"[The film's] biases and arguments are mirror images of the ones
deployed by those who defend the church’s behavior in the abuse scandal
... [W]hen the film tries to tell the wider story of clergy abuse, it
relies almost entirely on commentators with ties to victims’ advocacy
groups — especially plaintiffs’ attorneys — who have a vested interest
in some facts and conveniently ignore others. Their grasp of theology
and history often seems tenuous. One talking head explains the depth of
ecclesial alienation felt by victims like this: "The church teaches that
the only way to salvation if you are Catholic is through the church, and
if you are not in communion with the church you are damned to hell."
This grossly incomplete rendition of Catholic doctrine is offered by
John Manly, a victims’ lawyer. Patrick Wall, the only person identified
as a “theologian” in the film, offers no corrective to Manly’s
distortion. Why would he? He is a paid consultant to Manly’s law firm.
The film doesn’t disclose that information."
Indeed, Manly's take on Catholic doctrine is quite erroneous. Here's
what the Church actually teaches, from
paragraphs 846-848 of the
Catechism:
"Outside the Church there is no salvation"
846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often
repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it
means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the
Church which is his Body:
Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches
that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for
salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of
salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church.
He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and
Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of
the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door.
Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic
Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would
refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no
fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:
Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of
Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere
heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as
they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too
may achieve eternal salvation.
848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those
who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to
that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church
still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all
men."