Mea Maxima Culpa

An interesting and shocking documentary focusing on the molestation of boys at a school for the deaf in Milwaukee by Roman Catholic priests. However, the film goes beyond this case and in a very interesting section of the film goes on to discuss the political situation in the Vatican under John Paul II and his successor Benedict which contributed to the covering up of abuse situations like the one at the school. In particular, the association and friendship of John Paul II with Maciel Degolado, the founder of the Legion of Christ and a serial sexual predator and drug addict is reviewed. Maciel's contribution of large cash donations from the wealthy religious order that he founded encouraged John Paul II to ignore the rumors surrounding Maciel. His successor, Benedict, was forced to confront the scandal only because Maciel's crimes finally claimed the attention of press investigations in both the U.S. and Europe. The documentary includes interviews with priests who describe how they reported molestation cases to the Church hierarchy only to find that the hierarchy was more interested in hiding these cases rather than actively intervening to stop the outrages that were occurring. Watching this documentary makes one wonder why John Paul II was declared a saint! He himself was not a molester but he apparently actively conspired to hide and/or ignore the many molestation cases that were occurring. Again, his association with Degolado is particularly damning. All in all, a very informative and shocking documentary well worth seeing.

Due to the context of this documentary I can not say I love it. However it is an excellent informative and extremely sad documentary. It will anger you especially if you are Catholic!! Don't let this destroy your faith!!! These animals will be judged and punished. We have to be vigilant and not fully trust anyone. Just because they dress like priests on the outside does not mean they live it on the inside. However that does not mean they are all like that just don't blindly trust and never leave your children in their hands.

Well researched documentary that covers the history of clerical sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, not only in the US but around the world. The Church apparently has had this problem for literally centuries, and has chosen to protect priests rather than their victims. It becomes very obvious as to why Benedict XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger) resigned from the Papacy after watching this film, leaving the Church with an unprecedented historical situation of having two authorized Popes living at the same time. Pope Frances has his hands full with a shameful mess that has been tolerated for much too long and has already started to reach out and apologize to sexual abuse victims. I would recommend this to anyone interested in this topic.

If you're Catholic watch this and remain catholic there is something wrong. You're following a religion not Christ.

Religion is what has caused most of the suffering in the world since the beginning of recorded history. The Catholic church is responsible for the the majority of that suffering. From what I have seen and read in the past 50 years, the Catholic church appears to be an enormous sex club for pedophile priests, which is protected all the way from the top by the Pope. I feel pity for people who are duped by this cult and the ones who become victim of its abuses. Beginning way back with the Spanish Inquisitions, through the murder of hundreds of thousands of indigenous peoples by Catholic conquistadors in the Americas, to the Catholic church's allegiance with Fascist Mussolini and the Nazi's during WWII...and throughout time with the brutal abuse of power that was exercised in the name of God and Jesus to rape and sodomize little children...while all the while making themselves fabulously wealthy at the expense of their impoverished follower's money, they have a lot to answer for. It surprises me that anyone can trust this church any more. Where was God and Jesus while all these enormous crimes took place? Maybe all religion has passed its expiration date on earth. It seems to have become a Frankenstein Monster.

sad look at people you think you can trust....

A documentary that hides nothing, reveals otherwise well-hidden secrets, and exposes the horrors of the century-old free-for-all, and open season, sexual abuse exercised and covered up by the Catholic Church. The catholic church provided an open-armed and welcoming safe haven for sexual predators...and continues to cover up to this day. Criminal behavior condoned, tolerated, embraced, unchecked, and covered up.

As one of the founding members of the Catholic Whistleblowers who has fought in the trenches to expose the sexual abuse of minors by clergy, I was greatly impressed by the well-balanced, well-researched presentation exposing the horrors that were committed, not only by a sick priest, but by all those involved in covering up his crimes and enabling him to continue molesting. Bravo -- and keep up the good work! It is only when the spotlight of truth shines on the dirty dark secrets that we can ever get the house of God cleaned.

Eye-opening, this is the kind of documentary everyone familiar with the the Catholic Church and its moral claims should watch; though it may appear too cautious in its approach, far from reaching too overarching a conclusion about catholic priests and the denial of intimacy and sex expression, nevertheless this doc doesn't fail to uncover an awful and inconvenient truth.

