This article was written by Diego Lopez Marina of Peru Reports, part of the Latin America Reports network of publications.
A new docuseries that premiered on HBO Max, Marcial Maciel, The Wolf of God, revisits the life of the founder of the Legion of Christ, one of the most controversial figures in the Catholic Church. For decades, Maciel, a Mexican priest, built a network of power, influence, and abuse that affected victims in different countries, while his double life has been documented by journalists and scholars since the 1990s.
Sebastián Gamba, the series’ executive producer, told Aztec Reports that the idea of bringing this story to the screen began years ago.
“The Maciel case is a very resonant case in recent Mexican history. We had known about it for some time, and about six or seven years ago we decided to start working on the subject to see the possibility of making a documentary production,” he said from Buenos Aires.
The chosen title seeks to capture the contradiction that Maciel represents. “The Wolf of God captures that figure very well. He was a sinister character who hides behind religion to do as much evil as possible,” Gamba affirmed.
One of the greatest challenges, he said, was handling the victims’ testimonies and portraying all dimensions of the case.
“It is a very painful story. The victims had to be treated with respect and care. But we also wanted to show the breadth of the Maciel phenomenon, which is not limited to sexual abuse. That’s why we included voices from journalists and researchers who worked on different aspects of his life,” he explained.
The docuseries includes testimonies from three ex-Legionaries from the original group that denounced Maciel in the 1990s, as well as contributions from journalists such as Raúl Ormos (author of The Financial Empire of the Legionaries of Christ), Jason Berry (one of the first to denounce the abuses in the U.S. in the ’90s), and Idoia Sota (who in 2009 revealed the existence of Norma Hilda Rivas Baños, a daughter Maciel allegedly fathered with a 17-year-old girl named Norma Baños), among others.
The context: abuse and cover-ups
The context of abuse and cover-ups is key. Marcial Maciel (1920–2008) founded the Legionaries of Christ in 1941 and for decades enjoyed prestige in the Vatican.
However, investigations revealed that he abused at least 60 minors, struggled with an addiction to morphine derivatives, and fathered children in secret. In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI removed him from public ministry and invited him to a life of penitence. Four years later, the Holy See acknowledged that his “extremely serious and objectively immoral behavior” had devastating consequences for the congregation.
According to the Legionaries of Christ’s 1941–2019 Report, 175 minors were victims of sexual abuse committed by 33 priests of the Congregation across different countries throughout its history. This number includes at least 60 minors abused by Maciel, according to the report. Most victims were adolescents between 11 and 16 years old.
The Fifth Annual Report on “Truth, Justice, and Healing,” published in April of this year, states that since the first report in 2019 and until December 31, 2024, the Congregation has received 20 additional complaints against Legionary priests that were not included in the historical report and that occurred in different decades.
The latest report also reveals that 61 people who suffered sexual abuse as minors are currently accompanied in healing processes, 40 of them through the independent organization Eshmá. Since 2022, 21 victims have received financial compensation and comprehensive support.
The document also notes that reaccreditation of safe environments has begun in different territories, with training programs and monitoring of historical cases. In addition, a Commission of Study on abuse of authority has been created, with results to be presented at the General Chapter in January 2026.
The response of the Legionaries of Christ
The Congregation admitted to Aztec Reports that it had known about the docuseries production for years and agreed to give an interview “with openness and humility.” Father Andreas Schöggl, former secretary general and current archivist of the Legion, was the only one to participate.
The Legionaries emphasized that their collaboration did not influence the final editing and noted that they continue to publish their annual reports under the motto Truth, Justice, and Healing.
A story still unfolding
The four-episode series, available on HBO Max, includes dramatizations and testimonies from victims such as Juan Vaca, Alejandro Espinoza, and José Barba.
For Gamba, the intention was to provide a comprehensive look at one of the biggest abuse scandals in the Catholic Church, while respecting both the victims and believers.
“What this series shows is just how far human nature can go in a person who committed every evil and abuse at his disposal,” he concluded.
Featured image courtesy of HBO Max.
