(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
How's that going?
The mother's bawling and the uncle's pissed off.
She's not married?
Divorced with four kids.
I guess Father was helping out.
Helping out?
Hey, Mr. Burke, they're in back talking to the bishop.
And Father? We put him in the break room.
Any press?
Some guy from the Citizen but we sent him away.
None of the big papers.
Let's keep it that way.
Who's that? Assistant DA.
It's gonna be hard to keep the papers away from the arraignment.
(SCOFFS) What arraignment?
You can tell Father Geoghan it won't be much longer.
BISHOP: Now, Sheila, you know what good work the church does in the community.
But I give you my personal guarantee
that I'm going to take Father out of the parish,
and this will never happen again.
We'll just be another moment, Paul.
Of course, Father.
BISHOP: Now, Sheila, I'm going to give you my personal card...
BEN: Losing a good reporter is always tough.
But losing one of our best...
Well, to put it as eloquently as I can,
it's a real kick in the ass.
(ALL CHUCKLE)
But, Robby here has known Stewart
longer than most of you have been alive,
so, I'll hand it off to him. Robby.
Oh, well, thanks, Ben. I think. (ALL LAUGHING)
Although I take issue with your reference to my seniority,
I will say that Stewart's departure is especially painful for me
because, uh... For what, Stewart?
Twenty years now?
Stewart's been more than willing to part
with his money at the poker table.
(ALL LAUGHING)
And I've got a kid in college.
Yeah, but I'm gonna keep playing. Oh, problem solved.
Godspeed then.
Now, Stewart, I find the timing of your departure
disconcerting.
The corner office sits empty,
the new editor arrives on Monday,
so I'm sorry, buddy, but I gotta ask ya.
What the hell do you know?
(ALL LAUGHING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
How's the cake?
It's really good. Are you saving yours?
Nah, it's for Mike. I can never eat at those things.
They kind of depress me. I know.
Did you see the numbers from Washington?
Yeah. Very interesting. I think so, too.
I'm not asking if the PD's lying, I know they're lying.
All I'm asking, who's behind it?
Oh. Okay, I get it. You don't want to talk.
No, Dan, I'm not mad, I'm hungry.
I've been talking here so long I didn't eat lunch.
So I'm gonna go get something to eat,
and that'll give you an hour to decide
whether you want to be on the right side of this
or read about it like everybody else.
Bye, Dan.
You think Cahill has something?
Maybe. I just don't think the story's for us.
Ben likes it. Yeah, it's not bad, it's just not Spotlight.
What's just not Spotlight?
SACHA: The PD numbers. The numbers story. It feels thin.
Oh, you got Cahill to talk?
No, but I will.
Good. Then we'll know if it's thin.
How'd it go upstairs? MATT: Oh, okay.
Robby gave a good speech. MIKE: Sure he did.
I heard Lubin and Connor are going to the Times.
Come on, really? MIKE: Yeah, I heard that.
They're leeching us.
Well, at least they're sending us a guy from Miami to run things.
That should help.
Has Baron even spent time in Boston?
I don't think he's ever been here before. Maybe we should buy him a map.
I have a friend down in Miami said he cut 15% of the staff.
MATT: Great... Hey, Robby.
New boss coming in to make some cuts?
I have no idea.
Aren't you sitting down with him?
Yes, I am. So is it about Spotlight?
I don't know, Mike, but I do know
that Ben needs an answer on the crime numbers story.
(SIGHS) I'm telling you, I really don't think that story's for us.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
Mr. Baron.
Walter Robinson. Robby.
Thanks for taking the time out of your weekend.
Oh, my pleasure. Appreciate it.
What are you reading?
Uh...
The Curse of the Bambino.
Oh, yeah, it's a great book.
The Globe has season tickets at Fenway
once you're settled in, by the way.
Thank you.
Uh, to be honest, I'm not much of a baseball fan.
I'm just trying to get a feel for the city.
Oh, yeah...
So you're originally from Boston?
I am. Born and raised, yeah.
A lot of the newsroom is from here.
It really feels like a local paper in that way.
And did that change at all after the paper was sold to the Times?
No. No, I don't think that had a big impact.
Good.
And you're an editor for the Spotlight team?
I'd prefer to think of myself as player coach. But yes.
Are you familiar with Spotlight?
No, not particularly.
Well, we are a four-person investigative team.
We report to Ben Bradlee, Jr.,
and we keep our work confidential.
What're you working on now?
We just put out a piece on a shoddy construction outfit,
and right now we're really just trolling around for our next story.
How long does that typically take?
Hard to say. A couple months.
Couple months?
Yeah, we don't like to rush it.
Once we settle on a project, we can spend a year or more investigating it.
Is that a concern? Not necessarily.
Um, but from what I understand readership is down,
Internet is cutting into the classified business, and
I think I'm gonna need to take a hard look at things.
So, do you anticipate more cuts?
I think it's safe to assume so,
but what I'm more focused on right now is finding a way
to make this paper essential to its readers.
I like to think it already is.
Fair enough. I just think that we can do better.
Mr. Bradlee. Hey.
Saw the PD numbers. Looks interesting.
Yeah, there's something there.
How long do you need? Another week.
Where're you going? 10:30.
Since when?
(SCOFFS) Technically, I am an editor.
Technically.
Your sit-down with Baron go that well?
I couldn't get a read on him. That's a first.
How about you? Oh, he's a barrel of laughs.
(BOTH LAUGH)
Morning, everyone. Let's get started.
Do you wanna say something, Marty?
Uh, sure.
Uh, hello.
As most of you know by now, my name is Marty Baron,
I'm delighted to be here.
Um, if you could tell me your name as we go around, that'd be helpful.
Thank you.
Okay. Peter?
Peter Canellos, Metro.
I've got a major Big Dig closure.
Hey, Steve. Hey. Mike.
Crappy game last night, huh?
Yeah, they can't hit worth a nickel.
Hey listen, what's Eileen McNamara doing in the 10:30?
Do you need something, Mike? No, just curious.
Go be curious somewhere else. I got work to do, huh?
Okay, Steve.
See you. Yeah.
And it looks like Pedro's gonna be out until September 1st.
Jimmy says he'll be back this year, but the doc didn't seem so sure.
When's the Pats' opener?
(ALL LAUGH)
Is that everyone?
HELEN: Yes, that's it. Okay. Good.
Thank you. Uh...
Did everyone read Eileen McNamara's column this weekend?
That's the Geoghan case?
Yeah, what's the folo on that?
It's a column, what kind of folo were you thinking?
Uh, well, apparently this priest molested kids
in six different parishes over the last 30 years,
and the attorney for the victims, Mr...
Garabedian. Thanks, Eileen.
Mr. Garabedian says Cardinal Law found out
about it 15 years ago and did nothing.
Yeah, I think that attorney's a bit of a crank,
and the church dismissed the claim.
He said, she said.
Whether Mr. Garabedian is a crank or not
he says he has documents that prove the cardinal knew.
As I understand it, those documents are under seal.
Okay, but the fact remains, a Boston priest abused 80 kids,
we have a lawyer who says he can prove Law knew about it,
and we've written all of, uh, two stories in the last six months.
This strikes me as an essential story to a local paper.
I think at the very least, we have to go through those documents.
How would you like to do that?
Oh, uh...
I don't know what the laws are here,
but in Florida we would go to court.
You want to sue the church?
Technically we wouldn't sue the church.
We'd file a motion to lift the seal on those documents.
The church will read that as us suing them.
So will everybody else.
Good to know.
Gutsy call for the first day.
That's one word for it.
How do you think that's gonna play down front?
I think Gilman's gonna shit a brick.
Hey. Door.
How'd it go?
Well, Baron wants to sue for the sealed docs in the Geoghan case.
Wants to sue the church? Hey, that's great.
We covered Geoghan when the story broke three years ago.
Baron was still in Miami.
I think he might have been at the Times then, actually.
He wasn't here.
So do you think that suit has a chance?
Depends on the judge.
And what parish he belongs to. (PHONE RINGS)
Bradlee. Yeah.
Okay.
Baron wants to talk to us.
Us?
MARTY: Okay, Jon. Thank you.
Yes. Okay, thanks.
I've set up a meeting for tomorrow with outside counsel.
Jon Albano? Yeah.
Who's the judge in this case?
Um...
Constance Sweeney.
BEN: Tough. Why's that?
Good Catholic girl. Huh.
So, um,
judging from what I've read, it doesn't seem like we've done
a very thorough investigation into the Geoghan case.
Is that right? No, it's not.
We looked hard at Geoghan.
David Armstrong from Metro, Michael Paulson for Religion.
Okay, but, uh, just so I understand,
beyond our daily coverage, we haven't...
We haven't committed any long-term investigative resources
to the question of whether or not Cardinal Law knew about this?
No, we haven't.
And that's the kind of thing your team would do?
Spotlight? Well, yeah.
But we're still prospecting the Boston PD story I told you about.
Could you set that aside?
We could.
Marty, in past Spotlight's had success in large part
because they pick their own projects.
Would you consider picking this one?
I don't know if he's writing about you,
but I will let him know you called.
Okay, bye.
Hey. Hey, how'd it go?
Okay. Uh...
Baron wants us to scrub the Geoghan case.
That's great. Didn't we cover Geoghan?
Yeah, there's a lawyer alleging Cardinal Law knew about it.
Mmm. Mitch Garabedian, right? ROBBY: Yeah.
I covered him at the courthouse.
Can you get to him? I only interviewed him once.
He's kind of a character.
I like characters. I'll take him.
Good. You take him.
Also, we should be talking to, uh,
the lawyer who repped the victims in the Porter case.
Eric Macleish. Uh-huh.
That guy was always on TV. Yeah, the Porter case?
Remind me. Yeah, um, Father Porter, similar story.
Molested dozens of kids in Fall River about 10 years ago.
So, we're dropping the Boston PD?
I vote yes. No, no.
We just gotta set it aside for now.
Listen, I don't need to tell you guys this.
We need to be more discreet than usual.
All right?
Everybody's gonna be interested in this, not just the Herald.
We can't let Cardinal Law get wind of this until we know what we have.
Good luck with that.
HANSI: So when do you leave, Nana?
