Product Review

'Vows of Silence' captures the unfortunate but extremely important case 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 Legion 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, as well as evidence of drug abuse and financial improprieties. In 1998, formal charges are filed with Cardinal Ratzinger (who would later become Pope). The Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, tries to abort the case. In 2004, with Pope John Paul II dying, Ratzinger takes action. The film follows a secret Vatican investigator as witnesses testify about Maciel's sexual abuse, psychological tyranny, 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. The Maciel case illustrates the bigger question of how the Vatican justice system functions.