In the wake of revelations about child abuse in Boston, the church claimed that Philadelphia, a city whose population is 40% Catholic, didn't have the problem Boston had. To prove it, the media was told it had a list of only 35 priests credibly guilty of sexually molesting minors in the past 50 years. District Attorney, Lynne Abraham, asked how many cases her office handled. Investigators found only one. What, she asked, happened to the other 34?
Abraham was astonished by the church’s response to her enquiries. Its inaction, deviousness and even outright lies. She called for a Grand Jury to uncover the truth.. For the first time, the film brings together former D.A. Lynne Abraham and her team of prosecutors, investigators and expert advisors to give a blow by blow of the investigation. Its twists, turns and its surprising outcome. It reveals why institutional sexual abuse of minors has been hidden for so long. How it happens. How the church hierarchy and heads of other institutions go about blocking prosecutions. Why most perpetrators are now escaping justice. What’s stopping lawmakers from reforming legislation that prevents the prosecution of these crimes, exposing thousands of innocent children to serious risk of sexual abuse from individuals in positions of trust.
Along with contributors from the D.A.'s office, the film hears from Catholic clergy, legal experts, a Grand Jury forewoman, journalists, politicians, victims of child sexual abuse and their families.