Praising ''Calvary'' for its treatment of its weighty thematic elements, Lauren Ely for ''[[First Things]]'' wrote: "Is it possible for a film to capture the horror of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church while at the same time presenting a case for the necessity of the institutional priesthood? Against all odds, this is exactly what Irish director John Michael McDonagh's Calvary manages to do."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ely|first1=Lauren|title=The Scandal of Calvary|url=http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/08/the-scandal-of-calvary|website=www.firstthings.com|publisher=First Things|accessdate=10 August 2014}}</ref> |
Praising ''Calvary'' for its treatment of its weighty thematic elements, Lauren Ely for ''[[First Things]]'' wrote: "Is it possible for a film to capture the horror of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church while at the same time presenting a case for the necessity of the institutional priesthood? Against all odds, this is exactly what Irish director John Michael McDonagh's Calvary manages to do."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ely|first1=Lauren|title=The Scandal of Calvary|url=http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/08/the-scandal-of-calvary|website=www.firstthings.com|publisher=First Things|accessdate=10 August 2014}}</ref> |