Capítulo 8 de 21 · 1'59"
The reporters already know Macleish settled abuse cases, and they push him past his non-answers. He hides behind confidentiality — "I can't discuss that with you" — and warns he could be disbarred. Then they ask why the courthouse has no records, and the answer is that everything ran through the Church.
❝ Monólogo · 5 frases MacLeish sells the settlement
He turns a system that hid priests into a story about how hard the cases were.
No Records, Just Private Mediation
At his office, Macleish meets the reporters who ask about settlements involving Father Shanley and Father Paquin. He refuses to discuss them and says he could be disbarred for even acknowledging them. When they note there are no court records, he explains the cases were handled as private mediation with the Church.
The scene is an interview that is really a chess match. The reporters come with specifics, naming priests, but Macleish has a wall ready: confidentiality. "Even if I'd been involved in those cases, the settlements would be confidential," he says, "and I could be disbarred for acknowledging their existence." The line is both a refusal and a confession in disguise — it describes exactly what he will not confirm. What turns the scene is the question about paper: at the courthouse there are no records at all. The answer, once it comes, is an indictment: the settlements were never filed, just a demand letter, a private mediation, and the Church's lawyers in a room. A phrase meant to sound official, "It's a private mediation," ends up describing a system built to leave no trace.
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
“There aren't any records of any of these settlements.”
A flat finding that says everything: the settlements left no paper trail at all.
Formal
“Well, it's certainly the best the priests could hope for.”
A polite echo that flips the subject and exposes who the system really protects.
Neutral
“No, the Church promised they'd take the priests out of circulation.”
A promise stated as fact, and the whole scandal turns on whether it was ever kept.
Formal
“Look, I told you guys, these are tough cases.”
A defensive opener that sets the excuse before the question is even pressed.
Informal
Look, I told you guys, these are tough cases. Most of these folks, they just want some acknowledgment of what happened. We got 'em a sit-down with the bishop and a little dough, and that's the best they could hope for.
Siguiente · 09it takes a villageLa escena: Rezendes Meets the InformantHe says the settlements are confidential and that acknowledging they exist could get him disbarred, so he refuses to confirm or deny them.
That none of the settlements were filed, so there are no records of them anywhere in the court system.
A process where the families' lawyer and the archdiocese's lawyers settle directly, without filing anything in court, which is why nothing is on record.
Macleish says the Church promised to take the priests out of circulation, but the reporters ask whether anyone followed up on that promise.
It is his reason for silence: under the confidentiality rules, even confirming that a settlement exists could cost him his license.
