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A new HBO documentary on the legacy of Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi, who was murdered in the aftermath of the country’s long civil war, highlights the courageous role of Catholic clergy in the fight for democracy in Central America. It also offers a model for struggling democracies today. “There are a lot of negative stories, films and documentaries about the Catholic Church that get made. I was attracted to the idea of this not being that,” said director Paul Taylor in a Zoom interview with Religion News Service last week. “I started to see that some of the issues at the h...

Copy to Clipboard 'The Art of Political Murder' (HBO) In April 1998, Bishop Juan Gerardi was attacked in his garage and beaten to death. The human rights activist had presented a report that outlined the atrocities of the army in the wake of the Guatemalan Civil War. Three army officers – Colonel Byron Disrael Lima Estrada and Captain Byron Lima Oliva (who were father and son), and José Obdulio Villanueva – were convicted of Gerardi's murder in 2001 and sentenced to 30-year prison terms.  Bishop Geraldi had long been an advocate for the indigenous Mayans of the country and played a majo...

Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi. Photo courtesy HBO VATICAN CITY (RNS) — A new HBO documentary on the legacy of Guatemalan Catholic Bishop Juan Gerardi, who was murdered in the aftermath of the country’s long civil war, highlights the courageous role of Catholic clergy in the fight for democracy in Central America. It also offers a model for struggling democracies today. “There are a lot of negative stories, films and documentaries about the Catholic Church that get made. I was attracted to the idea of this not being that,” said Director Paul Taylor in a Zoom interview with Re...