The bus is picking us up in the church parking lot at 9:00.
We have 40 people going.
And is Father Dominic going?
No, he says he's unlucky.
But luck has nothing to do with it.
You know, last time Nana won $160. Wow.
You gonna tell her?
We don't even know if there's a story yet.
Well, "Globe sues church"? It's gonna be a story.
Hey, Lisa. Could you pull all the relevant clips on that for me?
Yeah.
Is this for Spotlight?
Just drop them off when they're ready? Thanks.
Excuse me, do you know where the publisher's office is?
Will do.
How are you, Marty?
Settling in?
Yeah, I think so. Good.
What can I do for you?
Um...
I'd like to challenge the protective order in the Geoghan case.
You want to sue the Catholic Church?
Um...
We're just filing a motion, but...
Yes.
You think it's that important?
Yes, I do.
Because obviously the Church will fight us very hard on this.
Which won't go unnoticed by our subscriber base.
53% of them are Catholic.
Mmm-hmm.
I think they'll be interested.
Okay.
Marty, Lake Street will probably contact you
about a face-to-face with the Cardinal.
It's customary.
Yeah. They already have. It's set up for next week.
I wouldn't mention this.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Hello?
Can I help you? Oh, hi.
I'm Mike Rezendes from The Boston Globe.
I'm here to see Mitchell Garabedian.
He's on a call. Please have a seat.
Okay.
All right, I'm listening. Go ahead.
Okay.
MITCH: Bill! Where the hell are those papers?
I asked you to put 'em on my desk!
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
The famous Walter Robinson in my conference room.
Good to see you again, Eric.
Sacha Pfeiffer, Eric Macleish.
Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you.
You don't play golf, do you?
Uh, no. Good.
Your colleague here took some money off me
at a charity event last year.
It was a very lucky putt. I actually had my eyes closed, by the way.
Mmm-hmm. (CHUCKLES)
So, how can I help you guys?
Uh...
You're familiar with the Geoghan case?
Sure.
Eighty plaintiffs. All of them individual cases.
Garabedian must be swimming.
Well. And the allegations against Cardinal Law?
Yeah, it's tricky. Um...
This is what you need to understand. These are shitty cases.
The statute of limitations is only three years,
and most of these victims don't come forward until long after that.
Oh. Why is that?
Well, they're kids, you know.
Guilt, shame.
And most of these kids come from tough neighborhoods.
Nobody wants to admit this kind of thing.
So, you're screwed on the time limit.
And, uh,
even if you argue your way around that
the charitable immunity statute caps damages at 20 grand.
Twenty grand for molesting a child?
That is the way the system is set up. Yes.
The Church is tough.
So, your best shot is to try these cases
in the press like I did on Porter.
Hmm. But, you know, most of the victims,
they don't wanna have anything to do with TV.
And, uh,
Mitch isn't exactly a people person.
Yeah, and if Garabedian can't get his victims
to go before the press, then he's really...
That's right. He has a long road ahead of him.
My guess is he doesn't have anything on Law.
What? You think he's bluffing or...
I think he's grandstanding to cut a better deal.
Seems a bit reckless.
Have you met Mitch Garabedian?
MITCH: I asked you to write up that motion, Bill. I didn't ask you to file it.
RECEPTIONIST: Hey, Bill, here's the case files from yesterday.
Hi.
Who are you? I'm Mike Rezendes from The Boston Globe.
I had an appointment with you about an hour ago.
I can't talk to you. I'm very busy. Sharon!
No, no. She went out for coffee. She said she'd be right back.
I'm following up on an article.
The one in the Phoenix? No. In the Globe.
Did you see the one in the Phoenix?
No, I didn't. I thought it was very good.
I have a copy here somewhere.
That's all right. I'll track it down.
I'm actually following up on a column
that Eileen McNamara wrote about your suit.
Suits. There are 84 of them.
It's not a class action.
You should get your facts straight. No, you're right. I should.
So I'm trying to get some background information on...
You're not recording this, are you?
No, I wouldn't do that without asking.
I can't show you those Church's documents if that's what you're after.
They're under seal.
Yeah, I know that.
Did you know that they tried to bring me up
before the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers three times?
They're watching me very closely.
The Church? Yeah. The Church. Yeah.
They'd like to get me disbarred. In fact, put that away.
Put it away. Sure.
I don't want you recording this in any way, shape or form.
Not on paper, not on tape, nothing.
In fact, I probably shouldn't even be speaking to you. So...
Look, Mr. Garabedian,
I know there's things you cannot tell me,
but I also know there's a story here.
And I think it's an important story.
I already talked to the Phoenix.
Yeah, and there's a reason I didn't see it.
Nobody reads the Phoenix anymore.
They're broke. They don't have any power.
The Globe does.
If we cover this story, everybody will hear about it.
The Church thinks in centuries, Mr. Rezendes.
Do you think your paper has the resources to take that on?
Yeah, I do.
But if you don't mind me asking,
do you?
I can't talk to you right now, Mr. Rezendes, I'm very, very busy.
Sharon? Yeah. Thank you.
Can I at least talk to some of your clients? The victims?
I'd really like to do that.
Call me tomorrow, I gotta think about it. Thank you.
Thanks. Yeah, yeah.
I got more clips from the library.
Leave 'em right there.
Are you guys doing a story on the Church?
No, we are not doing a story on the Church.
Matt, you find anything on this guy, Phil Saviano?
No. Who is he?
He's part of a victims' organization.
Kurkjian did a story on him right after the Porter case.
There's a victims' organization?
Yeah, it's called SNAP.
It's Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Crummy acronym. SACHA: Hmm.
You want me to track him down? Yeah. Bring him in.
How much longer you need to get through the clips?
I mean, a few days. There's a lot.
Lisa's still sending up more. Okay.
Hey, guys. I think I got another priest.
Liam Barrett. Molested some kids in Philly
and was moved to Boston.
Did the same thing and was moved again.
Really? That sounds like Geoghan.
Is that one of our clips?
Yeah. Byline's Diego Ribadeneira, 1997.
Must've been back when he was working Religion.
Was there any folo? Not much. One short piece.
Huh. The Church settled the case.
Don't you know Jim Sullivan?
Yeah. Why?
Looks like the Church brought him in to help out.
(CROWD CHEERING)
Jesus...
Has anybody but Manny gotten the ball out of the infield?
Nope. Why do you even bother with that thing?
It distracts me from the game.
Know what else is good for that?
Oh, yeah. Good idea. My round. I'll be right back.
Anybody want any food? No.
I'm all set. Hey, a hot dog.
So you guys making any progress?
Absolutely. It's a good story. Why?
Because you're another lapsed Catholic pissed off at the Church?
We've got a lot of good stuff. Like what?
I'm just watching the game. Omertà.
They got another priest, Liam Barrett.
We reported on him.
I'm just saying, we did. Okay,
but this guy was shuffled around from parish to parish every few years,
just like Geoghan and Porter.
I think there's a pattern.
Sounds thin. What else you got?
Sacha's got another guy from a victims' organization, Phil Saviano.
From SNAP? Oh, boy. We reported on him, too.
I thought you were watching the game, Steve.
That guy's pretty banged up, Mike.
We did a couple stories on him.
That guy would not stop writing letters.
He wants a holy war.
What? So he's not worth talking to?
Where are you on Garabedian?
I'm working on it.
Robby said Macleish thinks he's bluffing.
I think there's something there, Ben.
Get me something solid, or I'm taking you off it.
I don't want us chasing our tails on this.
JIM: Stay away from that trap.
ROBBY: You couldn't reach that trap in a million years, partner.
I've reached that trap before. (ROBBY LAUGHS)
Yeah? Now Paul, maybe.
JIM: How we doing? ROBBY: We're good.
We're two up in the front.
JIM: Good.
How's that new editor working out?
Well, he doesn't like baseball.
But he seems like a smart guy.
Yeah, I read an article about him.
Said he's the first Jewish editor at the Globe.
Must have been a slow news day.
He got a family, this guy?
No. He is not married.
Divorced? I don't think so, no.
So the new editor of the Globe is an unmarried man of the Jewish faith
who hates baseball?
Yeah. Should have given it to Ben.
He's a Bradlee, for crying out loud.
ROBBY: Didn't raise his hand fast enough, I guess.
(SIGHS)
Hey, by the way,
I've been reading about this priest, Father Barrett.
Said you were involved with that.
Barrett, yeah. Bad egg.
Lake Street asked for help, I pitched in.
Victims said Cardinal Law knew about Barrett when he came from Philly.
Is that true?
You know I can't talk about the case, Robby.
Off the record?
Off the record I can't talk about it.
All right. This related to the lawsuit?
You know about that?
Look,
I don't know this guy Baron or what his agenda is.
Frankly, I don't care.
I just don't want to see you taking a bullet for him.
I think you're away.
Put it over here. Let's go. Let's go.
PRIEST: So the other day I was on the World Wide Web.
Anything you want to know. It's right there.
Now, I have to admit that as a priest,
this makes me a little nervous.
Should I be worried about job security?
(ALL LAUGH)
I don't think so.
You see, knowledge is one thing,
but faith... (CHURCH BELL TOLLING)
Faith is another.
(PANTING)
Hey.
ROBBY: Hey.
Shouldn't you be golfing or something?
Golfing's not a verb.
And I couldn't get a tee time.
Is that what they call it? "Tee time"?
They also call it "a leisure activity." You ought to try it, Mike.
I do. I run. Yeah, you run to work.
(CHUCKLES)
So why are you here today?
Going over these clips of Saviano.
Yep, Ben and Steve think it's a dead end.
They gave me a bunch of crap about it at the game.
Yeah, Ben emailed me.
He did? Yeah.
He said we should let it go.
What do you wanna do?
I wanna bring Saviano in.
So, just ignore those guys?
I think we've got to start ignoring everybody on this one.
I'm good with that.
Mmm.
Do you think Marty has any idea what's coming down the pike?
Nope. I don't think he cares either.
That's refreshing.
Yeah.
(MIKE CHUCKLES)
Unless he's wrong.
CARDINAL LAW: I've always been fascinated with the newspaper business.
I used to sit in on the lectures with the Nieman fellows
when I was at Harvard.
I read that you were an editor once.
