Doubt: A Parable

Sometimes a media blitzkrieg on a particular issue, in this case, the unraveling clergy sex scandal within the Catholic Church, can be so over dominant to the extreme that the genuine horror of its totality and those directly and indirectly affected, can regrettably seem like an unreality, a movie scene where human detachment is at its strongest. Where the media oftentimes fails to evoke a mood of empathy and personal involvement to what they are reporting--as they are covering facts--art, particulary dramtic art of the theatre, can bring into sharper focus the finer points of a tragedy or evil that those who are especially hardened and jaded by cynicism or total desensitization can not fully bring to the forefront, no matter how hard they try. And where journalists have sometimes failed in the telling of the humanness of the clergy sex scandal-and I specifically mean the victims-John Patrick Shanley has unundoubtedly succeeded, for Doubt, though very short, is quite powerful in its telling and the message it conveys: complete blind submissiveness and ignoring gut instincts--no matter how far fetched--is never a good thing, irrelevant if one is in a church environment or not. Doubt, in general, is a very healthy and normal thing to have, especially in this day and age. Unfortunately, it took the church sex scandal to starkly illustrate that point. In Doubt, the setting is a Catholic church in New York, specifically the Bronx, the time frame being the early to mid sixties. The characters are Father Brendan Flynn (the accused), Sister Aloysius Beauvier (the accuser), Sister James (the witness) and Mrs. Muller (the victim's mother). Sister James, an idealistic nun of the order of the Sisters of Charity, loves history and the teaching of it to students, especially receptive ones. Sister Aloysius has lived life, seen much and knows when to be sceptical. Though she is older and wiser, she is faith filled and dogmatically principled to even the most minute detail of Catholic thology:

Sister James: Oh, but everyone loves the Christmas pagent.

Sister Aloysius: I don't love it. Frankly it offends me. Last year the girl playing Our Lady was wearing lipstick. I was waiting in the wings for that little jade.

And then there is Father Brendan Flynn, rather happy-go-lucky with an initial attitude of dismissive cordiality, the one on 'easy street' who commands respect because of the Roman collar around his neck or so he has firmly convinced himself. However, when Sister James bears witness to an event and the aftereffects upon one of her students--Donald Muller--she brings the matter to Sister Aloysius, who despite concrete proof, knows full well what is going on and conducts an investigation that, bit-by-bit, bears disturbing fruit. Though Sister James is desperate for excuses, Sister Aloysius is unyielding in her doubt, especially the pragmatic explainations offered by Father Flynn. What he has to say is not good enough, and she goes beyond the rigid hierarchal structure for the greater good:

Sister Aloysius: I did not speak to the pastor. I spoke to one of the nuns.

Flynn: You should've spoken to the pastor.

Sister Aloysius: I spoke to a nun.

Flynn: That's not the proper route for you to have taken, Sister! The Church is very clear. You're supposed to go through the pastor.

Sister Aloysius: Why? Do you have an understanding, you and he? Father Flynn, you have a history.

Doubt is a definite parable, because there is a mythical and supernatural aura to the Catholic Church, an aura that can occasionally get lost within itself--as history has clearly proven--and thereby spread, unintentionally, errors to a wider audience. But as in the case of Sister Aloysius, it took her intuition and pitbull doggedness to cut through the convoluted self-righteousness in order that goodness could prevail. What Doubt will hopefully do is restore some degree of dialogue and trust, because for every bad apple there is indeed a large abundance of good holy priests who yearn to serve with humility, respect, compassion and mercy.

John Shanley's [[ASIN:1559362766 Doubt: A Parable]] (also the filmed version, [[ASIN:B001PA0FF4 Doubt [Blu-ray]]]) is a remarkable play in its simple presentation of an emotionally complex subject.

Sister Aloysius, a Sister of Charity and principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx in 1964, comes to suspect that a well-liked priest, Father Flynn, is a pedophiliac predator. In the face of his opposition, doubt on the part of a teacher, Sister James, and the opposition of the mother of the boy suspected of being abused, she presses her conviction until Father Flynn agrees to resign. Gone from her parish and school, she's dismayed to learn the bishop has promoted Father Flynn to pastor in a larger parish.

However straightforward it may sound, it is anything but. Sister Aloysius believes unreservedly in her conviction. That her evidence boils down to a few questionable actions and to a grooming trait, and that others do not see things her way, alters her pursuit of Father Flynn not a bit. In the end, her doggedness wins out.

Simple, until she says to Sister James in the last two sentences of the play: "I have doubts! I have such doubts!" It's then we are left to ponder what Sister Aloysius must be weeping over. Not doubt that she persecuted a priest who might be innocent but doubt that what she believes in and has devoted her life to, the church, has betrayed not only her but all inculcated in the belief it is the path to salvation. By extension of the church's betrayal, we might also wonder what kind of god it is that allows agents such a Flynn to represent him.

Now that's something to ponder. Highly recommended as thought-provoking reading (or viewing, if that's your preference).