The case of Naason Joaquin Garcia, leader of the Light of the World church, will be back under the microscope with the launch of a documentary series exploring the history of one of the most powerful religious groups.
Through HBO Max will be launched this production called Behind the Veil: Surviving the Light of the World Church, which has three episodes and gets us deep into the most recent controversy of this congregation.
The Light of the World was founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín González. It claims to be the “true church” that offers eternal salvation. Its leaders (who have been three generations of the same family) are called “apostles” and claim to be appointed by “divine revelation.”
What is the Light of the World documentary about?
The documentary series shows, through interviews and never-before-seen material, the reality behind this group that had the image of being just another religious community. However, in recent years there have been cases of people, many minors, who say they have Suffered sexual abuse at the hands of so-called “apostles”.
The Light of the World documentary is told through the experiences of survivors who met on Reddit in 2017. There they shared their stories of abuse and were later brave enough to denounce the crimes of this group.
In addition to telling a little about how La Luz del Mundo, which claims to have congregations in 58 countries, works, it also shows the events that led to the Arrest and trial of the leader Naasón Joaquín García.
When and where does it premiere?
The series will arrive in Mexico through HBO and its platform HBO Max.
On television, the first and second parts will premiere on Tuesday December 6, while the third chapter will be available on December 7.
On the HBO Max platform, the three chapters can be seen from December 6.
The case of La luz del Mundo
Mexican religious leader Naasón Joaquín García pleaded guilty to several counts of child sexual abuse.
The guilty plea came just days before the Los Angeles trial in which Garcia, 53, faces more than 20 charges, including rape, extortion and possession of child pornography, among other crimes perpetrated in California.
Naasón Joaquín García admitted to two counts of forced oral sex including minors and another of lewd act with a minor under 15.
The congregation emerged as a branch of the Apostolic Church of Faith in Christ Jesus, an offshoot of the Pentecostal Church, and its faithful, who are referred to as “Aaronites,” require permission from the leading leaders to travel, study, work, or marry.
In March 2020, Mexican authorities froze nearly $20 million in the accounts of six people linked to the La Luz del Mundo church.
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