Oh, yes.
Yeah, that was a very long time ago.
The Mississippi Register.
Small, diocesan newspaper.
But for a 30-year-old pastor, it was a big responsibility.
Too much at times.
How so?
I was close with the Evers brothers.
We took a stand on civil rights.
Our readership was not pleased.
They saw me as a meddling outsider.
I can imagine.
Tough seat to sit in,
especially in a small town.
I think you'll find that Boston's still a small town, too, Marty,
in many ways.
But if I can be of any help, Marty, don't hesitate to ask.
I find that the city flourishes
when its great institutions work together.
Thank you.
Personally I'm of the opinion that for a paper to best perform its function,
it really needs to stand alone.
Ah. Of course.
But my offer still stands.
Thank you.
(KNOCK ON DOOR)
Come in.
Ah!
Thank you, Maureen.
A little gift, Marty.
Think of it as a Cardinal's guide to the city of Boston.
I'm here to see Sacha Pfeiffer.
Your name? Phil Saviano.
Okay, just a minute.
PHIL: So am I the first survivor you've talked to?
ROBBY: Yeah, Phil. You are.
Okay, well...
First of all, let me say thank you for having me in today.
And I want you to know
that you have the full cooperation of my organization, SNAP.
How many members are in your organization, Phil?
We had 11 at our last chapter meeting...
Uh, no, 10. Karen just moved.
You had a woman in your group?
Of course there was a woman. They don't discriminate,
not when it comes to abuse.
And this has nothing to do with being gay.
What this is, is priests using the collar to rape kids.
Kids. Boys and girls.
I was 11,
and I was preyed upon by Father David Holley in Worcester.
And I don't mean prayed for. I mean preyed upon.
Are any of you Catholic?
I was raised Catholic. Now I go to my wife's Presbyterian church.
I'm lapsed.
I go to church with my grandmother sometimes.
It's safe to say we were all raised Catholic, but now...
Not so much.
Okay. Well, let me tell you.
When you're a poor kid from a poor family, religion counts for a lot.
And when a priest pays attention to you, it's a big deal.
He asks you to collect the hymnals
or take out the trash, you feel special.
It's like God asking for help.
So maybe it's a little weird when he tells you a dirty joke,
but now you got a secret together, so you go along.
Then he shows you a porno mag, and you go along.
And you go along, and you go along,
until one day he asks you to jerk him off or give him a blow job.
And so you go along with that, too,
because you feel trapped,
because he has groomed you.
How do you say no to God, right?
See,
it is important to understand that this is not just physical abuse,
it's spiritual abuse, too.
And when a priest does this to you, he robs you of your faith.
So you reach for the bottle or the needle.
Or if those don't work, you jump off a bridge.
That's why we call ourselves survivors.
Have you read Jason Berry's book?
He wrote about the Gauthe case in Louisiana?
Uh, that's "G"... G-A-U-T-H-E.
Here. And talk to Richard Sipe.
He worked in one of the Church's treatment centers.
He's an ex-priest,
married a nun.
Here.
This is his testimony from the Kos case.
Uh, Phil, what's a treatment center?
It's where they send priests when they get caught.
This is all right here in the box,
I sent this all to you guys five years ago.
Uh, to the Globe? Who did you send it to?
I don't wanna say who, but they said that they weren't interested.
Uh, but Phil, we did run a couple of stories on you.
I saw them in the clips.
Yeah, but to be completely frank, it wasn't enough.
You guys gotta understand,
this is big.
This is not just Boston. It's the whole country. It's the whole world.
And it goes right up to the Vatican.
Do you have any proof of that, Phil?
No, not yet. But think about it, there are so many of them.
How else could they have hidden it for so long?
So many what? Priests!
I know of 13 right here in Boston.
You know 13 priests in Boston who have molested children?
Yeah, why do you keep repeating everything I say?
I just like to clarify things.
Maybe you should have clarified it five years ago
when I sent you all of this stuff!
It's all right here!
(SIGHS)
May I use your bathroom?
Yeah, sure, Phil.
Come on.
Well, what do you think?
Well, the guy, he's got an agenda, that's for sure.
You think? He's obviously been through a lot.
But he's smart, and if he's right about 13 priests...
Yeah, it might be a big "if" with this guy.
Do a background check on him,
and follow up with some of the other survivors of his group.
I'll track down this ex-priest, Sipe.
Okay, but stay on Garabedian. That's more important.
(SCOFFS) Garabedian, what a pain in the ass.
You can be a pain in the ass, Mike.
Mmm.
(BELL TOLLING IN DISTANCE)
Mitchell, what a surprise. How are you?
I'm fine, Mr. Rezendes. Good.
You know, I haven't heard back from you. I left you a couple of messages.
I know. I've been very busy. I don't have time for calls.
Oh, jeez, I'm sure you don't.
Listen, listen, Mitch, let me talk to a couple of the victims.
You could sit in on the interview,
and if you're not happy, you could kill it.
I spoke to my clients, and they don't want to be in the press. I'm sorry.
I get that, but I don't need to name names. (ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
I don't believe you, Mr. Rezendes. I'm sure you don't.
I don't. Listen, Mitchell.
Look, Mr. Rezendes, please...
I'm not writing a profile here.
I'm working on something bigger. Bigger?
I don't know what that means.
I'm not supposed to tell you this,
but I'm digging around for Spotlight.
Spotlight's on this? Yeah, we're looking into it,
but you gotta help me.
You gotta let me talk to some of these victims, please.
Please.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS)
Come back tomorrow. 9:30 a.m.
Thank you.
Ms. Pfeiffer? Joe?
Hi. Oh, shoot.
Oh, that's okay. Sorry.
No, no problem. Please sit.
Thank you.
Is this table okay?
This is perfect.
I had a muffin while I was waiting.
Two, actually.
I eat when I'm nervous. I do that, too, actually.
I hope I'm not late. Phil told me 1:00.
No, you're fine. I got here early.
About an hour.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Um, would you mind if I took some notes? Would that be all right?
MIKE: You don't mind if I take some notes, do you?
Are you going to use my name? MITCH: No.
Not if you don't want me to. No.
I just had a kid.
He's only one, but I'm not sure I want him to know about this.
Sure. I get that.
You can stop this interview at any time, Patrick.
All right? Okay.
(SIGHS)
Go ahead with your notes.
Okay. So, um...
Where'd you live when it first happened?
In the projects, over in Hyde Park.
Over by the Stop & Shop?
Yeah, you know it?
Yeah, I drove a cab for a few years.
Open early. Bad coffee, right?
Yeah, I guess.
MIKE: How old were you when it happened?
I was 12.
Just after my dad killed himself.
Ah, jeez.
He was a real piece of shit.
And my mom, she wasn't so stable either.
How do you mean? I mean, she was nuts.
She was a schizophrenic. Same shit.
When did you first meet Geoghan?
(SIGHS) Well, my sister,
she saw him over in the Dunkin' Donuts.
Tells him about my old man passing, and he rushed right over.
And there was this nun, Sister Barbara,
and she ran this group for kids from troubled families.
Mmm-hmm.
Where was that?
St. Ambrose in Dorchester. Okay.
She's the one who introduced me to Father Shanley.
He was a street priest.
Long hair. Very hip.
He invited me to his apartment in Back Bay.
Where in Back Bay? Beacon Street.
Beacon. Okay.
Are you from here?
Uh, no. I grew up in Ohio, but my mom's from Southie.
Okay, so you get it. I'd never even seen Back Bay.
So what happened on that first visit, Joe?
Well, he was very nice at first,
very funny, very casual.
And I think he could tell I was gay,
so he showed me this mobile he had, like, over a baby's crib?
Mmm-hmm.
But with different words.
"Homosexual, transsexual, bisexual."
Okay, and did you know you were gay at that time, Joe?
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
But that wasn't information I was sharing with anybody.
Not in Dorchester.
Okay.
So, what happened after he showed you the mobile?
Well, I was a little freaked out.
Mmm-hmm.
I think he could tell,
so he said, "You know what'll help is if we play strip poker."
Course I lost.
And, uh, things went on from there.
Can you tell me specifically what happened?
Specifically, he...
He molested me.
Joe, I think that the language is going to be so important here.
We can't sanitize this. Just saying "molest" isn't enough.
People need to know what actually happened.
We should probably get these to go. (CLEARS THROAT) Right.
Geoghan shows up, and my mom, you know, she's...
She's thrilled. I mean...
This was like God showing up, you know?
Sure. Right.
So what happened then?
(SNIFFLES)
You really want to hear this shit?
Yeah. Yeah, Patrick, I do.
(SIGHS)
He offers to take me to get ice cream.
And, you know, he's a priest. I'm a kid, so I go.
MIKE: Sure. So we're driving home and he...
He starts patting my leg,
you know, then
his hand just slides right up, and he grabs my dick.
You know, I just froze up. I was fucking petrified, I couldn't move.
I didn't know what to do. I was just a little kid.
Yeah.
You know, I never even touched my ice cream.
It just melted down my arm.
Did you, um...
Did you see him again after that?
Yeah.
MITCH: All right. That's good. Let's stop there for now.
MIKE: Sure.
He said it was a way to make me more comfortable with my body.
Mmm.
So what happened after that?
Well, he took off his clothes, and he said,
"I've been so depressed,
"but maybe you can cheer me up and give me a blow job."
(SCOFFS) Classy guy.
And did you? Yeah.
I know what you must be thinking, like, why would I ever do that
to some creepy guy who's 30 years older than me, but...
What you have to understand is that this is the first time in my life
that someone told me that it was okay to be gay. Mmm-hmm.
And it was a priest. Right.
So you had oral sex. Did you have intercourse?
Yes.
Not then, but later.
(SIGHS) It really messed me up.
I'm sober now, but that... That was the beginning of it all.
It's very confusing, you know,
to be introduced to sex like that and then...
And then to be attracted to men, it's...
(SOBBING)
I'm sorry. I knew I was gonna do this.
Oh, I'm sorry. Don't be sorry.
It's okay, Joe. It's okay.
Of course there is a church right there.
And a playground.
Joe, did you ever try and tell anyone?
Like who? A priest?
PATRICK: Can I use your phone?
Yeah, sure. You know where it is.
