The Maciel Case: When Will The Legionaries of Christ Be Held Accountable?

ByMexico Solidarity

This article by Bernardo Barranco V. originally appeared in the September 10, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The HBO documentary uncovered deep wounds in the Catholic Church with the premiere of Marcial Maciel: The Wolf of God. The documentary exposes the pedophilia, drug addiction, image manipulation, and multimillion-dollar empire of the founder of the Legionaries of Christ, with the complicity of his own congregation, high-ranking religious ministers, and Vatican insiders, including Pope John Paul II himself.

On this occasion, society and public opinion have reacted with indignation to the pathologies of the sacred predator. The documentary has sparked unusual public interest. Maciel’s reprehensible behavior is discussed in meetings, newspaper articles, and on radio and television programs.

Remember that in 1997, the first public denunciation by former legionaries was blocked by Ernesto Zedillo’s government. The small CNI40 channel was subjected to a commercial boycott by large business owners. Journalists who dared to touch on the case were subjected to editorial repression.

On the other hand, pro-Maciel mouthpieces, like Joaquín López Dóriga and Pedro Ferriz, showered excessive praise and gratitude on a religious man who had done so much good for society. They repeated the well-worn slogan: “You shall know him by his fruits.” Maciel reflected our dark side as Mexican society.

It’s clear that times have changed. But now, what has been the reaction of the Catholic Church? How have the Legionaries themselves responded, when the complicity and cover-up of some of Mexico’s most sinister religious actors is clearly evident?

The Mexican Episcopate has remained completely silent. It has remained mute, as if the plot and responsibility were beyond its control. Where are the inflamed messages about the victims of organized crime and their devastating criticisms of the government’s security strategy? Here too, there are crimes and complicity in the house of God. Why remain silent about the abuses? Why do the bishops persist in covering up for hundreds of pedophile priests?

A sign? A lightning strike set fire and destroyed a Legionaries of Christ in Atlanta, Georgia on February 16th of this year.

Since 2023, the organizations Bishop Accountability (United States) and Spes Viva (Mexico) have denounced 15 Mexican bishops for covering up for abusive priests. They urged civil authorities to pursue criminal cases against those suspected of clerical pedophilia and demanded transparency from the Vatican in its investigations into bishops for possible cover-ups of these cases.

In the face of the documentary, the bishops act “as if the Virgin Mary is speaking to them,” evading the situation, feigning ignorance, or playing dumb in the face of a situation for which they bear absolute responsibility. Among them are accomplices Norberto Rivera, former cardinal and primate archbishop, and Girolamo Prigione, former nuncio to Mexico; at the Vatican, Angelo Sodano, former secretary of state, and Stanisław Dziwisz, private secretary to John Paul II. Marcial Maciel’s pathologies are those of the Church itself.

On August 28, 2025, the Legionaries issued an institutional statement regarding the recent documentary about Marcial Maciel. Nothing new: they apologized to the victims; they distanced themselves from “My Father,” as they called him; they insisted they are renewing their position; they affirmed they will continue listening, supporting, and repairing the damage caused. It’s the same old hypocrisy; it’s perceived as a sham to make themselves look good. As we know firsthand, the compensation they once proposed is a mockery.

Marcial Maciel did not act alone, as he enjoyed the complacency and systemic complicity of his religious structure. Furthermore, the current Legionary chain of command remains the same, revealing that the congregation’s leadership indulged Maciel’s financial whims and has systematically lied to the public and its parishioners. The abuses by members of the congregation continue to tarnish the woke religious discourse they seek to protect.

The issue of money touches the essence of the Legionaries’ religious model. You may wonder if the Legion’s charisma is educational or charitable works, encouraging vocations or evangelizing the upper classes. No, the poor are the best business, Maciel insisted.

The Legionaries’ model is the procurement and mobilization of resources from the Catholic economic and political elites of the countries where they operate. This raises the question of whether the Legion is a corporate religious congregation or a religious enterprise.

Anticommunist Pope (l), Marcial Maciel (r)

The Legionaries have a real estate empire, inheritances, private donations, and hundreds of educational centers aimed at the elite. Programs under suspicion in Mexico, such as Mano Amiga, Compartamos Banco, Fundación Lazos, and the Teletón. The Legion’s financial dealings have been under suspicion in tax havens. The Legion doesn’t live by faith alone, which seems to declare: you shall know it by its scandals.

Their strategy has been to use Maciel as a scapegoat; the rotten apple in a healthy basket. The Legion’s leadership isn’t telling the truth. They’re putting the emphasis on Maciel, the sinister figure who began deceiving the Legion itself.

False; it’s a crude ploy to exonerate themselves. Meanwhile, the Legionaries’ scheme remains entangled in their business model, clearly leaning toward the far-right ideology pioneered by their disastrous founder.

When will the Legionaries truly be held accountable, before justice and before God? Evading their responsibility by blaming their founder is a failed strategy in the long run. History will slowly put everyone in their place. The Legionaries have earned their place: hell.