Having doubt about 'Doubt'

January 6, 7:47 AMLA Religion & Spirituality ExaminerKevin Masterson

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I am really glad that John Patrick Shanley did a Q & A session after the screening I just saw of his new film “Doubt,” or I would have been very disappointed & angry. I was expecting a harsh indictment of the Catholic Church & what I got instead was well, doubt.  When I’d seen the play several years ago at the Pasadena Playhouse I came away feeling that it had dealt with the issue to some degree.

The thought of a nun like Sister Aloysius standing up to a priest in 1964 on anything, let alone accusing him of sexual abuse never seemed realistic to me.  After seeing the film & hearing Mr. Shanley talk, I came to see that realism wasn’t the point of the movie. Nuns didn’t (and don’t) normally stand up to the system.  I went to Catholic School and had several nuns like Sister Aloysius. They were tough, but they cared & believed in what they were doing. They taught me a lot that was good in many ways, even though some of their methods were questionable.

Unfortunately because of the church hierarchy, a woman no matter how strong, has always had to be subservient to her male "superiors."  If there had been nuns like Sister Aloysius, who actually did speak out & do what was right, the problem probably would not have reached such epic proportions. The truth really is that the vast majority of nuns just went along (and still do) with the status quo.  A friend of mine received thunderous applause when she said to a high profile nun at a Q & A session about the clergy sexual abuse crisis, “I don’t understand why you nuns will hold a candlelight vigil for a death row prisoner, but you won’t stand and protest with those true believers who were sexually abused by priests.”  That’s the true path of most nuns —blind obedience to the Church. 

There’s a scene where Sister Aloysius says to Sister James “Do you want to believe that it didn’t happen because that makes it easier?”  No truer words could be spoken regarding the reason clergy sexual abuse was allowed to happen for decades in the Church. It was much easier (and still is for many Catholics) to just believe that it didn’t happen, to find a “logical explanation,” like Sister James wants.  As a result many innocent children & vulnerable adults were horrifically abused by predators who masqueraded as “men of God.” 

Meryl Streep truly is a godsend (no pun intended) as Sister Aloysius. It’s hard to believe that she didn’t suffer at the hands of sadistic nuns like so many of us did in Catholic School.  I felt like she was channeling my first grade nun, Sister Justina. I’ve heard some criticisms that she was “over the top”, but this was exactly what those nuns were like. They literally scared the hell out of you.  She is blunt & no nonsense.  She knows in her gut that Father Flynn is a sexual predator and does the right thing (most of the clergy just stood by & allowed it to happen as we now know); however she has a crisis of faith because she knows the truth. She wants to believe that it isn’t true when she sees the cover up by her superiors — transfer & promote, which was the Church’s modus operandi.   I think that is why so many Catholics even today are still in such strong denial about the immensity of the crisis — it shatters their sense of faith in all they have ever known to be good. They are the Sister James’ of the world. Denial is a much easier pill for them to swallow than truth.

The film itself is well done in every detail. Shanley really knows how to capture the spirit of the Bronx — the dialogue, the sets, the mood, the attitudes, the energy.  After seeing the play, which has a lot of long monologues, I was expecting to sit & yawn a great deal as I watched great actors in a filmed play. These adaptations usually lack energy.  Instead everything was brought to life. I got restless & uncomfortable at moments because I felt like I was back in Catholic school, back at Mass, which are the last places on earth I’d ever want to be again! The scene with Sister Aloysius & the boy’s mother (Viola Davis) broke my heart in its tragic honesty & desperation. 

“Doubt” isn’t a criticism of the Catholic Church. I don’t think it was meant to be. It is really about the tragic lengths to which some people will go in order to maintain their illusions.  Just by presenting what is, the failure of the Church is exposed. In the words of Sister Aloysius, “a dog that bites is still a dog that bites.” I, like her, do not have my compassion anywhere near where these false men of God can get it.