Journalist lusodescendente inspires film “The Case Spotlight” – Daily News – Lisbon

The article published by “The Boston Globe” led to the resignation of Boston Cardinal Bernard Shaw

Michael Rezendes, journalist lusodescendente co-author of research on sexual abuse in the Catholic church that inspired the film nominated for Oscars The Case Spotlight , told Lusa that “the Church must do much more.”

“The Archdiocese of Boston and the Vatican have taken some steps in the right direction, but most of the victims that I know believes that the Church must do much more,” said the journalist Lusa.

The Case Spotlight tells the story of the investigation conducted by the newspaper “The Boston Globe”, awarded the Pulitzer Prize, which revealed a huge scandal of pedophilia within the Catholic Church and decades of cover-up at the highest levels.

Mike Rezendes between actors Stanley Tucci and Mark Ruffalo, the film’s premiere in London

| EPA / FACUNDO Arrizabalaga

Rezendes is one of the journalists portrayed in the film and the only journalist who remains as a researcher in the Spotlight investigation unit, which gives its name the movie.

“I am very pleased with the film and I am especially grateful to be to give the work of the Spotlight team a second life with a much wider audience,” he said.

After the first article published by the newspaper, which led to the cardinal’s resignation of Boston, Bernard Shaw, the journalist and his colleagues have signed more than 600 articles and reported nearly 250 clergy.

In the film, the character of Rezendes is played by actor Mark Ruffalo, who is nominated for the Oscar for Best Secondary Actor for this role.

The film, which premiered this week in Portugal, also received five other nominations (Best Picture, Best director, best supporting actress, best editing and best original screenplay).

Rezendes said he hoped “people will see the movie and leave the theater with more respect for investigative journalism and a sense more strong that public attention should remain focused on the issue of sexual abuse by clergy. “

The lusodescendente dedicated the past three decades to investigative journalism, writing about the attacks of September 11 , suicides in prison, health care and the role of monetary donations in the presidential election.

“I started working as an investigative journalist was still a student at Boston University. I volunteered for a small activist newspaper in a poor area of ​​Boston, which is no more, and that was called East Boston Community News, “he said.

Son of Azorean father, St. Michael, Rezendes grew eating Portuguese food and hear Portuguese, but did not learn the language and only visited the country in 2003 to write an article for your newspaper about the village’s grandfather, retort water.

“I learned a lot Portuguese growing up because my mother was French-Canadian. But the Portuguese side of my family was, and still is, very important to me, “he said.