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Jason Berry, the renowned Catholic journalist who wrote a groundbreaking investigative report on a priest abuser in New Orleans in 1985, hoped that his findings would lead to reform in the Catholic Church. He has made his book Vows of Silence into a movie. The DVD is now available. It chronicles the history of one of Pope John Paul II's favorite priest, Fr. Marcial Maciel, the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, a religious order for clergy, and Regnum Christi, a religious movement for both clergy and laypeople. Maciel was a prolific fundraiser who had for years been accused of sexual abuse. The film documents the church's coverup as well as the priest's predatory trail of seeking out and abusing young men aspiring to the priesthood. While John Paul refused to investigate the allegations, then Cardinal Ratzinger took up the investigation. Unfortunately, he didn't follow through, citing Maciel's age.

Berry interviewed former members of the order and used the Maciel saga as a metaphor for the larger sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. Berry rightly points out that the real culprit in the priest sex abuse crisis are the bishops who are not held accountable for their refusal to act against priests who abuse children.

You can purchase the documentary by visiting this website: http://www.vowsofsilencefilm.com/

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