The premiere of the Docuserie Marcial Maciel: God’s wolf This month in HBO Max to place in the center of attention the figure of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ and the complaints of sexual abuse that weigh on him.
The Congregation in Rome confirmed to ACI Press that he knew production for years and that he accepted to be interviewed to face his past and show the changes undertaken after the scandal.
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“Yes, we know production”, They told ACI Press in an email interview.“ At the end of 2022 we received an interview request from the documentary producers. The project, as they stated, would address facts that were mostly publicly known Thanks to the complaints of the victims, former members and specialists, as well as the investigations carried out by the Congregation and the Holy See, ”they added.
They specified that the P. Andreas Schöggl, L.C.former secretary general and currently Archivist of the Congregation, was the only one to grant an interview, “for his deep knowledge of the history of the Legion and its ability to explain it with precision and transparency.”
They stressed that “accepting the interview did not mean collaborating in production or influencing” the final assembly. “We answered each question with total openness and clarity,” they said
They also recalled that there is a Specific section on Marcial Maciel y Five annual reports “Truth, Justice and Healing”. Have also implemented a safe environmentsand a process of approaching and repair to the victims.
“We are aware that we still have a long way to go, but we reiterate our commitment to the truth and with those who have suffered,” they added.
The context of the series
Marcial Maciel: God’s wolf It is a documentary series of HBO Max that examines the trajectory of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ.
Maciel was considered for decades a charismatic and effective fund collection leader, but later it was revealed that he had sexually abused at least 60 minors, fought against addiction to a morphine derivative, maintained a double hidden life and had at least one daughter.
The first season of the series led by Matías Gueilburt consists of four episodes. The first, set in Mexico in 1940, narrates the foundation of the Legionaries of Christ and the first alert signals about Maciel, which were ignored. The second, located in the 50s, describes the expansion of the Legion to Spain and Italy, as well as the beginning of investigations after the first abuses and their addiction to a derivative of the morphine are known. The third, in the 90s, shows its proximity to Pope John Paul II, the launch of Regnum Christi, the revelation of his double life through a report in 1997 and the strategies used to avoid being exposed to a growing international scrutiny. The fourth chapter is conclusive and will be released on Thursday, August 28.
Docuserie resorts to archives, multiple sources such as journalists and specialists, already testimonies of some victims, such as former Legionaries Juan Vaca, Alejandro Espinoza and José Barba, who tell in detail the abuses perpetrated by Maciel. The documentary maintains throughout its chapters a respectful tone with the Church and the victims, and resorts to dramatizations in certain passages to generate a shocking environment.
The Congregation explained that, from the beginning, it conditioned its participation to do so “with openness and humility: facing our history, recognizing the damage caused and showing the path of renewal we have traveled.”
The objective, they said, was “to contribute to a more complete story of the facts” and, at the same time, reaffirm their “commitment to truth and victims, publicize the renewal process, testify to the service we today provide to the Church and share verified and proven information about the facts.”
The vision of producer Sebastián Gamba
Sebastián Gamba, executive producer of Anima Films and Docuserie, explained in an interview with Ewtn News that the Maciel case “is a very resonant case in recent Mexican history” and that the decision to address it was taken seven years ago.
On the series title, he explained that The Wolf of God “It represents the figure of Maciel very well: and sinister character hides in religion To do all possible evil. ”
Gamba said that the biggest challenge facing production was to tell a story “Very painful“, Taking care of the victims and showing” the entire dimension, which is not only the most dramatic and more dark aspect – that of sexual abuses – but many other aspects. “
Highlighted the inclusion of voices of journalists and researchers from several countries, such as Raúl Ormos (Author of the Research Book The Financial Empire of the Legionaries of Christ), Jason Berry (One of the first to denounce abuses in the US in the 90s), Idoia Sota (Author in 2009 of a report that revealed the existence of Norma Hilda Rivas Baños, A daughter that Maciel would have conceived with a 17 -year -old girl named Norma Baños), among others. “The great challenge was to be able to have all these voices and, of course, the voices of the victims,” he said.
Production took almost four years because, according to Gamba, “there is a whole process of getting to know each other, to understand on one side and the other what you are looking for with the project, so that the other person really is wanting to participate or not.”
On the participation of the legionaries of Christ in the documentary, he said that “of course, they condemn Maciel’s life” and that “there was no resistance or obstacle” by the congregation or the Vatican.
