"Deliver Us From Evil"

"Deliver Us From Evil." The name says it all.

This was one of the most riveting, yet horrifying documentaries I've ever watched. "Deliver Us From Evil" is partly about the despicable sexual abuse performed on children between the 1970s and the 1990s by Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest. However, the movie is mostly about how the Catholic Church from local bishops all the way to some of the highest ranking, if not THE highest ranking official (The Pope) covered up not only O'Grady's atrocities, but hundreds of other priests' as well.

I went through a range of emotions watching this movie. I felt overwhelming sadness for the victims, hostility and anger toward O'Grady, and even a mixture of hatred and rage toward the heirarchy of the Catholic Church for daring to place the value of "The Church" and the possibility of scandal over healing the physical and emotional anguish of innocent children. It made me sick to think of it, but I couldn't help but wonder if any abuse went on in the Catholic church I attended as a child in a suburb of Sacramento, CA. O'Grady's victims were in Lodi, Stockton, San Ardreas and other areas near Sacramento. I shudder at the thought.

The most heartbreaking part of the documentary was when the parents of Ann Jyono described finding out that their child had been abused by O'Grady. The father just burst into tears of rage, sorrow and guilt all rolled into one. Listening to his anguished voice and watching his face just brought me to tears.

Father Tom Doyle, one of the only officers of the Catholic Church to visibly fight for discovery and exposure of these pedophiliac priests hit the nail on the head with some of his comments. He states that "to be a good Catholic, you were supposed to 'pay, pray and obey'". I kind of remember that as a child. You never questioned, because you were taught that the priest was right and spoke for God and Jesus. Doyle also said that, "the church is not all the heirarchy and the Vatican and all that. The church is right here, in us, in the community." I completely agree.

I am no longer a Catholic, haven't been for some time. I never liked going to mass, and only got as far as First Communion, so technically, I guess I never was a true member. It took 16+ years for me to want to explore religion again, actually, spirituality. I've found a good place within the Unity Church movement. Even though I was never victimized by a priest, I can understand why some people in the documentary either renounced their belief in God or struggled to continue to believe. It would be so hard to want to be involved in an institution where the people you should be able to trust the most, people (men) of God, are the ones who commit some of the most evilest of crimes.

I highly recommend "Deliver Us From Evil." However, if you're anything like me...be prepared to run an exhausting gamut of emotions.