Philomena: A Must See Movie Based on "The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee"

Actual photo of young inmates at a Magdalene facility

The horrors done by the Roman Catholic Church both in terms of the sexual abuse of children and youths by priest and the horrid mistreatment of young girls by various Catholic religious orders continues to unfold.  A movie called Philomena starring Dame Judi Dench and based on a true life story highlights the horrors and the indecency of what was done on a wide spread basis by clergy who can only be described as evil by any normal moral standard.  A trailer can be seen here.  The movie is nothing less than an indictment of the Catholic Church and it should be mandatory viewing for anyone who remains an active Catholic.  Sadly, many who perpetrated these horrors never were held accountable and of those living, many continue to live a comfortable life within Church facilities.  Here's a description of plot of the movie:

Philomena is the true story of one mother’s search for her lost son.

Falling pregnant as a teenager in Ireland in 1952, Philomena was sent to the convent of Roscrea to be looked after as a “fallen woman”. When her baby was only a toddler, he was taken away by the nuns for adoption in America. Philomena spent the next fifty years searching for him in vain.

Then she met Martin Sixsmith, a world-weary political journalist who happened to be intrigued by her story. Together they set off for America on a journey that would not only reveal the extraordinary story of Philomena’s son, but also create an unexpectedly close bond between them.

The film is a compelling narrative of human love and loss and ultimately celebrates life. It is both funny and sad and concerns two very different people, at different stages of their lives, who help each other and show that there is laughter even in the darkest places.

The book “The Lost Child Of Philomena Lee” was published in 2009. It acted as a catalyst for thousands of adopted Irish children and their ‘shamed’ mothers to come forward to tell their stories. Many are still searching for their lost families.

What the description omits is that many of these children were basically sold to Americans wealthy enough to pay large sums to the convents and abbeys that housed these girls and young women in brutal conditions, working the as veritable slaves.  Do a Google search of the term "Magdalene laundries" and read what comes up.  It will not be pretty.  Wikipedia notes as follows:

These institutions (also called laundries and asylums) were complexes in Europe, Australia and North America that enslaved women, institutionalizing them against their will, and stripping them of their rights and identities.

As I ask over and over again, how can moral and decent people continue to support and be a part of such a morally bankrupt - and hypocrisy filled - institution?  Is thinking for one's self and reaching one's own moral conclusions that frightening?  Were I still a Roman Catholic, I would feel literally dirty knowing what I know.  Thankfully, many Catholics are walking away from the Church towards a more moral life, especially in Ireland where the Church is in a free fall.

Here in America it is a tragedy that too many in the larger public see conservative Christians and institutions such as the Catholic Church as worthy of respect and even deference.  Simply put, they are not nice and decent people and they and the Church deserve absolutely no deference.  Criminal prosecution of the Church and clergy would be more in order.