On the management of the testimony of the victims, he stressed that the time factor was essential to avoid sensationalism:
Gamba said they put a very special care in avoiding sensationalism. “There is a very careful treatment. The interesting thing about making a series is that one can narrate a much more complete arch of these stories: they begin when they enter children, fascinated by the world they found, and Then you get to horror. That narrative arc avoids sensationalism, ”he said.
The producer clarified that the series does not seek to attack faith. “Here is no doubt about religion or the Catholic Church. There is specifically a person, Marcial Macieland of its history, which is condemnable and that today absolutely anyone defends, for obvious reasons. ”
“I think that faith is something wonderful; the Catholic religion, for those who live it, is something wonderful. And it is not about that, but to show what human nature can reach, synthesized in a person who committed all the evils and abuses that were within their reach,” he said.
Background and reports on Marcial Maciel and the Congregation
Fr. Marcial Maciel (1920-2008), founder of the Legionaries of Christ in 1941, was investigated by the Vatican in the 1950s for accusations of sexual abuse of minors and improper consumption of morphine.
It was temporarily separated from his position In 1956 and then restored Two years later. In 2006, 50 years after that investigation of the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI withdrew Maciel from the active ministry, based on an investigation that the congregation for the doctrine of faith (today Dicastery) carried out when Josep Ratzinger was in front, before being chosen as Pope in 2005. The Pontiff invited P. Maciel to a life of prayer and penance.
On May 19 of that year the Holy See disclosed A statement On the case with the following information: “After having submitted the results of the investigation to an attentive study, the congregation for the doctrine of faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, its eminence Cardinal William Levada, has decided, taking into account both the advanced age of Reverend Maciel and Public Ministry.
The progressive discovery of Maciel’s double life caused a series of crises both in the Legion and in the regnum Christi. The Holy See was therefore necessary to make an apostolic visit. In it conclusive statement of May 1, 2010 Read:
“The apostolic visit has been able to verify that the behavior of Fr. Marcial Maciel Degollado has caused serious consequences in the life and structure of the legion, to the point of making a path of deep revision necessary. The very serious and objectively immoral behaviors of the P. Maciel, confirmed by incontestable testimonies, sometimes represent authentic crimes and reveal a life lacking a life religious.
In parallel the superiors of the congregation launched a process of institutional introspection.
According to him Report 1941-2019 of the Legionaries of Christ175 minors were victims of sexual abuse committed by 33 priests of the congregation throughout their history and in different countries. This number includes at least 60 minors abused by Maciel, according to the report. For the most part, the victims were teenagers between 11 and 16 years.
According to him V Annual Report “Truth, Justice and Healing”published in April of this year, from the presentation of the first report in 2019 until December 31, 2024, the Congregation received 20 additional complaints against legionary priestsnot counted in the historical report and that happened in different decades.
The last report also reveals that currently 61 people who suffered sexual abuse being minor They are accompanied in healing processes, of which 40 receive attention through the Independent Organization Eshmá. Since 2022, 21 victims have accessed economic reparation and comprehensive support.
The document also reports that the reactation of safe environments in different territories has begun, with training and monitoring programs for historical cases. In addition, a Study commission on abuse of authoritywhose results will be presented to the General Chapter in January 2026.
A call to discernment
When consulted on whether Catholics can see the series with confidence, the legionaries in Rome replied that “all the information must be addressed with discernment” and recalled that they make available all the data “of the history of the congregation and aspects about the life of Marcial Maciel” for those who wish to know more thoroughly.
Regarding the impact that production may have, they pointed out that “as the damage caused and the firm commitment of non -repetition is recognized, it is useful for the Church, for the congregation and society in general.”
Finally, they sent a message to the people of God and, in particular, to the victims: “We reject the serious acts of Maciel, we reaffirm our commitment to the truth and the victims, to whom we ask for forgiveness again, and our commitment so that facts are not repeated. We continue to serve with humility and fervent apostolic desire.”
Diego López Marina
I was born in 1991. I have a degree in Communication Sciences. Since 2015 I work as a digital journalist. I started my career in the newspaper El Comercio in Peru. In 2016, I began as editor in ACI Press and I perform as a web editor since 2018. From 2024, I write the Newsletter for Social Media. I specialize in Catholic news focused on the defense of life and family, international politics, technology, popular culture and the Vatican.