Comments on Creative Minority Report: X-Files is a Hateful Anti-Catholic Movie

There is definitely a catholic theme in this film....

2008-08-04T05:08:03.936-04:00

There is definitely a catholic theme in this film. But it is not a negative one (for the church.)

whoever wrote it was struggling with a (perhaps personal) religious question

This film has three big messages:

1. Listen to god
2. Forgive pedophiles (especially catholic ones)
3. Allow the use of certain stem cells but remember to keep everyone scared of Frankensteinesque scientists so the science never gets past a level that god fearing people are comfortable with.

I was really disappointed with this film. So yes, don't go and see it. But not because of this guy

Don't see it because.... What looks at first to be a poorly executed, anti catholic affair (and still does to the not so quick among us).... reveals itself to be a thinly veiled, pro catholic/god, waste of time. Great way to put the last nail in the x-files coffin

"One thing that really struck me is that Dr. Scull...

2008-08-03T21:48:42.635-04:00

"One thing that really struck me is that Dr. Scully is the good scientist while the Russian doctors are bad. However, both priests were had no redeeming value anywhere. In other words there's good and bad in all things except in priests. There wasn’t a balance. Fr. Ybarra was an insensitive, cold money maker and Fr. Joe, the new Cancer Man, as a self-castrating molester of 37 boys who can never be forgiven (see Scully at the end of the film)."

Ok, I am sorry, but you are completely disregarding Scully's past and making wrong judgements about what is really going on. It is known that Scully has already made many mistakes(or at least she thinks she's done one really grave: giving up on Williaw); as all humanity are flawed, she also is - She's stuck, she feels unable to make a clear decision about Christian because she, as human, as a mother and woman, didn't want to feel regrets about another child's life. She's not a cold doctor, nor the priest you depicted so much as evil who just don't want the child to suffer any further.

"Even the dying boy comments how “that man” is making him scared by the way kept looking at him, as the camera turns to a figure lurking in darkened the hallway, who turns out to be Fr. Ybarra. (oooo, how clever!) So not only are they molesters, hey they’ll even try to molest them when they’re dying, if not for Scully’s appearance at the right moment to save the little boy."

Now, please this is just outrageous! The Father staring at him wishing for him to not suffer anymore and die peacefully is indeed somehow cruel in a child's perspective - one that wants to fight and win against his disease, who does not accept seeing someone driven by God wishing that wish, because God himself believe in life. About Father Joe, he is trying to make amendments for his sins. He is, indeed, suscessful at the end of the movie, so I don't quite get why 'both' priests (which neither are) are evil ones. He made a lot of mistakes; the one we are told about is undeniably gravier than Scully's, but it is what makes us humans. He justified that his appetite didn't come from him, it is therefore a reference to temptation that even the saint of saints once felt. The reference you just concluded by yourself as related to the cancer man is also misunderstood; it indeed was as strategy of Carter to show fans easter eggs throughout the story to make them reminisce their old beloved series, not that the priest is a bad one -a fact that repeats itself is proven to be a lie, a forged one. If you fail to grasp the original intention blame yourself for being impure enough to envision such non-non aspect of the old series.

"I’m sorry, tome this movie is blatantly anti-Catholic. And maybe that’s what Carter wanted all along: hey if the story stinks then add a little anti-Catholic controversy and you have a money maker!"

Well, you just need to delve yourself into real life situations in order to understand the message proposed by Carter at/by the end of the movie. Bear in mind that there are differences between adult's stem cells and embriyonic's stem cells. Of course the reference in the movie is the former, since the operation took place in a CATHOLIC hospital...
Sorry for being harsh, but please stop this Maniqueist behaviour/act.

"We were all different flavoured by God and misunderstands has being proved to happen a lot amidst us, human beings. Even causing wars and bloodshed"

I agree that this movie is extremely anti-Catholic...

2008-08-02T21:49:58.217-04:00

I agree that this movie is extremely anti-Catholic and also should never have received a PG-13 rating due to its gruesome content. I am a member of the Jewish community although I don't speak for it, and I support your criticism. Although it's a minor point, most priests in this country do not speak in a stage-Irish accent like the one in this movie.

Anonymous

Fr. JP,Since you do no want to discuss this furthe...

2008-07-31T10:23:16.080-04:00

Fr. JP,

Since you do no want to discuss this further, I will only anwser those questions you posed and carrying on with other aspects.

"In other words, if you're “in-line” with the Church you not a “people person”?"

No at all. That is a completely illogical step. Anecdotally, the two most faithful and devout pastors that I have had in my life, haven't been great "people" persons, however there certainly are many JPII and Fr. Groeschel type priests out there too. These are complex characters with flaws, not good/evil cardboard cutouts.

