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May 15, 2019
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New documentary exposes sex abuse in Polish Church

The film is dotted with similar hidden camera scenes and impromptu calls for explanation
New documentary exposes sex abuse in Polish Church

Despite its spectacular staging, Tomasz Sekielski's documentary "Don't tell anyone" is no less attentive to factual accuracy. (Photo by STRIXCODE/STOCK.ADOBE.COM) 

"Don't tell anyone" is the title of independent Polish journalist Tomasz Sekielski's two hour shock documentary on the child sex abuse scandals that have traumatized the Catholic Church in Poland.

Following its release on YouTube on May 11, the program attracted 11 million viewers in only three days.

The documentary draws a pitiless portrait of the Church, cataloging the systemic cover up of abuse, the failures of dioceses to respond and the difficulties faced by victims. Nor does it hesitate to explicitly name offending priests as well as bishops suspected of having kept silence.

An overpowering program bordering on the sensational

The documentary opens spectacularly with a surprise visit by Anna, 39, to the priest who abused her during her childhood at the aged care home where he now resides.

Accompanied by the documentary producer, who poses as her husband while carrying a camera hidden beneath his coat, Anna enters the old priest's room.

"Do you remember me?" she asks. "I would like you to look me in the eye as I think that this will be the last time."

A terrible face to face confrontation follows. Completely disoriented by the situation, the aged priest admits the abuse, begging forgiveness from Anna, who leaves the room, overcome with emotion.

"I hope that God will judge you appropriately and justly," she tells him.

The documentary is dotted with similar hidden camera scenes and impromptu calls for explanation. This gives the film a rare power albeit without avoiding a certain disturbing sensationalism.

In his questioning, Sekielski does not hesitate to challenge his interlocutors, particularly when, court sentence and a video camera in hand, he asks a priest who is prohibited from activities with children why he is leading a spiritual retreat for children.

A strikingly rigorous documentary

Nevertheless, despite such spectacular staging, the documentary is scrupulously attentive to the facts. In fact, Sekielski includes overwhelming evidence in support of the serious accusations he makes.

The victims deliver icily precise testimonies when the director brings them back to the sites where they were first abused.

Revealing the identities of several persons involved in the "cover up" of these crimes, Sekielski also shows the compromising letters exchanged between dioceses. He highlights the promises that were never fulfilled as well as the removal of accused priests and their incessant transfer from diocese to diocese.

In an effort to promote reflection on the issue, Sekielski also taps a series of experts who offer the beginnings of a response to a number of issues raised by the documentary.

Why so little action on the part of ecclesial authorities? Why so many difficulties with legal procedures? Why do victims return to see the person who assaulted them? What consequences has abuse had on their lives?

Primate and episcopal conference president refuse to participate

Strongly criticized by the current Polish Church authorities, the documentary concludes by explicitly highlighting the refusal of the Primate of Poland, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, and the president of the episcopal conference, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, to participate in the program.

Nevertheless, the latter appears many times during the documentary, which features extracts from a March 14 press conference in Warsaw.

On that occasion, Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki commented that the term "pedophilia in the Church" was "a very ideological slogan" chosen with the objective of "weakening the Church's authority and thus destroying the confidence of congregations."

He responded to the film by expressing his "emotion and sadness."

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