HBO once again denounces the atrocities of the Church

Six months ago, HBO premiered The heroic minute: I also left Opus Dei, a documentary series directed by Mònica Terribas that exposed the atrocities of this sect through victims who managed to leave it. Now, the platform itself uncovers the abuses and corruption of the leader of the Legionaries of Christ through some of the witnesses who were able to distance themselves from that congregation, which, in some ways, rivaled Opus Dei in attracting followers, especially in Mexico and the United States. Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of GodIn his book, American journalist Jason Berry, a pioneer in exposing scandals within the Catholic Church, defines the protagonist as "one of the Church's greatest criminals of the 20th century and, at the same time, one of its greatest fundraisers." He refers to the large number of minors he abused and how he created the religious structures and dynamics for many others to perpetuate this practice. Maciel earned an annual income of more than $600 million, double the Vatican's budget at the time. He expanded his reach to more than twenty countries through educational projects and diversified his profits in tax havens. Pope John Paul II made Maciel untouchable within the Church. The pontiff's protection guaranteed his period of splendor and impunity, despite internal investigations that identified him as a corrupt abuser and drug addict.

The first episode serves to outline the protagonist's humble family origins in Mexico and how the Church facilitated his social ascent, favored by a power of seduction and manipulation that he exploited throughout his life. It also explains the process of founding and expanding his congregation, the Legionaries of Christ. In Spain, he did so under the support of the dictatorship and thanks to the sponsorship of the Marquis of Comillas. From there, he made the leap to Rome and the United States. Despite being a crescendo narrative, Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of God The film doesn't fully delve into the ludicrous story of its protagonist, who traveled the world posing as a CIA agent or university professor and became a family man in an unprecedented double life. The witnesses are excellent, but few and far between; it has very limited archival footage and reenactments to make explicit the most sordid episodes. However, the accounts of investigators and journalists reveal Maciel's atrocities. However, the term "death" is never used. sect Although the operating and recruitment strategies fit the pattern of cults. More than the unique characteristics of the Legionaries of Christ, the documentary series is interesting because it also reveals the internal dynamics of the Church and how it has used the word of God to do evil.