"Also, where in the movie did you see Fr. Ybarra praying?"

In the meeting that Scully walks into late, Fr. Ybarra says that he has consulted with the highest authority. He suggests that Scully do the same. Oooh evil priests, suggesting we seek guidance in prayer. How wicked.

"Also, Paul, where in the movie does it refer to anything about the extraordinary and ordinary means?"

Those words weren't there, but the concept clearly was. The reasons given for proposing that Christian be sent to hospice was that there was no formally recoginized course of treatment for the condition he had AND the experimental procedure available only claimed and very low percent chance of success AND it was guaranteed to cause the patient much pain and discomfort. It wasn't about being money-grubbing, which can be seen by the fact that Scully was allowed to proceed.

Paul, you said this: “Fr. Ybarra may not have bee...

2008-07-31T09:49:51.583-04:00

Paul, you said this: “Fr. Ybarra may not have been a "people" person, but his views were in line with Church teaching and the difference between ordinary means and extraordinary means of prolonging life. It clearly indicated that he had prayer about his decision.”

In other words, if you're “in-line” with the Church you not a “people person”?

Also, where in the movie did you see Fr. Ybarra praying? The majority of priests know how to be priests first. Fr. Ybarra would’ve visited the boy to comfort him, prayed over him, anointed him. That's a real priest.

Also, Paul, where in the movie does it refer to anything about the extraordinary and ordinary means? It doesn’t. All Scully says to the parents is, "So, you talked to Fr. Ybarra? (as Ms. Anderson portrays the scene with sarcasm)

My point is that there’s no balance at all. The overwhelming majority of people viewing this movie have nothing on their radar about ordinary and extraordinary means, including most Catholics. Very few know what the Church teaches. (And obviously Chris Carter knows that.) The movie only gave viewers CNN/Headline News sound bites: dying boy, stem cell, pedophile priests, Catholic Hospital administrator. You don’t get the proper balance in the movie or a compassionate explanation about what the Church teaches.

Liberal “Fr. Joe”, cigarette smoking man (oooo, how evil!), long hair and grungy, living in dark squalor, walking around all day in a bathrobe, pedophile of 37 altar boys, the cause of diabolic neo-Frankenstein experiments; Conservative “Fr. Ybarra”, looks like Alfred E. Newman, orthodox and holding the line, emotionless and scowling, a mean-spirited shadow-lurking administrator. And, or course, Scully and Mulder both “cursing God”.

God will not be mocked, Paul.

That’s the movie I saw, and I believe that’s the movie Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz wanted to portray.

Well, that’s all for now. You believe what you want about the movie, Paul. I beg to differ. And I'm over discussing it. Good talking to you.

Blessings, Fr. JP

Fr. JP, you said, "One thing that really struck me...

2008-07-31T07:18:44.240-04:00

Fr. JP, you said, "One thing that really struck me is that Dr. Scully is the good scientist while the Russian doctors are bad. However, both priests were had no redeeming value anywhere. In other words there's good and bad in all things except in priests."

That doesn't seem to ring true with the movie that I saw. Fr. Joe, while he has committed great sins, is prayerful, repentent, and seeks to do good. He has accepted the punishment that has been given him. Watching the movie, I kept thinking about the "whiskey priest" from Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory . Flawed, but still persistent.

Fr. Ybarra may not have been a "people" person, but his views were in line with Church teaching and the difference between ordinary means and extraordinary means of prolonging life. It clearly indicated that he had prayer about his decision. Though he may not have had a warm personality, he was shown to be involved on a personal level and not just a detached administrator. I think that it is just bizarre that you intepret his hanging out in the hallway and some attempt to molest the child. I will propose another point of view, which I think makes more sense. Imagine being Fr. Ybarra and wanting to make sure that you are making the right decision. So you go to look at the child's records outside his room. As you make you're decision based on the paper "evidence", you occasionally look up to the see the real human person this decision is effecting. Imagine the anguish. Then you try and control your emotionals and bring yourself back to making a rational decision.
Now imagine you are the kids seeing all of this inner turmoil displayed and to some degree directed at you. I think that explains the situation far better than trying to pin this priest as patently evil and trying to make the boy scared.

Note also that when Scully insists on the procedure and the parents agree, that no further objection is given.

How much did the catholic church have to pay to ge...

2008-07-31T05:39:39.782-04:00

How much did the catholic church have to pay to get hollywood to create a character that is a pediphile that God speaks through?
Imagine how victims of these monsters feel when they see something like this. God may forgive them but it doesn't mean that I have too.