You can use my name if you want.
Thanks, Patrick.
Don't thank me, just get these assholes, will you?
He's one of the lucky ones.
He's still alive.
Do you want a cup of tea, Sacha?
I'm okay, Nana. Thanks. Okay.
JOE: Hello. Hi, Joe, it's Sacha Pfeiffer.
Hi, Sacha. How are you? I'm good, thanks.
Listen, Joe, I just wanted to follow up on one thing.
You talked to Phil Saviano about all of this, right?
Yeah, I did. I went to a couple of SNAP meetings.
And did Phil ever suggest you do anything about it?
No.
The meetings weren't really about that.
I mean, a couple of them had gone to a lawyer,
but I didn't think it was worth it.
Why not?
There were just so many forms to fill out.
It was overwhelming, you know.
And he said it could only get me a small settlement, so...
Who, who said that? The lawyer told me that.
So you did go and see a lawyer?
Yeah, but I didn't end up using him,
so I didn't think it was important.
I'm sorry. I'm not trying to hide anything.
No, I know, Joe.
Do remember his name? The lawyer?
No, but maybe Phil would know.
The guy was on TV a lot during the Porter case.
He was handsome.
Was it Eric Macleish?
Yeah, that's it. Macleish.
I thought he was very handsome.
(COPIER WHIRRING)
Hey. Hey.
I was just in the newsroom. Judge Sweeney set a date for the hearing.
Really? When?
Two weeks, in Springfield.
Canellos started a pool. Ten bucks to get in.
Anyone picking the Globe? (CELL PHONE RINGING)
He's only taking bets on how fast Sweeney rules against us.
(LAUGHS)
Robby. SACHA: Hi, it's me.
Did you get my message? I did.
Looks like Father Shanley could be our fourth priest.
Yeah, I think he is.
Did you follow up with Macleish?
I just talked to Phil.
He said Macleish dealt with a number of these cases.
Guess he forgot to mention that. Yeah.
I'm gonna go to the courthouse tomorrow,
see if I can find any cases he settled against the Church.
All right. Call me after you do. Good night.
Okay, good night.
ROBBY: Hey.
You wanted to chat?
Yeah, I'm late for a dinner. You wanna walk me out?
Sure.
Jeez.
Does this guy ever go home? Apparently not.
I got guys who won't leave till he does.
He's wearing out the goddamn newsroom. (CHUCKLES)
Where are we on Geoghan?
Following up on more victims.
Hey, I want to expand the investigation.
Why? We got a fourth priest.
There might be as many as 13.
Thirteen? Yeah.
Who's your source? Phil Saviano.
Oh, Jesus Christ, Robby, I told Mike... I know, I know...
I think Saviano might be legit, Ben.
You wanna elaborate on that?
No. Not really.
It just feels like this thing's stacking up. It's my gut.
(SIGHS)
Okay. Okay. Good.
Thank you.
(PHONE RINGING)
Hello?
SIPE: Mr. Rezendes? Uh, yeah. Who's this?
It's Richard Sipe.
Oh, yeah. Hey, Richard, how are you? I'm good.
Uh, thanks for calling. Look...
Phil Saviano gave me your name.
I was wondering if I can ask you a few questions.
Of course. Yeah. Great.
So, Phil told me that you were working
at one of the Church's treatment centers in Baltimore?
Yes. The Seton Psychiatric Institute.
It was run by the Daughters of Charity.
And, uh, when was that, Richard?
Well, I started my psychotherapy fellowship there in 1965,
and I was there for five years,
but I spent the next 30 studying abusive priests and their victims.
Really? Mmm-hmm.
And that's been your sole focus?
Look, Mike,
the Church wants us to believe that it's just a few bad apples.
But it's a much bigger problem than that.
How much bigger, Richard?
Well, based on the research,
I would classify it as a recognizable psychiatric phenomenon.
That's big.
Hey, Mac. Hey.
If I wanted historical data on a priest,
parishes he'd been assigned to,
where would I find that?
The Geoghan case? It's all in the clips. Lisa has the source material.
Yeah, what if it was for another priest?
One that hadn't been in the papers.
You're looking at another priest? Who're you looking at?
Any ideas?
Oh, come on, Matt, you're not going to tell me?
I gotta get to a meeting. Thanks, Mac.
Hey, Steve.
LISA: The archdiocese puts out an annual directory.
Every priest and parish. That's great.
Do these go back any further than '98?
Oh, yeah. Going back to the '80s in the mez.
Beyond that you gotta go to the BPL.
In the mez, huh? Thanks, Lisa. You bet.
He said they all target the same kind of kid.
Low-income families, absentee fathers, broken homes.
So a guy like Geoghan goes after boys not because he prefers them,
but because they have more shame.
Less likely to talk.
These guys are predators, Robby.
And I talked to Sipe. He said he'd seen dozens of them
in the '60s in Seton.
He called it a "phenomenon."
Why didn't he go public? He did,
but the Church made a huge effort to discredit him.
Smear campaigns, public statements by prominent bishops.
It's just like Saviano said, and Garabedian.
You getting anywhere with him?
More victims. More victims.
You can't empty his pockets? I'll get to him.
I just need more time. Oh, come on, Mike.
You gotta get him. I'll get him, I'll get him.
Jesus. What the hell is that smell?
There's a dead rat in the corner.
What have you got? Church directories.
It's every priest in Massachusetts.
What parish they're assigned to.
MIKE: Are these official? Yeah.
I figured it could help us track down
some of the priests that Saviano mentioned.
Maybe find some more victims.
Can we turn on some more lights? I couldn't find the switch.
You wanna borrow my glasses? No, I'm good. I'm good.
Look, 1983. John Geoghan, St. Brendan Parish, Dorchester.
So we can find out where any priest is in any given year?
Yeah, I got him here at...
Huh.
What?
1980, the year Geoghan was pulled from JP. It says he's on sick leave.
Come on. It really says that?
Where is, uh, 1991?
Here ya go. Let me see this.
Barrett. Barrett. Liam.
I can't read that. Look for a Liam Barrett in there.
1991's the year they pulled him out of Charlestown.
Barrett, Liam.
Yeah. "Sick leave."
It's an official designation.
Let's get these upstairs. (CELL PHONE RINGING)
And, Matt, check on those priests Saviano gave us.
Robby. Yeah. SACHA: Hey, I'm down at the courthouse.
Something's not right here. Nothing on Shanley either, Sacha.
Okay, thanks.
Yeah, we need to go talk to Macleish again.
Really, why? Huh? There's nothing here.
There aren't any records, I checked every name.
Thanks for waiting. So sorry, guys. Stuck on a call.
ROBBY: Not a problem. How are you? Good.
Thanks for meeting us. You bet. What's up, guys?
Mr. Macleish, are you familiar with a priest named Paul Shanley?
Yes, I am familiar with him.
And have you settled cases against Father Shanley?
As I'm sure you can understand, I can't discuss that with you.
How about, uh, Father Ronald Paquin?
Well, I can't discuss that with you either. Come on, guys.
We understand you've settled several cases against each of them.
Even if I'd been involved in those cases,
the settlements would be confidential,
and I could be disbarred for acknowledging their existence.
Okay? Mmm-hmm.
Look, I told you guys, these are tough cases.
Most of these folks, they just want some acknowledgment
of what happened.
We got 'em a sit-down with the bishop and a little dough,
and that's the best they could hope for.
Well, it's certainly the best the priests could hope for.
No, the Church promised they'd take the priests out of circulation.
And did you follow up on that?
(CHUCKLES)
Do you guys need anything else?
Yes. Why aren't there any records?
I was down at the courthouse earlier.
There aren't any records of any of these settlements.
We dealt directly with the Church.
We would draw up a demand letter and send it to the chancery.
You never filed anything in court?
It's a private mediation.
So, this is just you and the archdiocese's lawyers
in a room?
Correct.
Anyone else?
Occasionally, the Church would bring in another defense attorney to help out.
You have names?
Nope.
No, I don't.
So this was all under the table?
There's no paper trail. At all.
The victim has to sign a confidentiality agreement
to get the settlement.
The lawyer takes a third and the Church sweeps it under the rug.
Jeez, it's a freakin' racket.
BEN: It's more complicated than that.
Macleish's got a duty to the client to get the best deal he can.
Sure, but how many victims do you represent and profit from
before you say something?
Garabedian would say none.
That's why he's taking these cases to court
because he wants people to know about this.
I agree. And legal ethics aside, Ben,
I mean, operating the way Macleish has
all but guarantees that the abuse stays under wraps.
Yeah. Did Macleish confirm all Saviano's priests?
No. He's limited by his confidentiality agreement.
But clearly he's settled cases against a number of them.
Phil's put me in touch with some of the other victims,
I'm pretty confident all of his priests are gonna check out.
So it is 13 priests?
SACHA: Yeah. Looks that way.
Holy shit.
Okay. Keep going.
I'm sorry. What was the name again?
Uh, Baron.
B-A-R-O-N.
I'm having trouble finding it. Just give me a second.
It's okay, Kim, I can vouch for him.
I'm Pete Conley, I'm on the board of Catholic Charities.
Welcome to Boston, Mr. Baron.
Thank you. I appreciate you joining us.
We're very proud of the work we do here at Boston.
Oh, the Cardinal said you had a nice visit.
Yes, we did.
He's an extraordinary man. I'm glad you had a chance to chat.
(CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYING)
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
Enjoying yourself?
Uh, to be honest, these events aren't really my strong suit.
Yeah. Are you involved with the charity?
Not directly, no. Several of my friends are.
We all went to high school. BC High.
That's the school across the street from the Globe.
It's hard to miss. Yeah.
Hard to get away from, too, apparently.
(CHUCKLES)
The Cardinal's in the corner if you're so inclined.
MARTY: We've met. Really?
Did he mention the suit?
No, but he did give me a copy of the catechism.
(LAUGHS) Yeah, well, the Cardinal's not known for his subtlety.
During the Porter investigation,
he'd literally called down the power of God on the Globe.
How'd that play out?
A week later our editor broke his leg skiing.
WAITER: Shrimp toast, gentlemen?
No, thanks. No.
You said one of the victims filed a criminal complaint?
