's outsider question exposes what the paper has never done: investigate whether Cardinal Law knowingly protected an abusive priest.
The team sets aside its own project and enters unfamiliar territory: survivor networks, a hostile plaintiff's lawyer, and a legal fight to unseal church records.
Phil Saviano tells the team abuse this systemic isn't just physical, it's spiritual: 'if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one.'
In the quiet pressroom, Mike tells Robby the Church smeared Sipe to discredit him, and Robby pushes Mike harder on Garabedian.
In the musty Globe basement, Robby, Mike and Matt discover the Church directories use euphemisms like 'sick leave' to mask priests pulled from parishes for abuse, confirming both Geoghan and Barrett's designations.
At the courthouse records room, Sacha finds no filed cases against Shanley despite MacLeish's known settlements, and tells Robby by phone something's not right.
This scene
Robby and Sacha have been waiting. Macleish enters.
ERIC MACLEISH
Thanks for waiting, so sorry guys, I
got stuck on a call. What’s up?
SACHA
Mr. MacLeish, are you familiar with
a priest named Paul Shanley?
MacLeish looks at her. Surprised. He sits back.
ERIC MACLEISH
Yes, I’m familiar with him.
SACHA
Have you settled cases against
Father Shanley?
ERIC MACLEISH
As I’m sure you can understand, I
can’t discuss that.
ROBBY
What about Father Ronald Paquin?
ERIC MACLEISH
I can’t discuss that either. Come
on, guys.
SACHA
We understand you’ve settled several
cases against each of them.
ERIC MACLEISH
Even if I’d been involved in those
cases, the settlements would be
confidential. I could be disbarred
for acknowledging their existence.
Robby’s not backing down. MacLeish shakes his head.
ERIC MACLEISH (CONT’D)
Look, I told you, these are tough
cases. Most of these folks just
want some acknowledgement of what
happened. We got them a sit-down
with the bishop and a little dough.
It was the best they could hope for.
ROBBY
It was certainly the best the priest
could hope for.
ERIC MACLEISH
No, the Church promised to take the
priests out of circulation.
ROBBY
And did you follow up on that?
ERIC MACLEISH
(done with this)
You guys need anything else?
SACHA
I was just down at the courthouse,
why aren’t there any records of
these settlements?
MacLeish pauses. Hesitant, now not so sure of himself.
ERIC MACLEISH
We dealt directly with the Church.
We’d draw up a demand letter and
we’d send it to the chancery.
SACHA
You never filed anything in court?
ERIC MACLEISH
It was a private mediation.
So that’s a no. Jesus. Sacha and Robby react.
ROBBY
So this is just you and the
archdiocese’s lawyers in a room?
ERIC MACLEISH
Correct.
SACHA
Anyone else?
ERIC MACLEISH
Occasionally, the Church would bring
in another defense attorney to help
out.
ROBBY
You have any names?
ERIC MACLEISH
(stonewalling him)
No. No I don’t.