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Sacred Scandal
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SEASON 4: The Many Secrets of Marcial Maciel
The Many Secrets of Marcial Maciel is a gripping investigative podcast uncovering the shocking life and crimes of Marcial Maciel, the founder and former leader of the Legion of Christ. Praised as a holy figure, Marcial Maciel lived a life of abuse, manipulation, and deception. Hosted by Elena Sada, a survivor and former high-ranking member of the organization, this series explores Maciel's rise to power, his extensive abuse, and his eventual downfall.
SEASON 3: Nation of Saints
In 1980, one man held together a fragile peace in the tiny nation of El Salvador: Archbishop Oscar Romero. When he is brutally and publicly assassinated on the pulpit, his murder starts a war that would leave 75,000 dead, and a million more displaced around the globe. Sacred Scandal season 3, Nation of Saints, follows host Jasmine Romero as she uncovers the holy war that followed the Archbishop's death, and led to an unsolved murder in her own family.
SEASON 2: La Luz del Mundo
Sacred Scandal, named one of Podtrac’s Best New Podcasts of 2022, embarks on its second season, focusing on Mexico-based megachurch La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World). It tells the story of Naasón Joaquín García, a self-proclaimed apostle, who is currently behind bars after pleading guilty in June 2022 of sexually abusing girls from his congregation. Naasón is currently serving a nearly 17-year sentence, but maintains his innocence.
Host and investigative journalist Roberta Garza explores Naasón's control over a multitude of devotees, some of whom now describe their experiences in the church as "pure evil." In this true-crime series, survivors share stories about this powerful religious leader and the alleged sexual abuse that followed, many relating to minors.
SEASON 1:
Two decades ago on a calm, dark Miami night, a nun was stabbed nearly 100 times on the grounds of a prestigious private academy and monastery, by student Mykhaylo Kofel. As investigators started asking questions around this Byzantine Catholic School and the gruesome murder, they found more than just her killer. In a search for answers that stretches into some of the most remote villages of Eastern Europe, they uncovered allegations of sexual abuse, secret letters to the Vatican and other mysteries of faith. Sacred Scandal unravels the fuller picture that came to light in the wake of this crime. Led by a former student, told by those who lived through the aftermath, and Kofel himself, the show pieces together a complicated narrative that, twenty years later, still has those closest to it questioning what they truly believe… including a man who’s spent half his life in prison for the crime: “It’s so unbelievable. It definitely wasn’t me. I’m not a killer. No way. That’s not me.” — Mykhaylo Kofel, 2021
47 Episodes
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For lovers of true crime, EXILE Content Studio proudly presents their latest show, Shoot the Messenger: Espionage, Murder, & Pegasus Spyware (subscribe here). Beginning with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Shoot the Messenger investigates the sophisticated spyware used on his inner circle, Pegasus - and how vulnerable we all might be. Jamal Khashoggi’s life, assassination, and betrayal opened up a timeline for a new digital battle: cyber-surveillance weapons. In 2018, Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Turkey and was never seen again. Weeks later, the Turkish intelligence released secret tapes of Khashoggi’s last moments before being brutally murdered, causing an international uproar. It has been four years since Khashoggi’s murder, and what we now know is that the first weapon used against Khashoggi was digital and it’s called Pegasus - a kind of software that can be used to hijack your phone; a military-grade, spyware software. A new biweekly serialized podcast, every season Exile Content Studio investigates one international new story. You may have heard the headlines — this is the deep dive. The first season examines the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and his inner circle that has had the world's most sophisticated military-grade spyware confirmed on their phones. It's called Pegasus. How did this spyware come to be, how does it work, and how vulnerable are you? Shoot the Messenger is hosted by Rose Reid and Nando Vila and is a production of Exile Content Studio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
To kick off Marketplace’s season premiere, we’re sharing a conversation with one of our favorite writers, Hanif Abdurraqib. He joins Reema for a wide-ranging discussion about the moral judgments often made regarding people’s financial circumstances, notions of success and legacy, and what it means to be “good” versus “bad” in an unequal world. Hanif also opens up about one of the most challenging financial moments of his life and his commitment to giving away a significant portion of his income.Hanif is an award-winning poet, cultural critic, and author from Columbus, Ohio. He’s written six books, several of which are bestsellers, including his most recent, “There’s Always This Year.” His work spans sports, pop culture, and politics, often focusing on issues of race and class, while also exploring themes of grief, beauty, and love. Hanif has received a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” and was a finalist for the National Book Award, among other accolades.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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At a monastery in Miami, a nun is found dead in her room just before Sunday Mass. With more than 90 stab wounds, the search for her brutal killer begins.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content Studio Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Twenty years before the murder at Holy Cross Academy, two struggling priests find one another in South Florida. As they build out their utopia, some are awed by their vision, while others start to question their methods.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content Studio Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As detectives start to narrow in on the murder suspect, an unexpected guest arrives at the homicide office. And startling allegations against the monastery change the course of the investigation.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content Studio Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In the mid-1990s, a devoutly religious Ukrainian teenager is offered the chance to escape a violent household, for a life-changing opportunity at a Florida monastery. But swapping the hardships of his rural mountain village, for the promise of a better future in America, ends up far worse than his expectations.Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content Studio Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Now in Miami, the monastic candidates of Holy Cross Academy start to realise that life there isn’t exactly what the priests promised. And one of those monks reveals how a dark secret kept inside the monastery put him on a path to prison.Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content Studio Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mykhaylo Kofel’s accusations against the priests of Holy Cross Academy turned what appeared to be an open-and-shut murder case on it’s head. Those allegations would send both the prosecution and defence teams halfway around the world looking for the truth, and put the monastery on high alert.Hosted by Paula Barros and Melanie Bartley A Production of EXILE Content StudioWanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After the priests of Holy Cross Academy refused to cooperate with the murder and sexual abuse investigations, lawyers started to dig into the school’s past on their own. What they found was that years before Sister Michelle’s death, another investigation into Holy Cross already started — and it stretched all the way to the very top of the Catholic Church. Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nearly four years after the murder of Sister Michelle Lewis, Mykhaylo Kofel’s fate is finally decided. And all of the investigations take their toll on Holy Cross Academy, but not before the priests find a new place to call home.Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Determined to speak to the priests from Holy Cross, Paula and Melanie go on a 5,000-mile mission to find them.Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With a Russian invasion looming over Ukraine, Melanie and Paula drive to a monastery in the Carpathian Mountains to speak with a priest whose silence has echoed for more than twenty years.Wanna get in touch? Email us at hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com or follow us on Instagram @SacredScandal. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Melanie and Paula look back on their conversation at the monastery and, as new theories emerge, they try to piece together the truth about what happened at Holy Cross.If you want to get in touch, email us on hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com. And for behind-the-scenes photos and videos follow us on Instagram @SacredScandalTo help support the people of Ukraine at this time, visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/If you’re concerned about or have experienced abuse in your own place of worship contact the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) https://www.snapnetwork.org/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Melanie and Paula answer questions from listeners, review updates from the war in Ukraine, and discuss stories and interviews that didn't make it to the series.If you want to get in touch, email us on hello@sacredscandalpodcast.com. And for behind-the-scenes photos and videos follow us on Instagram @SacredScandalTo help support the people of Ukraine at this time, visit https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/ukraine-crisis-relief-fund/If you’re concerned about or have experienced abuse in your own place of worship contact the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) https://www.snapnetwork.org/.If you liked the original music from this series, you can listen to it on Spotify or Apple Music Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sacred Scandal, named one of Podtrac’s Best New Podcasts of 2022, embarks on its second season, focusing on Mexico-based megachurch La Luz del Mundo (Light of the World). It tells the story of Naasón Joaquín García, a self-proclaimed apostle, who is currently behind bars after pleading guilty in June 2022 of sexually abusing girls from his congregation. Naasón is currently serving a nearly 17-year sentence, but maintains his innocence. Host and investigative journalist Roberta Garza explores Naasón's control over a multitude of devotees, some of whom now describe their experiences in the church as "pure evil." In this true-crime series, survivors share stories about this powerful religious leader and the alleged sexual abuse that followed, many relating to minors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Discover the stunning downfall of the leader of religious organization "La Luz del Mundo," Naasón Joaquín García. Join us as we explore the shocking events that rocked the religious organization "La Luz del Mundo" when its leader, Naasón Joaquín García, celebrated his 50th birthday at Mexico City's prestigious cultural center, only to be arrested weeks later on charges of heinous crimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Moises Padilla was brutally attacked, stabbed 68 times after denouncing the heinous crimes committed by the religious group called La Luz del Mundo It was in 1998 when Moises Padilla was brutally attacked, stabbed 68 times after denouncing the heinous crimes committed by the religious group called La Luz del Mundo, the largest cult on earth which, after decades of abuse, has recently come to light.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We delve into the remarkable expansion of LLDM under the leadership of its second Apostle, Samuel Joaquín García, and trace the origins of LLDM back to its founding Apostle, Aaron Joaquín. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We meet Sochil Martin, the whistleblower who played a pivotal role in the downfall of Naasón Joaquín García. Sochil takes us on a journey through her childhood as a faithful member of the church and the dark tasks she was asked to perform as part of her service to the apostle. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Those 2 supposed priests are so full of shit. Especially when the older one was saying he didn’t know why mike didn’t speak to him in the halls, maybe because you were raping him you asshole!!!!!
Can't stop listening to the season 2 story! one of the most harrowing stories I have heard in a long time but excellently told!
Definitely went too easy on the two men. Child abuse is a serious matter and they should have been questioned further!
The same adverts over and over again. I don't need to hear the same longass promo for a podcast 3 times in one episode!
too much background music. enough already. and I'm done after second episode. lost interest
this "investigator" is surprisingly naive. critical thinking skills have eluded him
This explained absolutely nothing. Far off topic over half the episodes.
far too many commercials
I’m from Miami, it’s nice to hear a Miami accent again! Great story, I remember hearing about this event a long time ago.
Interesting story but way too many breaks and commercials.