A Catholic priest starts a worldwide cultish religious order, demands that no one criticize him, raises millions of dollars, befriends every Pope since 1946 and is a pedophile. This documentary airs in Spain and Italy in F... more »all 2009. This DVD contains both English and Spanish versions, along with additional scenes and extended director's interview. The Spanish version is narrated by CNN's Carmen Aristegui.
Vows of Silence lays out the anatomy of the Vatican justice system, following the haunting saga of Father Marcial Maciel, who won the favor of Pope John Paul II despite years of pedophilia accusations. The greatest fundraiser of the modern church, Maciel founded the Legionaries of Christ, a religious order with a $650 million budget and history of controversial tactics. The film tracks abuse charges filed against Maciel, beginning in the 1950s. In 1998, charges are filed with Cardinal Ratzinger, but Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano tries to abort the case. In 2004, with Pope John Paul II dying, Ratzinger takes action, sending a secret Vatican investigator to hear 30 witnesses testify about Maciel's sexual abuse, psychological tyranny, drug use, financial transactions, and the vows he imposed to secure Legionaries' silence.
All signs indicate that those at the very top knew about Maciel's illegal activity, but never stopped him.
See the trailer for the film on YouTube.
Updates:In early 2009, the Legion of Christ made public the fact that Maciel fathered a child who is now in her 20s. In July 2009, the Vatican launched a new investigation, a lengthy worldwide visitation by five bishops to examine the Legion's finances, Father Maciel's influence, and other internal dynamics of the Legion and Regnum Christi. In August 2009, reports that Maciel may have more children began surfacing.
Awards and Festivals:Best Television Documentary, Mexico City International Documentary Film Festival; Official Selection, Documentary section of the RomaFictionFest in Rome; Official Selection, New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival; Official Selection, International Madrid Documentary Festival; Official Selection, New Orleans Film Festival.« less