I'm sorry, Paul, I beg to differ on your assessmen...

2008-07-30T20:56:48.211-04:00

I'm sorry, Paul, I beg to differ on your assessment. I saw this as a really anti-Catholic priesthood film. One thing that really struck me is that Dr. Scully is the good scientist while the Russian doctors are bad. However, both priests were had no redeeming value anywhere. In other words there's good and bad in all things except in priests. There wasn’t a balance. Fr. Ybarra was an insensitive, cold money maker and Fr. Joe, the new Cancer Man, as a self-castrating molester of 37 boys who can never be forgiven (see Scully at the end of the film). Even the dying boy comments how “that man” is making him scared by the way kept looking at him, as the camera turns to a figure lurking in darkened the hallway, who turns out to be Fr. Ybarra. (oooo, how clever!) So not only are they molesters, hey they’ll even try to molest them when they’re dying, if not for Scully’s appearance at the right moment to save the little boy.

I’m sorry, tome this movie is blatantly anti-Catholic. And maybe that’s what Carter wanted all along: hey if the story stinks then add a little anti-Catholic controversy and you have a money maker!

Thank you! This was going to be our first date in...

2008-07-30T20:33:57.239-04:00

Thank you! This was going to be our first date in 4 years and we won't be spending it at this movie.

We'd rather stay home with our kids anyway.:)

There was no chemistry between Mulder and Scully, ...

2008-07-30T18:03:28.834-04:00

There was no chemistry between Mulder and Scully, they remained unmarried, several scenes were so self-referential to the series as to be parody, there was a COMPLETELY negative attitude toward Catholicism, and a lame plot line. Waste of celluloid, and a waste of my money.

I saw this movie opening day after following it, s...

2008-07-30T13:25:35.371-04:00

I saw this movie opening day after following it, since before it was greenlit.

As a Catholic and an X Files fan, I am stunned by the contortion acts done to construe this movie as anti-Catholic.

The only portion of the movie that could be seen as anti-Catholic is that Scully and Mulder are cohabitating and Scully doesn't seem to see anything wrong with this. That however is consistent with her character in the show (She had an affair with a man, that resulted in his marriage falling apart).

Now to directly respond to the OP.

"The psychic is a pedophile priest who abused 37 altar boys."

Yes, but this is shown to be a bad thing. AND he has been removed from active priestly duties. AND he has been convicted on criminal charges. This is actually a far more positive view of the church than reality. (Remember that even after the scandal "broke", JPII still tried to protect the guilty, including whisking Cardinal Law away to Europe, instead of serving him up to the local DA.)

"He lives with other pedophile priests who wander menacingly in and out of scenes."

Somehow I think we were watching different movies. The housing unit was not specifically for pedophile priests, it was for convicted sex offenders of any kind. No mention of any other sex offender priests was made. The main point was that since sex offenders may not live within certain distances of things such as schools, it was deemed fit to have a housing unit for them away from such institutions. The particular reason for the sex offenders choosing to live their was expounded upon in confrontation between Scully and Fr. Joe.

"When the psychic gets visions he bleeds out of his eyes too for some inexplicable reasons I'm not even willing to think about other than the director must have thought bleeding eyes would look cool."

While this scene was most probably chose for visual coolness, the rest of your explanation doesn't seem to make much sense. Fr. Joe has plenty of visions. There is only one time that he bleeds out of his eyes. That happens when the perp (with whom he has a psychic connection) is bleeding out of his eyes. If this wasn't obvious in the sequence when it happened, Mulder provides exposition at the end when speaking about Fr. Joe dying from the same disease as the perp.

"She is willing to go to any lengths to save this child BUT...(cue the evil foreboding music) the head of the hospital is a penny-pinching priest more interested in saving the hospital money than saving this young boy."

Scully is rebel and is shown to be someone who doesn't work well with others. She may see the priest as a nemesis, but the movie makes no such objective claims about him being evil. His positions are reasonable and in line with church teaching. The larger medical community recognizes no course of treatment for the disease. The only known course of treatment is still experimental with little chance of success and will create a great burden on the patient.

"He not only expresses himself as against treating the young boy but goes behind her back to meet with the parents"

He speaks to them after the doctors in committee discuss that there is no reasonable course of treatment to proceed with AND Scully has avoided speaking candidly with the patient's parents.

"and then holds secret meetings with the hospital administration to ensure that the child dies."

My goodness, does it take a lot of effort to misconstrue every scene?

Scully is clearly coming in late to a regularly scheduled meeting which she neglected due to being distracted by the case.

