Champion of Justice Award

The IBWT Champion of Justice award is given to individuals deserving special recognition for their work to bring criminals to justice. The honorees may be members of any profession. Their acts may be great or small, high-profile or low-profile. The one thing they all have in common is that they have done something extraordinary, which I feel deserves extraordinary credit.

The criminals who these honorees fight against may be criminals in any possible sense of the word. The honorees may have succeeded in their fight. They may have failed in their fight. The fight may be ongoing. But all of these battles deserve our notice, and all of these honorees deserve our sincere thanks.

Current Honorees

Amy Berg, "Adam", Jeff Anderson, Case Degroot, Jane Degrtoot, Fr. Thomas Doyle, Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, Bill Hodgman, Anne Jyono, Bob Jyono, Maria Jyono, Frank Keating, John Manley, Mike Walker, Patrick Wall, Ray Baldwin, Bichael Brown, Matthew Cooke, Frank Donner, Hermas Lassalle, Tom Ortenberg, and the rest of the cast & crew of the documentary film, Deliver Us From Evil

For helping to bring the cover-up surrounding the abuse of children by Catholic priests to the public eye.

Deliver Us From Evil is a painful film to watch, because it digs for the truth, finds it, and exposes it for what it really is. Nothing is censored, and the viewer is left with feelings both of despair, and a strong desire to "take up arms" and join in the battle to bring child abusers and those who shelter them to justice. It is a film that exposes the Catholic Church for the ugly monstrosity it really is, while maintaining respect and sympathy for innocent Catholics who have been harmed by it.

Special recognition goes to the victims and their families who appear in the film, with my sincere appreciation for their willingness to bring their painful story to the attention of the public.

Special recognition also goes to those priests, police officers, lawyers, and others who are fighting this battle not only in the minds and opinions of the public, but in the courts, in the churches, and on the streets.

I also give recognition to Fr. Oliver O'Grady for having the courage to speak on camera about his crimes and the officials within the Catholic Church who helped him to cover them up. Though I make no excuses and offer little forgiveness to people who do what he has done, it is safe to say that few would have the courage to speak so frankly about it for the public education.