Article published June 30, 2005
Bishop gets plea to screen ‘Twist’ at sites in diocese
Tony Comes is the subject of the film ‘Twist of Faith,’ which had an invitation-only screening but no public showing locally.
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LAURIE ROBERTS/HBO
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Twist of Faith, the Academy Award-nominated documentary that focuses on a Toledo man’s allegations that he was sexually abused by a local priest, ought to be shown in churches and schools of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo, two leaders of the group, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, wrote yesterday in a letter to Bishop Leonard Blair.
The letter by Barbara Blaine, founder and president of SNAP, and Claudia Vercellotti, its Toledo chapter coordinator, asks the bishop to “take action to allow Toledo’s Catholics to view the film. Can you please make churches and schools available to show the documentary film about sex abuse of [a] boy growing up in the Toledo diocese?”
The letter followed the decision by the Maumee Indoor Theatre and the city of Maumee, which owns the building, not to offer a public screening of the documentary. Theater and city officials said it was a business decision unrelated to the film’s content.
The film, which features Toledo Firefighter Tony Comes and his lawsuit against the diocese, premiered to an invitation-only audience Monday at the Maumee theater. About 500 people attended, Ms. Vercellotti said. It was broadcast Tuesday night on HBO.
A statement from the diocese said the bishop was out of the office “and will receive the letter upon his return to the office later this week.”
The statement, from diocesan spokesman Sally Oberski, said that the diocese was not involved “nor had any communication with the city of Maumee or the Maumee Theater regarding the decision to not show the film.”
Ms. Vercellotti said in a telephone interview the Maumee decision was “tragic and unfortunate.” If it is strictly a business decision, “let’s leave that to the businessmen, and the politicians, and the municipalities,” Ms. Vercellotti said.
“Our request to the bishop had to do with healing. The clergy sexual abuse scandals started in the churches. What would be so wrong about going back to the churches, opening the doors, and showing it right where it started?”
She said she was not advocating that the film be shown in churches proper, but could be screened in parish meeting areas.
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