"The nuns at the hospital don't actually help people. It seems their only job is to scowl with their arms folded as they pass Scully."

Wow! Is that why they were prayerfully and compassionately looking in on Scully as she began the operation in question?

"And then the only avenue for a cure for this young boy comes in the form of....you guessed it...stem cell research."

Right because the church supports technilogical progress as long as it is morally and ethically conducted. In other words, the church doesn't oppose the use of stem cells, just doing immoral things such as killing innocent children to get the stem cells.

"When Scully heroically decides to go ahead with the operation three scowling nuns appear in the operating room window to show their displeasure."

I don't think they were scowling. The most unrealistic thing was that they were wearing habits. Another area were Chris Carter gave a more positive impression of the Church than is reality. Now if they had been pant-suit wearing, Marty Haugen singing, social justice mongers that would have been another story.

"Now hold on, it turns out that the bad guy is...a former altar boy. Yes, one of the 37 molested altar boys who is gay now and harvesting body parts to keep his gay lover alive."

So sexually molesting a child can mess them up for life!? Now let me take a moment to feign shock a this reality and message, while you construe it to be somehow anti-Catholic.

What surprised me the most was that Chris Carter was able to portray gay "spouses" as the bad guys. I was expecting to see some backlash from homosexuals that the movie was homophobic, but to find someone seriously positing that it was anti-catholic is stunning.

Why didn’t I come to this blog before seeing the f...

2008-07-30T09:32:41.255-04:00

Why didn’t I come to this blog before seeing the flick yesterday? As a Catholic priest I was utterly flabbergasted at the total anti-Catholic temper of this movie. The Catholic priest in that movie was the new Cancer Man. Did you see that connection? For the last two weeks I've been brushing up on my X-Files. I was a huge fan in the ‘90s and I own the first four seasons on DVD. Now, I feel like throwing them out! This movie was not about a neo-Frankenstein story, it was about how much we can use the popularity of the X-Files to promote our anti-Catholic hatred and out right lies about what the Church teaches ( and the hatred for anything conservative for that matter. See the scene with Bush’s picture in the FBI building). I'm sad today over all of this. However, look at it this way:

"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matt. 5.11-12)

We're in good company.

Matthew is right about this X-Files movie. I saw i...

2008-07-30T04:10:20.296-04:00

Matthew is right about this X-Files movie. I saw it as it opened on Friday; I heard it was getting bad reviews, but I still liked the X-File series, so I thought it couldn't be that bad.

The story itself wasn't exceptional. It wasn't bad, but it is more typical of a police drama with only a slight X-files twist tacked on to it.

But the anti-Catholicism was clear to me. The scenes with the priest in the hospital, to me, were more telling than the pedophile priest (the second, it was said, was not a priest in good standing anymore, at least). By not telling us what kind of stem cells were being used, Carter has an out to say "Of course it is non-embryonic." But the way most people will watch the film they will think "stem cells, oh that's right, Catholics are opposed to them." And it's meant to show us how Catholics are stopping medical progress.

While there are more blatant anti-Catholic films, I think X-Files is more subtle at it, and that is what makes it more dangerous; it is allowing unconscious instead of conscious connections to be made in the minds of the audience.

A real shame.

I just saw the movie today. I am a practicing Rom...

2008-07-29T19:55:46.407-04:00

I just saw the movie today. I am a practicing Roman Catholic. I was a little apprehensive when the pedophile priest's background was brought up. At first it seemed like an easy slam on the Church.

But he wasn't ever shown any sympathy or justification for his sins, either by himself, the FBI and definitely not Scully. Nowhere was it portrayed as "okay" or acceptable.

In fact, he seemed to be in constant pain over it (as well he should be). That angle was not played for laughs.

As far as the hospital administrator "Father Whoever" seeming cold, I can only imagine what a regular hospital would do if someone wasn't paying the bills. But the boy was never thrown out and Scully was allowed to proceed as she saw fit, regardless of the misgivings of the bureaucrats.

Were there some gory or distasteful parts? Yes, just like any number of X-File episodes (or just about anything on network tv these days).

As a fan of the series, I did like this movie. I didn't see it as anti-Catholic, although there were some things that some folks might find offensive. It is rated PG-13, not G. Take that for what it is worth.

Thanks!

Mau, I'm with you. The USCCB review just didn't p...

2008-07-29T11:56:28.350-04:00

Mau, I'm with you. The USCCB review just didn't paint a complete picture.

