By Katie Sittig-Boyd
Staff Writer

Following the success of the film “Spotlight,” which took home the Academy Award for Best Picture during Sunday’s ceremony, Cardinal Sean O’Malley released a statement regarding the film as well as the occurrence of sexual abuse by clergy in the Boston Catholic community.

“‘Spotlight’ is an important film for all impacted by the tragedy of clergy sexual abuse,” O’Malley wrote in the statement, which was released on Tuesday. “By providing in-depth reporting on the history of the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the media led the Church to acknowledge the crimes and sins of its personnel and to begin to address its failings, the harm done to victims and their families, and the needs of survivors.”

The plot of “Spotlight” centers on the investigative unit of The Boston Globe which exposed the Archdiocese of Boston’s role in the cover-up of the sexual abuse of children by priests over several decades.

In his statement, O’Malley also addressed the importance of protecting children, as well as providing support for survivors and their families.

O’Malley did not mention the Boston Globe in his statement, in spite of the paper’s extensive coverage of the events in question. However, the Cardinal did acknowledge the role that reporting has had in the situation at hand, writing, “In a democracy such as ours, journalism is essential to our way of life.”