Yeah, there were a few of them.
But the judge had the case records sealed
after friends of the Church complained.
And the Church has a lot of friends.
Like Eric Macleish?
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
Let's just say he's not part of the solution.
You follow what I'm saying? Sure.
You work hard, Mr. Rezendes.
Are you married? Yeah.
Your wife doesn't mind you working all the time?
Oh, yeah, she does.
That's why I never got married. I'm too busy.
What I do is too important.
Hmm.
Your new editor, he's a Jew right?
Oh, that's right, yeah. Yeah, see,
he comes in and suddenly everybody's interested in the Church.
You know why?
Because it takes an outsider, like me.
I'm Armenian.
How many Armenians do you know in Boston?
Steve Kurkjian, works at the Globe.
(LAUGHS) Oh, that's two. You should get a prize or something.
What are you, Italian? No, I'm Portuguese.
From where? East Boston.
Really? East Boston?
You don't sound like it.
This city, these people,
making the rest of us feel like we don't belong.
But they're no better than us.
Look at how they treat their children.
Mark my words, Mr. Rezendes,
if it takes a village to raise a child,
it takes a village to abuse one.
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Hey, here he is. Want a beer? Love one.
Another. You here with Barbara?
No, she hates these things. Karen, too.
Yeah. Smart ladies.
BOTH: SI á inte.
Mmm.
I met your new editor.
Seemed like a decent fellow. I think he is.
(SIGHS)
Hey, I had an interesting conversation with Eric Macleish the other day.
Turns out he's been settling abuse cases with the archdiocese for years.
You really wanna talk about this here?
Jim, you said you helped out on Father Barrett as a favor.
That was a one-off?
(CLEARS THROAT)
How many of these cases have you been involved with?
You know I can't answer that, Robby. It's unethical.
Is that all it is?
(SIGHS) So, this would be the Robby Robinson
I've always heard about but never met.
Listen to me, Jimmy.
You wanna be on the right side of this.
This is the Church you're talking about, Robby.
Look around. These are good people,
done a lot of good for this city.
Enjoy the party.
(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)
MATT: I've been through a lot of these now.
"Sick leave" isn't the only designation they use
when they take one of these priests out of circulation.
They use a slew of terms. "Absent on leave,"
"unassigned," "emergency response."
They got a word for everything, these guys. Hmm. Except "rape."
(PHONE RINGS)
And they move parishes way more frequently than other priests.
When I was a kid, a priest moved
after seven or eight years, sometimes longer.
These guys, it's two to three years tops.
And did they use these designations for all of Saviano's priests?
Yeah, it's a pretty clear pattern.
Guys, I got Sipe.
SIPE: I think if you really want to understand the crisis,
you need to start with the celibacy requirement.
That was my first major finding.
Only 50% of the clergy are celibate.
Now, most of them are having sex with other adults.
But the fact remains that this creates a culture of secrecy
that tolerates and even protects pedophiles.
So you believe the Church is aware of the extent of this crisis?
Oh, absolutely. After the first major scandal in Louisiana,
Tom Doyle, the secretary-canonist for the papal nuncio,
co-authored a report warning pedophile priests
were a billion-dollar liability.
That was in 1985.
(STAMMERS) 1985? That's right.
Who saw that report? Anyone from the Catholic hierarchy?
Sure.
Doyle tried to introduce the report at
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In fact, Cardinal Law initially helped to fund the report.
But then he backed out, and they shelved it.
Are you kidding me?
Richard, Robby here.
We think we have 13 priests in Boston that fit this pattern,
which would be a very, very big story.
Does that sound right to you in terms of scale?
No, not really, Robby. It sounds low to me.
My estimates suggest 6% act out sexually with minors.
Uh, 6% of what?
6% of all priests.
How many priests do we have in Boston?
About 1,500. 1% is 15.
6% is
90.
All right, 90 priests. Is that possible?
From a metric standpoint,
yes, that would certainly be in line with my findings.
Hello?
Uh...
Ninety fucking priests? In Boston?
That's what he said.
If there were 90 of these bastards, people would know.
Maybe they do.
And no one said a thing?
Good Germans?
I don't think that's a comparison you want to make publically.
Macleish knew. He just didn't say anything.
That's 13 priests.
There's a big difference between 13 and 90.
Where's this guy Sipe getting his numbers?
Well, he's been studying it for 30 years.
He is a trained psychotherapist.
Okay, but we need something more than a metric
from some hippy ex-priest who's shacking up with a nun.
Okay, so we'll track down more victims. We'll get more priests.
Then we can check them against the directories.
That's a shitload of victims.
MIKE: We'll get there.
How long's it gonna take?
Too long.
Wait, but... Meeting's over?
ROBBY: Yeah, for now.
Look, what've you got? What if we work backwards?
What do you mean? From what? From the directories.
We've been using them to confirm bad priests.
What if we do it the other way around?
Use the directories to identify bad priests. Yeah, exactly.
We search by designation.
We look for any priest on "sick leave" or "unassigned."
Or have been moved around a lot. Yeah.
It's gonna take a load of work.
Well, not if we're all on it.
MIKE: You, too?
Generally that's what "all" means. Yeah. Yeah, generally.
LIBRARY WORKER: Library is closing.
Holy shit.
No freakin' way.
SACHA: Talbot. MATT: Yeah.
SACHA: Tivnan. MATT: Yeah.
Toma. Yeah.
Turnbull. Yeah.
Walsh. Yeah.
Welsh. Yeah.
That's it. That's it.
Holy shit. Robby?
That's three off Sipe's estimate. That's incredible.
Robby?
How many? Eighty-seven.
Eighty-seven priests in Boston.
Call Macleish. I wanna talk to him. Okay.
Can you print it? Sure can.
SECRETARY: Jim Sullivan's office.
Yeah, Walter Robinson for Jim Sullivan.
Tell him it's important, please.
One moment, please.
JIM: Hey, Robby. Everything okay?
I need you to tell me something, Jim.
Could it be 90 priests?
What? Could it be as high as 90?
Jesus, Robby.
I need to know, Jim. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important.
You gotta stop this, Robby.
(HANGS UP)
Robby, Macleish's assistant said he's all booked up, he can't see us.
Yeah. Well, the hell he can't.
All right. That'll be fun.
You know what, I'll catch up with you, okay?
We're good.
Hey, guys, I'm really sorry, I am,
but I don't have any time to talk right now,
but if you call my assistant...
Mr. Macleish, we have reason to believe
that there are allegations against as many as 87 priests in Boston.
I can't talk to you about that.
Does that number sound right to you? You gotta be kidding me.
I just told you I don't have time for this crap right now.
Eric. How many priests did you settle?
Robby, you know I can't tell you that.
You're gonna give me the names and the names of their victims.
Are you threatening me?
We've got two stories here.
We've got a story about degenerate clergy,
and we've got a story about a bunch of lawyers
turning child abuse into a cottage industry.
Now, which story do you want us to write?
'Cause we're writing one of them.
I already sent you a list of names.
What're you talking about? To whom?
The Globe. Years ago.
After the Porter case. I got plenty of calls.
I had 20 priests in Boston alone,
but I couldn't go after them without the press.
So I sent you guys a list of names, and you buried it.
I want those names tomorrow.
Check your goddamn clips, Robby.
SACHA: We didn't find anything in the clips.
Yeah. Big surprise.
Richard, do you still go to mass?
SIPE: No. No, I haven't been to church for some time now.
But I still consider myself a Catholic.
How does that work?
Well, the church is an institution, Mike.
Made of men.
It's passing. My faith is in the eternal.
I try to separate the two.
Sounds tricky. It is.
Especially since the Church continues to go after me.
It takes a toll, Mike.
They'll try to silence anyone who speaks out.
I'm sure they'll come after you and your team soon enough.
Really? And how do you think they'll do that?
Hello?
Richard?
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Who is it?
BEN: It's the archbishop of Canterbury.
I had dinner at Santarpio's, had some leftovers.
Ah, you're the freakin' best. Thanks. You want a beer?
Yeah. You got it.
Jesus.
How much longer you gonna be in this shithole?
Yeah. I'm working on it.
She's a good girl, Mike.
Yeah, she is. We'll figure it out.
I haven't had a lot of time lately.
I just got off the phone with Sipe, actually.
Have you met this guy in person yet?
No, but his knowledge of this is on a whole other level.
I'm freaking starving.
So, where are we with the 90?
We're close. How close?
We're close. Just answer the question, will you?
We got 87 names.
We're trying to get confirmation. I think we will.
(SIGHS)
Something bugging you?
It's just surprising, that's all.
Yeah. Yeah, it is. For everybody.
(SIGHING)
Oh, hey, Ben. I forgot to ask you.
Phil Saviano said he sent a bunch of info over to the Globe years ago.
Do you have any idea to who?
No, why?
Well, I'm just curious. I wanted to see
if there's any leads you guys didn't run out.
Saviano was a fucking train wreck five years ago, Mike.
We didn't miss anything.
This story needed Spotlight.
Yeah, I agree. I'm just following up.
Good night. Yeah, good night.
(DOOR CLOSING)
BEN: This is unbelievable.
MARTY: When did you get this?
ROBBY: Macleish emailed the list this morning.
He settled cases against 45 priests.
Where are we on Law?
Anything that shows he had knowledge of this?
We're still working Garabedian. But nothing concrete.
I keep thinking about that conversation we had the other night
about how Law called down the power of God
when we reported on Porter.
That's just Law being Law.
Okay, but I checked the clips,
and, uh, Porter isn't even in the Boston archdiocese.
He's from Fall River. So (INHALES DEEPLY)
why the extreme reaction?
Law had to know.
That's why he had the reaction.
Because he knew there were others.
I think that's the bigger story.
Bigger than 50 priests?
If it came from the top down, yes.
But the numbers clearly indicate
that there were senior clergy involved.
MARTY: That's all they do. Indicate.
Are you telling me that if we run a story
with 50 pedophile priests in Boston...
Mike!
We'll get into the same cat fight you got into on Porter,
which made a lot of noise,
but changed things not one bit.
(SIGHING)
We need to focus on the institution, not the individual priests.
Practice and policy.
Show me the Church manipulated the system
so that these guys wouldn't have to face charges.
