Slaves of Faith -- The Documentary
| Full title | Escravos da Fe: Os Arautos do Evangelho (Slaves of Faith: The Heralds of the Gospel) |
| Format | 3 episodes (~45 min each) |
| Producer | Endemol Shine Brasil + Warner Bros. Discovery |
| Director | Marcelo Canellas |
| General director | Cassia Dian |
| Platform | HBO / Max |
| Release | March 11, 2026 |
| IMDB | 7.9/10 |
"Slaves of Faith: The Heralds of the Gospel" (Portuguese: "Escravos da Fe: Os Arautos do Evangelho") is a three-episode documentary produced by Endemol Shine Brasil in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, released on HBO/Max on March 11, 2026. Directed by journalist Marcelo Canellas, with general direction by Cassia Dian, the documentary presents accusations against the Heralds of the Gospel. The Heralds officially responded that the content is "offensive and lacks truth," noting that all accusations have already been reviewed by the courts without any conviction.
Production
The documentary was produced by Endemol Shine Brasil in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. Direction was by journalist Marcelo Canellas, known for investigative reports on TV Globo, with general direction by Cassia Dian.
The format consists of three episodes of approximately 45 minutes each, distributed exclusively on the HBO / Max streaming platform. It was released on March 11, 2026. On IMDB, the documentary received a rating of 7.9/10.
Legal battle
The documentary's release was preceded by an intense legal battle:
- December 2025: The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) granted an injunction prohibiting the broadcast
- March 3, 2026: Supreme Court Justice Flavio Dino overturned the STJ decision, ruling that the prohibition constituted "prior censorship"
- March 11, 2026: The documentary was released on HBO/Max
Justice Flavio Dino's decision was based on the constitutional principle of freedom of expression, classifying the prior prohibition as incompatible with Brazilian law.
Main accusers in the documentary
The documentary features testimonies from several people making accusations against the Heralds:
- Amanda Merotto -- ex-member, allegations of sexual abuse
- Patricia Sampaio -- mother of ex-member, allegations of sexual abuse (sent email praising the Heralds on 07/25/2018)
- Zélia Salvador Assis -- witness
- Pedro Luiz Budel -- witness
- Father Winston Salazar -- priest
- Gustavo Mallet -- ex-member
- Thais Reis de Oliveira -- witness
- Chico Prado -- witness
- Daniel Palotti Secco -- ex-member
Official response from the Heralds
The Heralds of the Gospel published an official response on their website (arautos.org), classifying the documentary as "offensive and lacking in truth", and highlighting that:
- All accusations presented have already been reviewed by the courts
- None of the accusations resulted in a conviction
- The 28 lawsuits identified were all dismissed or resolved favorably
Production context
The documentary was produced following an investigative series published by the Metropoles news portal, which served as the basis for the film's narrative. The Commissariat (2019-2025) and the Apostolic Visitation (2017-2018) provided the ecclesiastical context for the production.
References
- HBO/Max -- "Slaves of Faith: The Heralds of the Gospel," released 03/11/2026
- STJ -- Injunction prohibiting broadcast, December 2025
- STF -- Justice Flavio Dino's decision overturning prior censorship, 03/03/2026
- Arautos.org -- Official statement on the documentary
- IMDB -- Rating 7.9/10