Leider war bei der Bestellung nicht erkennbar, dass der Film ausschließlich in Englischer Sprache abgespielt werden kann. Keine ausreichende Produktbeschreibung unter der Voraussetzung, dass üblicherweise mehrere Sprachen gewählt werden können.

All who are interested in the abuse by the Church and lives of the victims will find this valuable. The documentary is factual and includes actual copies of correspondence between Church officials and the abused/supporters. Of major interest are interviews with clergy; those that tried to help and were frustrated, and those that did nothing. The reasons given by some of the latter for their inaction and denial are astounding. The film follows the trail right to the Vatican. Although focused on the Milwaukee, Fr. Murphy situation it also covers Boston, Ireland and other regions. This is a DVD that I need to watch several times to absorb the full impact. The enormity of the scandal is horrendous with one priest admitting to abusing 100 boys, but later pleading 'not guilty'. This is a must for anyone who wants to understand how this could happen and why it was allowed to continue for so many years.

Before I start this review, it's worth saying that as an atheist you would not expect me to be supportive of the Catholic Church, and in truth I despise it for many reasons, but even if I had been a Catholic I would have left the church over the episode described in this movie. Mea Maxima Culpa is a remarkable and powerful documentary charting the course of the battle to expose and punish paedophile priests within the Catholic church, from a school for the deaf in the 1960s and the abuse conducted there by Father Lawrence Murphy, right the way up to the Vatican and the role of Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI - and indeed, his resignation as pope since the facts became fully apparent. This is unquestionably the movie the Vatican did not want you to see, and its subtitle speaks volumes: Silence in the House of God. This is a film placing into ironic context the code and official policy of the Vatican just as much as the Mafia: omertà, silence. For generations the policy of the church has been to defend itself by denial, cover-up and blaming victims. Compassion does not run anything like as deep as they would claim. That it achieves such weight and power can be attributed to three factors: that film-maker Alex Gibney has marshalled his argument based on facts and the dignity of the victims; that the church condemns itself through its actions with greater eloquence than anything he could add; and the interviews with the victims themselves, mostly deaf and signing but the rawness of their emotion speaks volumes. What is most remarkable is this is achieved without any comment against religion itself, only of the actions of those in a privileged position within organised religion and therefore with the greatest responsibility to the vulnerable people within their care, but who are inevitably believed. In the case of young boys in St Johns school for the deaf in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, their families could not sign, so they were cut off from the world, unable to communicate with anybody but the controlling priest, and he was the one abusing them. The fear and misery resulting from such a fate, and its effect on their adult lives, does not bear thinking about. But these brave young men fought back, and these interviews are a testament to their courage in facing up to the most powerful organisation in the world, one which used any tactics at its disposal to silence and discredit them. This story is not yet complete, though you suspect none of the perpetrators will end up behind bars for their disgraceful crimes if the Church can prevent it. One example quoted is that of the "singing priest," Father Tony Walsh, popular for his Elvis impersonations but protected in spite of over 200 reported incidents of child abuse in Ireland. He was finally convicted of 123 cases, but since the sentences are being served concurrently the longest he can actually spend behind bars is 16 years. These quotes about Walsh are included in the movie: `"Fr Tony Walsh is probably the most notorious child sexual abuser to have come to the attention of the Commission... His pattern of behaviour is such that it is likely that he has abused hundreds of children." - Introduction to Chapter 19 of the Murphy Report "Tony Walsh is extremely compulsive - there have been an awful lot of children involved. He is a very disturbed man. He is always going to be dangerous. He could not be let near schools, children, Confession without a grille..." - Psychiatrist who treated Tony Walsh in Stroud in the UK in 1988 Yet the Vatican did not defrock Walsh until he had been convicted by the Irish justice system and roundly condemned by everyone up the the Taoiseach, Enda Kennedy. How can anyone have trust in the Vatican if they are prepared to defend the indefensible? The documentary tells without being in any way emotive how the evidence rose and was presented, and how the leaders of this Church were forced to pay compensation, though even there it was the least they could possibly get away with. It speaks with compassion and feeling about the nature of being a powerless victim. As such it is utterly compelling. Everyone should be forced to see what happens in reality when we put our faith and trust in an all-powerful but morally corrupt body like this church. And in case you didn't know, the title translates from the Latin into English as "My most grievous fault (or guilt.)"

En especial la gente que deja a sus niños cerca de curas.