Show me they put those same priests
back into parishes, time and time again.
Show me this was systemic,
that it came from the top down.
Sounds like we're going after Law.
We're going after the system.
Make a list of all the victims we have. Start reaching out.
And bring Matt in if you need help. Mmm-hmm.
Okay. Hey, when you go to Springfield?
Our hearing is Monday. ROBBY: Okay.
Hey, Robby, you got a second?
ROBBY: Yeah.
I, uh, got one of those treatment centers
a block from my house.
(EXHALES)
We got neighbors with kids.
I know that the work we do is confidential, but I'm feeling like...
(SIGHS)
I should tell 'em.
(CLICKS TONGUE)
We'll tell 'em soon.
You sure?
Yeah. Okay.
Hi there. I'm Sacha Pfeiffer. I'm with The Boston Globe.
I was just looking for a gentleman by the name of Matthew Walsh.
Uh... No, he's not.
(INDISTINCT)
Yeah, okay. Okay.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Hi. Hi.
I'm Sacha Pfeiffer from The Boston Globe.
Yeah, what do you want?
I'd like to speak with Thomas Kennedy.
He doesn't live here anymore.
Do you know where he lives?
Sir, I'd just like to ask a few...
Uh, Sacha Pfeiffer, Boston Globe.
WOMAN: Oh, yeah, hi.
Hi. Thank you.
Anything else you can recall?
No.
No, but I got a cousin in Quincy.
She saw him in the street a few years later.
MAN: The Bishop came over to the house.
He said nothing like this had ever happened before,
and he asked us not to press charges.
And what did your mother do?
My mother?
(SCOFFS)
She put out freakin' cookies.
(CHURCH BELL TOLLING)
WOMAN: There was a lot of pressure to keep quiet.
From the Church?
Yeah, from the Church.
But not just the Church.
From my friends,
from the other parishioners.
SIPE: Well, many of the priests that I treated
were psychosexually stunted,
on the emotional level of a 12- or 13-year-old.
Jeez.
Sure the Chief knew. Everybody knew,
but nobody wants to cuff a priest.
Mmm.
And what about the prosecutor?
I shouldn't talk about this shit.
I think you should, actually.
Do you know a Father Hurley or a Father Gale?
I do.
I swear to God, I'll beat the shit out of you.
Sorry to bother you.
You leave me alone, you leave my brother alone!
You hear me, God damn it?
Hi there. I'm looking for Ronald Paquin.
Yes?
You're Father Paquin?
Yes, that's right.
I'm Sacha Pfeiffer from The Boston Globe.
Okay.
Could I ask you a few questions?
Go ahead, dear.
We spoke to several men who you knew when they were boys
at St. John the Baptist in Haverhill.
They told us you molested them. Is that true?
Sure I fooled around, but I never felt gratified myself.
Right. Um, but you admit to molesting boys
at St. John the Baptist?
Yes, yes, but as I said,
I never got any pleasure from it.
That's important to understand.
Right.
Um, but can you tell me where and how
you fooled around with these boys?
(SIGHS) I want to be clear,
I never raped anyone.
There's a difference. I should know.
How would you know?
I was raped.
I'm sorry, who raped you?
JANE: Ronnie, who're you talking to?
It's okay, Jane. Father Paquin, who raped you?
Who are you?
Uh... Sacha Pfeiffer, from the Globe.
Please get off my porch. I can speak for myself.
Get inside the house, Ronnie. Mr...
Get inside, Ronald. Sorry.
Uh, I'm sorry, who are you?
I'm his sister,
and I don't want you coming back here.
Ms. Paquin...
BOY 1: Beat you to the end of the street!
BOY 2: No, you won't. I beat you last time!
BOY 1: No, you didn't, you cheated!
You did!
Could you please clarify the Globe's position for me, Mr. Albano?
ALBANO: Yes, Judge Sweeney.
Our argument to make these documents public
rests mainly on First Amendment grounds.
We also have a number of other relevant arguments.
After all, Your Honor,
this was a discretionary order.
SWEENEY: Yes, it was made at the Judge's discretion.
Hey, Mike.
Hey, Joe.
What's a Spotlight reporter
doing in Springfield?
(SCOFFS)
Your boy Albano's sledding uphill.
You actually think you have a shot at winning this thing?
You want me to comment for the Herald?
(CHUCKLES)
"Globe reporter would not comment,
"but he did not seem hopeful."
He didn't try and hide it at all.
He had this really odd rationalization for it.
Like it was totally normal
to fool around with little boys.
I'd really like to go back. I think he'd talk to us.
Oh, we will.
Just not yet.
I want you to stay focused on the victims right now.
MATT: Sacha, where'd they send Father Talbot again?
Um, I think... Wasn't that Cheverus?
MATT: Cheverus, that's right.
Wait, Father Talbot from BC High?
Yeah, you know him?
Yeah, he was there when I was.
We have a victim?
Yeah, lives in Providence.
There's nothing personal in these documents, Your Honor.
They concern how the Cardinal is handling...
Say "the archdiocese."
ALBANO: Excuse me?
You don't get to tag the Cardinal
with everything, Mr. Albano.
Say "the archdiocese."
WILSON: Judge Sweeney, the Globe is not a party to this case,
they just want to sell papers.
If Mr. Garabedian had not smeared
the Cardinal's good name,
we wouldn't even be here.
Your Honor, I object to the use of the word "smear."
SWEENEY: Duly noted, Mr. Garabedian.
MITCH: Thank you, Your Honor.
SWEENEY: Anything else, Mr. Rogers?
WILSON: No, Your Honor.
SWEENEY: Mr. Albano, you may continue.
ALBANO: The Globe believes having...
(CHURCH BELL TOLLING)
MIKE: Hey, Mitch, how are you doing?
I'm fine.
He's tough, that Wilson Rogers.
He's smug.
And he's sloppy.
He doesn't seem sloppy.
You don't know the half of it. Trust me.
What's the half of it?
Tell me the half of it, Mitch.
Off the record? Off the record, yeah.
Three years ago, I get a call from an ex-priest.
Anthony Benzevich.
He was at Blessed Sacrament back in '62,
and he saw Geoghan
taking little boys up to the rectory bedroom, okay?
So he's appalled, all right?
Tells the bishop about it.
The bishop threatens to reassign him
to South America.
Jesus. Yeah, all right.
So fast forward 35 years,
Benzevich reads that Geoghan's been charged
with molesting hundreds of kids.
All right? So he feels guilty. He calls me.
So you have testimony of a priest
telling his superiors about Geoghan in '62?
No, I do not.
Because when I called Benzevich in to give a deposition,
he comes in with a lawyer.
Wilson Rogers. Right.
And suddenly Father Benzevich
has a very foggy memory.
Can't remember anything. He's useless.
So I go back to work,
I forget about it. Whatever.
Until about a year ago, I find an article
about a priest who warned church officials about Geoghan.
Benzevich went to the press? Yeah.
Yeah, local paper, Patriot Ledger. Nobody saw it.
But now I got Benzevich on record.
So I file a motion to depose Benzevich a second time.
All right? And Wilson Rogers,
that smug son of a bitch,
he files a motion opposing my motion.
And that's when I have him.
Have him how?
Rogers opposes my motion,
so I have to make an argument
as to why I'm allowed to depose
Father Benzevich a second time, okay?
But this time, I'm allowed to attach exhibits.
Do you follow what I'm saying?
The sealed documents? Yes.
I can attach the sealed documents
that I've gotten in discovery, Mr. Rezendes,
the same documents that your paper is currently suing for.
You're shitting me?
What? No. No, I'm not shitting you.
So I pull out the 14 most damning docs
and I attach 'em to my motion.
And they prove everything. Everything.
About the Church, about the bishops, about Law.
And it's all public?
Because your motion to oppose Roger's motion
is public. Yeah, exactly.
Now you're paying attention.
So I could just walk into that courthouse right now
and get those documents?
No, you cannot,
because the documents are not there.
But you just said they're public.
I know I did, but this is Boston,
and the Church does not want them to be found.
So they are not there.
Mitch, are you telling me that the Catholic Church
removed legal documents from that courthouse?
Look, I'm not crazy, I'm not paranoid.
I'm experienced.
Check the docket. You'll see.
They control everything.
Everything.
I gotta go back in.
(GRUMBLING) These guys got the fucking documents.
Docket entry number 49, it's in the Geoghan case.
We're closing in 10 minutes.
Ten minutes? All right.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Robby. MIKE: Hey, it's me.
Hey. You're not gonna believe it.
Garabedian gave me a tip. Some of the sealed docs are already public.
They're part of a motion he filed.
He said they're the best of the bunch.
We don't have to wait for Sweeney's ruling.
So we can get them?
Yeah, but they're not there.
Already talked to Albano.
He said all we have to do is file a motion,
and Sweeney will order Mitch to refile the docs.
And you think these documents are...
He said these 14 docs were all we need. They're huge.
Okay. I'll call Ben. Good work.
NEWS ANCHOR ON TV:...whether this was truly an accident
or someone committed an intentional act.
But either way, extensive damage
has been done to this building.
MARTY: What happened?
They're saying it's a prop plane,
but that's not a prop plane.
Tell Linda to get every reporter we have in here now.
CARDINAL LAW ON TV: You pray for the victims,
you pray for the injured,
and you pray for those who survived.
You pray, too, for the nation.
That our response to this might reflect the best ideals of our nation.
And even more, reflect God's own teaching.
Not only as it's shown in Christianity and Judaism,
but in Islam as well.
Not bad. Who's there? Paulson.
I wanna talk to him when he's back.
Did Rezendes find a way to get to Florida yet?
They just opened the airport in Providence.
He's on his way there now.
Ben, I'm gonna need more people on Massport.
I'll give you three of my guys.
Robby, put your team on that, too. ROBBY: Got it.
And Robby, everything else stops.
Understood.
Why's Mike going to Florida?
Flight school. It's where they learned to fly.
Robby, I've got a lot of victim interviews set up this week.
We have to cancel 'em.
That's gonna be hard. I know.
This is nuts. Two days ago I told my wife
we gotta be working the biggest story on the planet.
Boston Globe.
RECEPTIONIST: Boston Globe. One moment, please.