The USCCB review briefly mentions the pedophiliac priest, cites the body parts only within the scope of "surgical gore", focuses on medical ethics while ignoring the Catholic bashing -- and then rates the film as A-III. Why not an "L" at least?

Thanks for the more thorough review, Matthew!

I saw the movie and I have to agree with the write...

2008-07-29T10:23:20.665-04:00

I saw the movie and I have to agree with the writer. Belief in God comes through nicely in the film but Catholicism comes off looking like a haven of pedophiles and money hungry bureaucrats.

For future reference,If a movie is overtly offensi...

2008-07-29T10:23:19.540-04:00

For future reference,
If a movie is overtly offensive, you can ask for your money back from the manager. They'll usually give it to you (as long as you don't wait until the closing credits to ask!)

My wife and I saw this opening night on Friday...b...

2008-07-29T10:07:35.790-04:00

My wife and I saw this opening night on Friday...both big fans of the X-Files series.

I squirmed quite a bit at what I perceived as anti-Catholic bias, and winced at a few episodes, but I felt "okay" (not great) about the movie at the end, when it becomes clear that there is redemption for the worst of sinners, and that the prayers of the repentant are heard.

As a sinner myself, how could I not be happy with that message. It's not a Vatican Promotional video by any stretch of the imagination, but there is hope in it.

I'm sure the USCCB Movie Review will give it it's ...

2008-07-29T08:02:40.927-04:00

I'm sure the USCCB Movie Review will give it it's normal rating...what a farce.

I was really looking forward to this movie. I mis...

2008-07-29T07:57:49.127-04:00

I was really looking forward to this movie. I miss the quirky, spooky, weird show. I'd read a few reviews from different christian sites and blogs and decided against seeing it.

Then the USCCB review came out and I began to think I might go see it--then again, I really do not trust their reviewers. How could they miss what you saw?

I will not be seeing this movie. I can't say I've read anything that could possibly redeem this movie for me.

In reading your review I can't get past the inclus...

2008-07-28T23:09:53.150-04:00

In reading your review I can't get past the inclusion of pedophile priests in this thing. Maybe it's as "m" states, maybe if you look deep enough you'll find a lot of sympathy & support for Catholicism. Regardless of all that I am SO sick of hearing about pedophile priests its not funny.

That alone will keep me from seeing this dog. Hellboy II, here I come.

David L,As far as the hospital administrator goes,...

2008-07-28T22:05:43.708-04:00

David L,
As far as the hospital administrator goes, at one point the sick boy is sitting in his hospital bed and something is bothering him. He points to the priest in the hallway and says he doesn't like the way he looks at him.
This priest/administrator is plainly not looking out for the best interests of the child otherwise why point out that the child is made uncomfortable by the way the priest looks at him.

He's trying to get him out of the hospital because he's a money drain. Later, he speaks of letting the boy die with dignity but that is only after we see dollar signs in his eyes.

And as far as the nuns go, I know scowling nuns when I see them.

While faith in God does come through in this movie, Catholicism takes a beating.

Are you kidding me?I was a huge X-files fan, and w...

2008-07-28T21:39:03.387-04:00

Are you kidding me?

I was a huge X-files fan, and was seriously considering, at 33 weeks pregnant and uncomfortable of going to see this movie. I am so glad that we have not.

While I am not Catholic, I think the Lord's church gets bashed enough from the outside that those of us who are His don't need to add to the ridicule or support it!

I can think of many better uses for both my movie money and babysitting money!

I agree with M. I saw the movie with three other ...

2008-07-28T21:33:21.851-04:00

I agree with M. I saw the movie with three other Catholics, and none of us thought it was anti-Catholic. The movie was in large measure about Scully's crisis of faith, a crisis of faith that would not have existed if all had been sweetness and light. And despite confronting the problem of evil and the fact that all priests do not live up to the Faith, Scully ends the movie with her belief in God intact and still a Catholic.

The problem with the hospital administrator was that he was a bureaucrat, not that he was priest. And we should remember that priests were often depicted favorably in the series, including family friend Fr. McCue who leads Scully in the rosary in her hospital room as she battles cancer
and the two priests who provided her with wise counsel in the two episodes featuring scenes in the confessional.

Oh, well, I remember seeing the black stuff in the...

2008-07-28T21:31:09.647-04:00

Oh, well, I remember seeing the black stuff in the trailer and I thought, ooooh, they're ba-a-a-a-a-ck. So, whaddaya think of M's counterpoint? I mean, they saw it too, right?

(I can't help it, I love the X-Files. My son and I used to watch it together since he was five. He always did love scary stories. He read Jurassic Park when he was nine, only after he saw the movie. Ah, those were the days.)