Sacred Scandal

In 1990s Mexico, amid political chaos and a visit from Pope John Paul II, a priest named Alberto Atie learns about shocking secrets involving a prominent figure, Marcial Maciel. After agreeing to help a former legionary priest seek justice, Atie begins a painful fight within the Church’s system, a fight that would span decades.

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In 1960s Spain, Marcial Maciel’s desperate search for morphine hints at a hidden addiction and a dark undercurrent to his revered image. Years later, Jason Berry’s explosive article threatens to expose Maciel’s secrets, but Jose Barba refuses to let the truth be buried.

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After years of investigating abuse in the Catholic Church, journalist Jason Barry is ready for a quieter life. But when a mysterious box of documents arrives on his doorstep, he’s pulled into a new investigation. This time, the allegations point to a powerful Mexican priest, Marcial Maciel, and a cover-up that reaches the highest levels of the Vatican. 

The archival audio clips used in this episode come from the Oscars. The title of the referenced news article comes from The Hartford Courant.

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Elena Sada recounts her early experiences with the Legion of Christ, including the moment she felt “chosen” by its founder, Marcial Maciel. Lourdes Barroso shares her story of being personally invited by Maciel to become a consagrada. Both women describe the “spell” that Maciel cast, blurring their perceptions and leading them down a path of strict obedience and hidden manipulation. As the women are molded into ideal servants, they are tasked with recruiting new members and raising funds, becoming key players in the Legion’s expansion and financial empire.

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When Elena Sada was eight, she met a priest who would change the course of her life forever. This priest, Marcial Maciel, founded the Legion of Christ, which became one of the world’s largest and wealthiest Catholic institutions. As a child, Elena was drawn into Maciel’s world, attending a Legionary school and eventually dedicating 21 years of her life to the organization. But behind the holy facade lay dark secrets. 

The archival audio clips used in this episode come from Rome Reports, Milenio and Televisa. 

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Sacred Scandal is back for a fourth season. The Many Secrets of Marcial Maciel is a gripping investigative podcast that uncovers the mysteries behind one of the Catholic Church’s most powerful and controversial figures. Through the voice of Elena Sada—a former consecrated lady in the Legion of Christ—the series exposes Marcial Maciel’s double life of abuse, fraud, and manipulation, as well as the silence and complicity that allowed him to thrive. Blending survivor testimony and in-depth reporting, the show reveals how faith, power, and secrecy collided to protect a predator, and how those who lived inside his empire found the strength to break free.

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Law & Order: Criminal Justice System is back with Season Two, turning its focus to a threat that hides in plain sight, harder to predict and even harder to stop: terrorism. Hear the real stories from those who lived it, worked it, and risked everything to confront it.

Listen here and subscribe to Law & Order: Criminal Justice System S2 on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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What does it mean to be a victim, or a villain? What happens when the line between the two starts to blur? On 7th July 2010, Kelly Harnett says her abusive boyfriend murdered a man right in front of her.  So how did she end up in prison for it? Anna Sinfield - the journalist behind the global number 1 podcast, The Girlfriends, returns with her toughest story yet. This series isn’t a whodunnit. It’s not even really about what happened. It’s about how a woman who was a victim of domestic violence became a villain in the eyes of the law. Found guilty of murder and locked up for over a decade; Kelly Harnett taught herself the law. And as she battled to overturn her conviction, she became a beacon of hope, fighting for the freedom of the abused women locked up alongside her.

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Hello, Sacred Scandal Fans! We want to share our new show, "Cold Case Files: Miami."

About the show: Joyce Sapp, 76; Bryan Herrera, 16; and Laurance Webb, 32—three Miami residents whose lives were stolen in brutal, unsolved homicides. Cold Case Files: Miami follows award‑winning radio host and City of Miami Police reserve officer Enrique Santos as he partners with the department’s Cold Case Homicide Unit, determined family members, and the advocates who spend their lives fighting for justice for the victims who can no longer fight for themselves.

Listen here and subscribe to "Cold Case Files: Miami" on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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Hello, Sacred Scandal Fans! We want to share our new show, "My Friend Daisy." 

About the show: After 19-year-old Daisy De La O was murdered outside her Compton apartment, her friends and family looked to authorities to make an arrest. When that didn’t happen, they took matters into their own hands. Their secret weapon? TikTok. The online videos spawned an international manhunt, rallying amateur detectives to do something radical: Help catch a killer.

From London Audio, iHeart Radio, and executive producer Paris Hilton, My Friend Daisy is a ten-part investigative series written and hosted by L.A. journalist Jenn Swann. Each episode dives deep into the murder investigation and its fallout, exposing what went wrong, how it went viral, and why American communities are turning to social media to find justice. After 19-year-old Daisy De La O was murdered outside her Compton apartment, her friends and family looked to authorities to make an arrest. When that didn’t happen, they took matters into their own hands. Their secret weapon? TikTok. The online videos spawned an international manhunt, rallying amateur detectives to do something radical: Help catch a killer.

Listen here and subscribe to "My Friend Daisy" on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts!

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