Yes, if you have a tip, I will transfer you down to Metro.
(PHONE RINGING)
Mitchell Garabedian.
Mitch, it's Mike, I've been trying to reach you.
I don't have time to talk to you, Mr. Rezendes.
Hey, just quickly, did you refile those docs yet?
MITCH: No, I just got the order. It takes time.
Okay, great. Can you hold off on refiling them?
Hold off? I have to go to Florida.
Once you refile they're public.
Other newspapers will be able to get a hold of 'em.
Other newspapers are not my concern. I received a judicial order.
I told you the Church is watching me.
Oh, hey, Mitch, please. All I need's a few more weeks.
I can't make any promises. Goodbye.
Mitch? Mitch! Shit!
Shit.
PHIL: Look, I get it, no one wants to read
about kids getting raped by priests.
Especially now.
But you asked a lot of people to relive
some very painful experiences,
and you just disappear.
Phil, you know why we were taken off of the story.
It's been six weeks since 9/11.
I realize that and we're gonna get back to it.
When?
You're doing the same thing you guys did last time.
No. You're dropping us.
No. Maybe I should tell the Herald that story.
Okay, Phil, you go ahead and do that.
It will undo all the work we've done, but I can't stop you.
Listen to me. I am here because I care.
We're not going away.
We're gonna tell this story, we're gonna tell it right.
We just need a little more time. That's all we're asking for.
(SCOFFS)
Why bother asking?
You're gonna do what you want anyway.
You always do.
Phil.
(CELL PHONE RINGING)
Hey.
ROBBY: How's South Beach?
Boynton Beach. Remarkably different place.
What's up?
Mitch Garabedian called me today.
Why'd he call you? 'Cause he knew you'd yell at him.
He refiled the docs.
What?
Robby, those docs are public now.
We gotta get there before anyone else does.
I know. I know. I know.
Just wrap up whatever you're doing
and get the first flight out.
I'll book a flight now and go straight to the courthouse tomorrow.
All right. Call me when you get in. Okay.
Robby, I'd like to let Phil Saviano know that we're back on it.
Good idea.
Go have dinner with Hansi.
Might be the last time for a while.
Mmm-hmm.
Robby, after we saw Macleish,
I started going back through the clips,
and I had a little time last week finally.
So, um, I found that.
It's from '93.
That it?
Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
Good night.
Okay, good night.
So, I was probably a few years after you, right?
No, you were more than a few.
(CHUCKLES) Believe me.
Well, after BC High, I came down to Providence
and played hockey for the Friars.
Oh, well, you must have been pretty good.
No. Rode the bench in college. Yeah. Oh.
But I loved the city.
Oh. And we just had our third kid.
And I still get my Globe, for the record.
Oh, that's good to know. Good to know.
Look, Kevin, uh, that's actually why I'm here.
I need to ask you some questions about Father Talbot.
How'd you find out?
Well...
I guess it doesn't matter.
And I never even told my wife.
(ELEVATOR BELL DINGS) Excuse me.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! I need to get in there.
We're closed. Come on, let me in. Five minutes.
I'm sorry, we're closed.
Come on. Five minutes.
Hello.
Here.
This is the Geoghan case? That's right.
Those records are sealed. No.
That's a public motion. Those records are public.
Look, I work for the Globe.
Good for you.
Can I talk to your supervisor?
He's not in today.
What about a judge?
There must be judges that work on this kind of thing.
Sixth floor.
We understand the nature of the allegations against Father Talbot.
I'm just not sure what you want from President Kemeza.
Talbot taught here long before Bill took over.
Mmm. Of course. We just want to know
if it's possible that the president,
the faculty, the board,
that no one knew what was going on at the time.
I graduated in 1979, and I had no idea about any of this.
So if you're suggesting that Father Gibbons and Father Callahan
had in any way...
Gibbons and Callahan...
I mean, they ran this place like the navy.
Do you really think they didn't know?
(CHUCKLES)
It's a big school, Robby. You know that.
And we're talking about seven alleged victims
over, what, eight years.
We're talking about seven that we know about.
(SCOFFS) This is ridiculous.
You're reaching for a story here. We cannot possibly...
Jack. Jack. Jack. If I had been president then,
I would've known.
Bill, I'm not sure that's relevant.
Why do you think they sent Talbot up to Cheverus?
You know they wanted him out of town.
(CLEARS THROAT) Robby, as well intentioned as Bill's remarks are,
I'm hoping we can keep this between us
until we all get on the same page.
Is that why we're here, to get on the same page?
No, we're here because you're an important alumnus, Robby,
and a friend.
Exactly, and we know you care about this school as much as we do.
Did you play a sport here, Jack?
Yeah. Football. Why?
ROBBY: Mmm. I ran track.
You know, I went to Providence yesterday
to talk to one of Father Talbot's victims.
He played hockey here.
And, uh, he's one of the better ones.
He's got a wife, kids, good job.
About 10 minutes into the conversation,
the guy breaks down.
You know, couldn't stop crying.
Said he could never figure out why Father Talbot picked him.
Father Talbot coached the hockey team.
So,
I guess we just got lucky.
You and me.
Does Jack Dunn work for the school?
No, he's PR for Boston College.
They call him when they need help.
And Pete Conley? Why was he there?
Good question.
Pete's a big alum, but I called Bill directly,
and I asked for a sit-down.
I never mentioned anybody else.
It's like everybody already knows the story.
Yeah.
Except us. And we work right there.
Judge Volterra? Yes.
Hi, I'm Mike Rezendes from The Boston Globe.
Um, I'm having some trouble
accessing some public records
down in the records room.
I was wondering if I could have a word with you?
All right. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
These exhibits you're after, Mr. Rezendes,
they're very sensitive records.
With all due respect, Your Honor,
that's not the question.
The records are public.
Maybe so, but tell me,
where's the editorial responsibility
in publishing records of this nature?
Well, where's the editorial responsibility in not publishing them?
MAN: You can't take those. You need to make copies.
I'm going to the copy room.
It closed at 4:00.
Look, I'll give you
83 bucks to use yours.
Hey, cabbie! (WHISTLING)
Hey! Hey! Hey!
(BRAKES SQUEALING)
Take me to The Boston Globe on Morrissey Boulevard.
Don't take 93. Take Dorchester Avenue.
Robby, it's incredible!
Law knew about Geoghan for years, no question.
There's a letter to Law from a woman Margaret Gallant,
who lived in Jamaica Plain in the early '80s when Geoghan was there.
Listen to this,
"Our family is rooted in the Church,
"our desire is to protect the Holy Orders,
"even in the midst of our agony
"over the seven boys in our family
"who have been violated."
Seven, Robby. Seven boys.
"It was suggested we keep silent.
"We did not question the authority of the Church two years ago,
"but since Father Geoghan is still in his parish..."
But she sent it to Law, and Law did shit.
Here's another one to Law, same year. Listen to this,
"A word on the recent assignment of Father Geoghan
"as an associate at St. Julia's in Weston.
"Father Geoghan has a history of homosexual involvement with young boys.
"I understand his recent departure from St. Brendan's
"may be related to this problem.
"I wonder if Father Geoghan should not be reduced to just weekend work
"while receiving some kind of therapy.
"You know how grateful I am to you for your constant concern.
"Sincerely yours in our Lord,
"Most Reverend John M. Darcy, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston.
"December 7, 1984."
An auxiliary bishop wrote that?
That's incredible.
He broke ranks.
I mean, when did Gallant write her letter?
1984. And Law just ignored it.
How do you ignore that freakin' letter?
We got 'em.
You can't read these letters and think anything else. It's proof.
Yeah. It is.
This is good work.
MIKE: Should we take it up to Ben?
Uh...
No. Not yet.
Why not? We got Law. This is it.
No, this is Law covering for one priest.
There's another 90 out there.
Yeah, and we'll print that story when we get it,
but we gotta go with this now.
No, I'm not going to rush this story, Mike.
We don't have a choice, Robby.
If we don't rush to print,
somebody else is gonna find these letters and butcher the story.
Joe Quimby from the Herald
was at the freakin' courthouse.
ROBBY: So we'll write a holding story,
and we'll keep our eye on the Herald.
Keep our eye on the Herald?
They run this and they get it wrong, the Church will bury it.
We gotta do this now. Mike, Mike...
What? Why are we hesitating?
Baron told us to get Law. This is Law.
Baron told us to get the system.
We need the full scope.
That's the only thing that will put an end to this.
Then let's take it up to Ben, let him decide.
We'll take it to Ben when I say it's time.
It's time, Robby. It's time!
They knew and they let it happen. To kids!
Okay? It could've been you! It could've been me!
It could have been any of us!
We gotta nail these scumbags!
We gotta show people that nobody can get away with this!
Not a priest or a Cardinal or a freaking Pope!
You finished?
Yeah, I am. This is bullshit.
(DOOR SLAMMING)
Oh...
(SIGHING)
You okay?
Mmm... (KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Hey, Hansi.
Hard day at work, Mike?
Here. Thank you.
I don't know why I got so pissed off.
You know, I think Robby's wrong.
You know, you're just...
You care about the story, Mike. We all do.
Yeah, I guess. SACHA: Mmm.
I stopped going to church with my Nana.
It was... It was too hard.
You know, I'd be sitting there,
and I'd start thinking about Joe Crowley
or someone else and I just...
I just got so angry.
Did you tell her why?
She goes to church three times a week, Mike.
(SIGHING)
It really pisses me off.
You know,
I actually really liked going to church when I was a little kid.
Mmm.
Why'd you stop?
Typical shit.
But the weird thing is,
I think I...
I think I figured that maybe one day... (CHUCKLES)
I would actually go back.
I was really... I was holding on to that.
Mmm.
I read those letters, and...
And something just cracked.
It's a shitty feeling. Yeah.
It's a shitty feeling.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Looks like a long day.
Hey, Pete. I'm sorry to make it longer.
(CHUCKLES) Brian.
Has anyone ever said no to a drink with you, Pete?
(LAUGHING)
Well, sure. But the trick is to keep asking.
For Boston.
(CLINKING) Boston.
Mmm.
So, you here for the Cardinal?
Oh, no, no, no, no. I wouldn't...
