Deliver Us From Evil

James Bartlett Looks At The Acclaimed, and Controversial New Movie

Father Oliver O'Grady was a popular priest, and as he moved from one parish to another in Northern California during the 1970's, communities and churches took him to their hearts - even christening him "Father Ollie"- as he worked and lived with them in their towns. But underneath, O'Grady was hiding a deep and dark secret - a secret that was deliberately covered up by his church and especially Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles - and was inexplicably and unforgivably allowed to remain hidden.

Winner of the Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival, writer/producer/director Amy Berg's powerful and upsetting documentary Deliver Us From Evil has been picked up for distribution by Lions Gate (the company behind the Oscar winning movie sensation Crash), which means that many people will see the story behind one the most disturbing and dark case in what's becoming an endless catalogue of pedophile Catholic priests:

"Despite the feeling of nausea at the end of every shoot, I knew I was doing something that would be eye-opening. My goal has always been to educate and inform."

The documentary is certain to provoke controversy, outrage and endless debate around the world too because it tells the story of a dangerously active pedophile that the Church hierarchy - fully aware of his illness - harbored for decades, moving him from one place to another to ensure he was not exposed and effectively allowing the abuse of countless children, both girls and boys over decades.

Father O'Grady's first recorded victim was Nancy Sloan some 30 years ago, yet all he was ordered to do at the time was to write a letter explaining his actions. Soon after this he was moved from Lodi to Turlock, although no-one in Turlock was warned about his past or his dangerous affliction, and after he was caught again there he was transferred to Stockton then once again on to San Andreas, where he actually received a promotion for his work.

In Deliver Us From Evil, Berg managed to get an - extremely unsettling - interview with O'Grady himself, which she contrasts with the tragic stories of three of his victims and some long-time friends and supporters of O'Grady who were unaware of his crimes.

Also exposed is the deep corruption within the Catholic Church in this particular episode, although this documentary all but blows the lid off all their PR, denials and dismissed complaints and shows the bare bones of what happened in this case - one of many, we shouldn't forget.

It is surprising that O'Grady co-operated with the documentary and appeared in several lengthy interviews, but he was apparently hoping for what he calls "the most honest confession of my life." With all the looks of a traditional, friendly priest - kind face, white hair, blue eyes - he still comes as a man who is deeply deluded, despite the extensive counseling he has been given.

Clearly a man who should have been nowhere near children, he talks without remorse of being "overly affectionate" and describes his victims as "the people I offended", still believing that he is a "people person" who will be excused just by asking for forgiveness.

Expensive court settlements have been paid by the church to those brave enough to come forward and bring their stories to trial, but the church has still been overwhelmed with the impression that they are a hypocritical organization only interested in control - Cardinal Mahony lets his local people down unforgivably, being the main man behind the endless denials that kept people in the dark.

Mahony's abandonment doesn't end there though; Berg worked for CBS and CNN as a reporter when she first investigated the Los Angeles Archdiocese and the numerous cases involving Cardinal Roger Mahony and more than 250 priests (all under his jurisdiction) who have abused.

The stories from the abused children and their families - O'Grady's victims ranged from a child less than a year old to the mother of another victim - is as upsetting as you would expect, but the documentary also features canon lawyer and medieval historian Fr. Thomas Doyle, theologians and therapists offering their thoughts about the politics, economics and psychology of an institution that forbids gays and lesbians from Holy Communion, but allows active pedophiles to bless and distribute the wafers and wine.

Almost more disturbing than the sordid tale of O'Grady is the fact that the new Pope - then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - wrote to bishops worldwide "explaining that 'grave' crimes such as the sexual abuse of minors would be handled by his congregation and that the proceedings of special church tribunals handling the cases were subject to 'pontifical secret.'" A subsequent lawsuit was later dismissed after he became Pope Benedict XVI head of the state of Vatican City, which meant he was now exempt from prosecution under international law.

O'Grady served jail time and was deported to Ireland, where he now lives on the outskirts of Dublin. There is no question that Deliver Us From Evil is going to inflame passions and unearth secrets that some people don't want - or cannot bear - to hear, but with over an estimated 100,000 victims in America alone this documentary will hopefully ensure that something like this is never allowed to happen again.