Spotlight Quotes

Mitchell Garabedian: Three years ago I get a call from an ex-priest, Anthony Benzovich. He was at Blessed Sacrament back in '62, and he saw Geoghan...
[waits for two cops to pass by, then continues]
Mitchell Garabedian: ... taking little boys up to the rectory bedroom. So he's appalled, all right? And tells the bishop about it. The bishop threatens

to re-assign him... to South America.
Mike Rezendes: Jesus.
Mike Rezendes: Yeah. So, fast forward thirty-five years. Benzovich reads that Geoghan has been charged with molesting hundreds of kids. So, he feels guilty. He calls me.
Mike Rezendes: So, you have testimony of a priest telling his superiors about Geoghan in '62?

Mitchell Garabedian: [shakes his head] No, I do not. Because when I call Benzovich in to give a disposition, he comes in with a lawyer.
Mike Rezendes: Wilson Rogers!
Mitchell Garabedian: Right. And suddenly, Father Benzovich 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.
Mike Rezendes: Benzovich went to the press?
Mitchell Garabedian: Yeah. Local paper, Patriot-Ledger. Nobody saw it. But now I got Benzovich on record. So, I file a motion to depose Benzovich a second time. And Wilson Rogers, that smug son of a

bitch, files a motion opposing my motion. And that's when I have him.
Mike Rezendes: Have him how?
Mitchell Garabedian: Rogers opposes my motion, so I have to make an argument as to why I'm allowed to depose Father Benzovich a second time. Okay? But this time, I'm allowed to attach exhibits. You follow what I'm saying?
Mike

Rezendes: The sealed documents?
Mitchell Garabedian: Yes! I can attach the sealed documents that I've gotten in discovery, Mr. Rezendes, the same documents your paper is currently suing for.
Mike Rezendes: You're shitting me!
Mitchell Garabedian: What? No, no, I'm not shitting you! So, I pull out the fourteen most

damning docs, and I attach them to my motion. And they prove everything. Everything! About the church, about the bishops, about Law...
Mike Rezendes: And it's all public! Because your motion to oppose Rogers' motion...
Mitchell Garabedian: ...is public, yeah. Exactly. Now you're paying attention.
Mike Rezendes: So, I can just

walk into that courtroom right now and get those documents?
Mitchell Garabedian: No, you cannot. Because the documents are not there.
Mike Rezendes: But you just said they're public.
Mitchell Garabedian: I know I did. But this is Boston. And the church does not want them to be found. So, they are not there.

[first lines]
Young Cop: How's that going?
Court Clerk Mark: Mother's bawlin' and the uncle is pissed off.
Young Cop: She's not married?
Court Clerk Mark: Divorced, with 4 kids. I guess the Father was helping out.
Young Cop: Helping out?
Court Clerk Mark:

...Hey, Mr. Burke, they're in the back talking to the Bishop.
Paul Burke: [entering] And Father?
Court Clerk Mark: We put him in the break room.
Paul Burke: Any press?
Court Clerk Mark: Some guy from the Citizen, but we sent him away. None of the big papers.
Paul Burke: Let's

keep it that way...
[continues down the hall]
Young Cop: Who's that?
Court Clerk Mark: Assistant D.A.
Young Cop: It's gonna be hard to keep the papers from arraignment.
Court Clerk Mark: What arraignment?

Mitchell Garabedian: I already talked to the Phoenix.
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, there's a reason I didn't see it. Nobody reads a Phoenix anymore... they're broke, they don't have any power. The Globe does. If we cover the story, everybody will hear about it.
Mitchell Garabedian: The Church thinks in centuries, Mr. Rezendes. Do you think

your paper has resources to take that on?
Mike Rezendes: Yeah, I do. But if you don't mind me asking... Do you?

Mike Rezendes: Do you still go to mass?
Richard Sipe: No, I haven't been to church for some time now but I still consider myself a Catholic.
Mike Rezendes: How does that work?
Richard Sipe: The Church is an institution, Mike, made of men. It's passing. My faith is in the eternal. I try to separate the two.

Walter 'Robby' Robinson: You know thirteen priests in Boston who have molested children?
Phil Saviano: Yeah! Why do you keep repeating everything I say?
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: [quieter than before] I just like to clarify things.
Phil Saviano: Maybe you should have clarified it five years ago when I sent you

all of this stuff! It's all... right here!
[silence, Phil composes himself]
Phil Saviano: May I use your bathroom?
[pause]
Matt Carroll: Yeah, sure, Phil.

Walter 'Robby' Robinson: [as Mike and Matt enter Baron's office] Anything?
Mike Rezendes: Law just turned us down.
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Jesus Christ!
Mike Rezendes: I just got off the phone with Donna Morrissey. She said, quote, "We don't even want to know what the questions are," end quote.
Walter

'Robby' Robinson: She really said that?
Mike Rezendes: Yeah!
Ben Bradlee Jr.: Well, that ought to do it.
Marty Baron: [as he writes it in the draft] "The church had no interest in knowing what The Globe's questions would be." Work it in somewhere before the jump. Anything else?

Walter 'Robby' Robinson: Did you play a sport here, Jack?
Jack Dunn: Yeah. Football. Why?
Walter 'Robby' Robinson: 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 he's one of the better ones. He's got a wife, kids, good job. About ten 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 gues we just got lucky. You and me.