I wouldn't presume to speak for the Cardinal. No.
You know, (CLEARS THROAT)
you got a lot of people here who respect you, Robby,
the work you do.
That's good to know.
You know, it's because you care about this place.
It's why you do what you do. It's who you are.
You know, but people need the Church,
more than ever right now.
You know, you can feel it.
And the Cardinal...
You know, the Cardinal, he might not be perfect,
but we can't throw out all the good
he's doing over a few bad apples.
Now, you know, I'm bringing this up to you
because I know this is Baron's idea, his agenda.
I gotta tell ya, I mean, honest to God,
I mean, he doesn't care about this city the way we do.
I mean, how could he?
This is how it happens, isn't it, Pete? What's that?
A guy leans on a guy,
and suddenly the whole town
just looks the other way.
Robby. Robby, look it,
Marty Baron is just trying to make his mark.
He's gonna be here for a couple of years, and he's gonna move on.
Just like he did in New York and Miami.
Where're you gonna go?
Hmm?
Good night, Robby. Brian.
Hey, Pete. Yeah?
Uh...
When we do run the story, uh, I'm gonna need a comment from the Cardinal.
We'll talk again later. Good night, Robby.
Good night, Pete.
(PHONE RINGING)
Robby.
What?
No shit. When?
(EXHALES)
Okay. Yeah.
Hey!
What's up?
Sweeney ruled in our favor.
She ruled to unseal the documents.
Jeez!
The Church has already filed an appeal,
but the trial court ruling is generally upheld in these matters.
And when would we get the documents?
Probably takes Cohen a few weeks to rule,
then there's a redaction process.
Uh, I'd say they'd be made public mid-January.
Okay. All right.
Thanks, Jon. You bet.
Nice work. Thanks.
Metro should run something, Marty.
We can't run this one big.
Why wouldn't we? It's a major First Amendment victory.
Not to mention, you get
an Irish Catholic judge
ruling against the Church?
That's a hell of a precedent. MARTY: Mmm-hmm.
We don't want the Herald going deep on this.
Why's that?
You're gonna have to step out, Peter.
I'm not stepping out.
(SCOFFS)
Peter.
(SIGHING)
When did you, uh... A couple of weeks ago.
A couple of weeks?
Yeah. BEN: And you're telling us now?
These are substantial.
They clearly show that Law was negligent.
I need more time. I wanna keep digging.
For what? This is the goddamn story.
ROBBY: It's not the whole story.
Tough shit. We're on a clock now.
Even if we don't run Sweeney's ruling,
another paper could find these letters and fuck the story.
Agreed.
But we run these letters alone,
Law apologizes, says it's a one-time thing.
He can bury it.
How? These clearly show he knew and did nothing about it.
Look, I'm close to stories on 70 priests.
We nail that, along with those letters,
this is proof this is bigger than Law.
It's the whole system.
You have multiple sources confirming all those priests?
On some. I can get more.
Too risky. If we're not buttoned up on every single one of them,
the Church will pick us apart.
I think I can get us someone
from the other side of the aisle.
Somebody inside the Church?
Yeah, a lawyer.
Will he go on the record?
(SNIFFS) Deep background. But he's a solid source.
Rezendes needs time to write the story.
We don't wanna drop it at Christmas, not after 9/11.
We could run it just after New Year's,
before they release the rest of the documents.
All right.
Tell Canellos to bury the ruling in Metro.
You got six weeks.
Thank you.
Tell Mike I want a draft by Christmas.
And we need a response from Lake Street.
Who does PR for the Cardinal? Still John Walsh?
No, somebody new, Donna Morrisey.
She came from TV. She's young.
Good, get a quote.
We need something from Law to appear even-handed.
Robby, next time give me a goddamn heads-up.
Will do.
CHOIR: (SINGING) Silent night, holy night
All is calm
All is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant, so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace (SOBBING)
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night
Shepherds quake
At the sight
Glory streams from heaven above
Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Oh, Robby. What a nice surprise.
Come on in.
(TV PLAYING)
Hey, hon, look who I found outside.
Karen, can you give us a minute?
Sure.
Good to see you, Karen.
What's up?
I'm out of time, Jim.
We've got cover-up stories on 70 priests,
but the boss isn't gonna run it
unless I get confirmation from your side.
Are you out of your mind?
Come on. This is our town, Jimmy.
Everybody knew something was going on, and no one did a thing.
We gotta put an end to it.
Don't tell me what I gotta do.
Yeah, I helped defend these scumbags, but that's my job, Robby.
I was doing my job!
Yeah.
You and everyone else.
Get out of my house.
JIM: Hey!
You come to my home and lay this shit on me!
You were right, Robby.
We all knew somethin' was going on.
So where were you?
What took you so long?
I don't know, Jim.
Give me the list.
MIKE: Larry, we're going to press in six hours.
MATT: Donna Morrisey said she'd called us
with a quote from Law hours ago.
That's what I thought. When did you talk to her?
Okay, okay, Larry.
Yeah. Yeah, that's good to know.
Thanks, Pete. Anything?
Conley said Donna Morrisey should have called, he just left Lake Street.
Yeah, Rasky said the same thing.
This is ridiculous. You'd think they'd wanna get ahead of this.
I mean, they'd be idiots not to.
I would love to see their faces when they read this thing then.
You know, Sunday's the feast of the Epiphany.
It seems appropriate. (PHONE RINGING)
Mike Rezendes.
Hey, Donna. Thanks for calling.
Yeah, I just had a few questions if you have a minute.
What?
Another adjective.
Anything? Law just turned us down.
Jesus Christ.
I just got off the phone with Donna Morrisey.
She said, quote, we don't even want to know
what the questions are, end quote.
She really said that? Yeah.
Well, that oughta do it.
MARTY: "The Church had no interest
"in knowing what the Globe's questions would be."
Work it in somewhere before the jump. Anything else?
Uh, Matt wants to put the letters online,
so the readers can see for themselves.
We can run the URL at the bottom of the article.
It's pretty straightforward. Okay.
We also put the Spotlight tip line at the end of the story
so people can call in.
Goes directly to our office.
Matt and I can go in in the morning in case we get any calls.
Yeah, I'm more concerned about the phones at reception.
After we ran the Porter case,
the message centers were tied up for weeks.
It's a real problem. There were picketers, too.
Lots of 'em.
I'll talk to Richard about the security and the phones.
Uh, how are we coming on the folo story?
Well, we've nailed down multiple stories
on 70 priests.
All 70? SACHA: Mmm-hmm.
And with the confirmation from Robby's source, we're ready to go.
We can have a draft next week.
Uh, Robby, that source of yours,
is it something we could revisit?
He might be tough.
But he has no problem helping the Church
protect dozens of dirty priests.
Guy's a scumbag. He's a lawyer, he's doing his job.
He's a shill for the Church.
BEN: He knew and did nothing.
MIKE: He could've said something years ago. Maybe saved some lives.
What about us?
What's that supposed to mean?
We had all the pieces. (CLEARS THROAT)
Why didn't we get it sooner?
We didn't have all the pieces.
We had Saviano, we had Barrett, we had Geoghan.
We had the directories in the basement.
You know what? We got it now.
Robby, the story needed Spotlight.
Mike, Spotlight's been around since 1970.
So what? We couldn't see the scope of this. No one could.
Robby, this started with one goddamn priest.
Macleish sent us a letter on 20 priests, years ago.
Sacha found the clip.
You freaking kidding me? 20 priests?
BEN: When?
Uh, just after Porter. December '93.
We buried the story in Metro. No folo.
That was you.
You were Metro.
Yeah. That was me.
I'd just taken over. I don't remember it at all.
But yeah...
MARTY: Um...
Can I say something here?
Sometimes it's easy to forget
that we spend most of our time stumbling around in the dark.
Suddenly a light gets turned on,
and there's a fair share of blame to go around.
I can't speak to what happened before I arrived,
but, um, all of you have done some very good reporting here.
Reporting that I believe is gonna have an immediate
and considerable impact on our readers.
For me, this kind of story is why we do this.
Having said that, Cardinal Law and the Catholic community
are gonna have a very strong response to this.
So if you need a moment,
you've earned it.
But I will need you back here Monday morning
focused and ready to do your job.
(KNOCKING ON DOOR)
Leaving?
Yeah.
I, uh, just got a call from the Cardinal.
Really. Why?
He wanted to tell me personally
that he decided not to comment.
Yeah, said he wanted to extend me that courtesy.
Jesus, the balls on that guy. What did you say?
I told him he was making a mistake,
and that we were gonna run the story.
Damn right we're gonna run it.
(SIGHING)
Sacha, can I have a drink of water?
Yeah. Sure, Nana. Yeah.
Can I keep this?
Sure.
I thought you should see it first.
Thank you for bringing it by.
I have some clients I have to attend to.
(MITCH EXHALES)
MITCH: Both kids were abused.
Jamaica Plain. Two weeks ago.
Keep doing your work, Mr. Rezendes.
Hello. CHILDREN: Hello.
How are you guys doing? We're good.
MITCH: Good.
MATT: Hey. Morning.
How'd you sleep?
Not very well. You?
I haven't slept well for months. Mmm.
Oh, thanks. I actually started writing.
Writing? Yeah, I've been working on a book.
Gives me something else to focus on.
What kind of book?
Horror. (CHUCKLES)
(LAUGHS) (PHONE RINGING)
Spotlight.
Yeah. Yeah, of course.
Can I get your name, please?
You do know it's Sunday, right?
I couldn't get a tee time.
No picketers. Yeah.
Probably still at church.
Hey, Linda.
It's quiet, huh?
Yeah, easiest overtime I ever made.
Phone hasn't rung once.
Marty sent two of mine down to Spotlight.
Great article, guys. BOTH: Thank you.
Spotlight?
(PHONES RINGING)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
Okay. Send him over.
WOMAN: Spotlight, can I help you?
Phones have been ringing all morning.
Mike, can you grab that? Yeah, yeah.
They're almost all victims, Robby.
I'm sorry to make you wait.
It's very tough to talk about, I know...
Yes, you can reach me here...
This is Spotlight.
(PHONES CONTINUE RINGING)
(ALL CHATTERING INDISTINCTLY)
Spotlight.