Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Cassia Dian and Marcelo Canellas, HBO Max’s ‘Slaves of Faith: The Heralds of the Gospel’ is a docuseries chronicling the alleged abuse within the titular ultra-conservative Catholic sect. It essentially serves as an exposé of how the leaders exerted total control over the lives of not only their congregation but also youngsters who once simply hoped to follow the path of God. Therefore, of course, the primary focus is on João Scognamiglio Clá Dias because he was the institution’s founder, an ordained priest, a religious writer, and an alleged self-appointed Saint.
João Clá Dias Worked Hard to Build a Name For Himself
Although born in São Paulo, Brazil, on August 15, 1939, João Clá Dias was a proud descendant of immigrants, with his mother Annita Scognamiglio being Italian and his father António Días being Spanish. He was thus raised in a rather culturally diverse yet devout Catholic household, which sparked his interest in the field of theology before paving the way for his future in a manner no one expected. After all, he’d enlisted in the military forces upon graduating from high school, where he admittedly learned the true meaning of confidence, discipline, hard work, obedience, and perseverance.
João subsequently pursued a Juris Doctorate at the Faculty of Law of Largo de São Francisco, only to follow it up with degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the Italo-Brazilian University Center. He then studied Humanities at Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, earned a Master’s in Law from the Pontifício Instituto de Direito Canônico, and secured a Doctorate in Law from the Pontifical University. Since these institutes were spread across Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Italy, he also developed a unique worldview, which he later chose to apply within a Congregation by joining one in 1956.
The 1950s is around the same time João first came across a Catholic lawyer who had been advocating conservatism before going on to establish the Defense of Tradition, Family, Property society in 1960. Since the aim of Founder Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira was to revive monarchy in the nation while also expanding the Church’s political power, the former began looking up to him as a mentor of sorts. In fact, he soon found a way for them to develop a connection, work together, and climb up the national ladder as a movement, resulting in him all but declaring himself Plino’s successor by the time of his passing in 1995.
João Clá Dias and the Heralds of the Gospel Were Involved in Numerous Controversies Over the Years
After Plinio Oliveira passed away, TFP reportedly fractured into two competing successor organizations, one of which was established by João in 1999 and named The Heralds of the Gospel. Per the aforementioned original, roughly 80% of the former institution’s disciples followed him because his association was not merely a civic political movement but something much closer to a Church. In fact, it was recognized as an International Association of Pontifical Right by the Holy See on February 22, 2001, following which he approached the Archdiocese of São Paulo to request formal recognition as a Church.
João was reportedly ordained as a priest in 2004, leading him to include priests in the ranks of The Heralds of the Gospel long before they were ever fully accepted as a religious organization. It was in the late 2000s that they were officially acknowledged, resulting in him being given the honorary title of “Monsignor” in 2008 and awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Golden Cross in 2009. In the years to follow, the sect reportedly expanded its wings to reach over 70 countries, gaining recognition for its celebratory processions, discipline, religious education for youngsters, and more. However, the group as well as its leader also faced many serious scandals, ranging from allegations of brainwashing and physical abuse to accusations of killing and sexual abuse of minor girls.
According to records, a video of João allegedly leading an exorcism came to light in 2017, wherein he can be heard seemingly manipulating youngsters and saying negative things about Pope Francis. This incident led to him resigning as the sect’s “Superior General” on June 2, 2017, but accusations against him and the Heralds kept coming as time passed. While some parents reportedly complained they had brainwashed their kids into aggressive, radical “robots,” one mother claimed they were responsible for the death of her daughter, Livia Uchida. Former members have also since come forth in the documentary to accuse them of colorism, racism, fatphobia, abuse, inappropriate sexual advances, and physical beatings in the name of exorcisms. They even claimed on the show that João had become a self-proclaimed Saint by the 2010s, following which he used manipulative techniques to exert control.
João Clá Dias Passed Away at the Age of 85 in 2024
While it’s true that João had become an ordained priest in his 60s, almost half a decade after first launching The Heralds of the Gospel as a religious group in 1999, he did manage to gain international fame. That’s because in just around two decades, he had managed to take his organization from a Brazilian sect to a global church with a presence in over 70 countries through education centers and seminar exhibitions. He did end up in the hot seat in 2019, as all the allegations prompted the Brazilian authorities as well as the Vatican to open their own investigations against him and the Heralds, but to no avail. Despite the severity of the accusations, no criminal charges were brought, and no convictions were ever obtained, so João has always been considered innocent. From what we can tell, he passed away in his São Paulo, Brazil, home at the age of 85 on November 1, 2024, after years of struggling with complications of a stroke he had 14 years prior.
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