"It's not often that a film changes history, but it's just possible that Irish writer-director John Deery's righteously energetic. Conspiracy of Silence just might help alter the course of 21st century Catholicism."
Bob Westal, FilmThreat
"A challenging, thought-provoking debut that compassionately questions the relevance of celibacy in the Catholic Church."
Michael Rechtshaffen
The Hollywood Reporter
"This is a beautiful, thoughtful and challenging feature debut that takes an even hand to the hottest of topics and powerfully succeeds."
Margaret Black
American Film Institute
Inspired by true events, Conspiracy of Silence, written and directed by John Deery, tells the story of a young trainee priest torn between the love for his girlfriend and his vocation to the Catholic Church. Set in contemporary Ireland the film begins with two seemingly unrelated events: the suicide of beloved and well-respected Father Frank Sweeney, and the expulsion of a young seminary student, Daniel McLaughlin.
When local investigative reporter, David Foley, aggressively pursues the two stories, he begins to uncover a shocking secret that links both incidents and leads directly to the highest ranks of the Catholic Church.
The film highlights the Church’s present-day dilemma on its doctrine on celibacy. With a superb ensemble cast including: Academy Award winner Brenda Fricker, Sean McGinley, John Lynch and Hugh Bonneville, Conspiracy of Silence is a provocative, timely and controversial drama that exposes the human impact of breaking the vow of celibacy – an issue the Catholic Church remains reluctant to address. The film also includes a cameo from the legendary Irish chat show host, Gay Byrne, playing himself.
If the subject matter raised by the film is of interest to you and you would like to help
us in promoting it, please click on Contact or Donate above. It is also our intention to create a forum for an open debate on the issues of celibacy and sexuality and the impact this has on individuals, both in the Catholic Church and the wider Catholic community.
