Sabrina Bittencourt, a Brazillian activist whose investigation led to John's arrest, had stated that her organization has spoken to couples on 3 different continents who have claimed that they bought babies from John for as much as $50,000.
On a fateful day, July 10, 2023, the courtroom was filled with a mix of anticipation and despair as the notorious Brazilian faith healer, João Teixeira de Faria, commonly known as ‘John of God,’ received an additional sentence of 99 years for his heinous sexual crimes. The air was heavy with the weight of justice as the judge declared him guilty of the ‘rape of vulnerable persons’ and ‘sexual violation through fraud’ against eight victims who sought his spiritual help between 2010 and 2018.
The sentence brought his total prison time to an unprecedented 370 years, 9 months, and 15 days. Additionally, he has been ordered to pay R$ 100 thousand in compensation for moral damages to the victims. As the gavel struck, the room was filled with a mix of relief and disbelief, knowing that this self-proclaimed healer’s reign of terror was finally coming to an end.
Faria adopted the name of John of God, or João de Deus, after a 16th-century catholic saint from Portugal.
Dark Tale of John of God dates back to the 1970s
To understand the magnitude of crimes committed by ‘John of God’, we must delve into the dark history that led to this shocking verdict. His rise to fame began in the late 1970s when he opened Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola, a ‘clinic’ in the small town of Abadiânia, Brazil. Here, he claimed to possess supernatural powers and offered a range of services, from spiritual healing to what appeared to be surgical procedures without anesthesia.
Despite lacking any medical qualifications, people flocked to him, drawn by the promise of miraculous cures and relief from their ailments.
Despite lacking a medical license and any relevant training, he performed procedures such as nasal probing, body incisions, and eye scrapings without anesthesia. His clinic, Casa de Dom Inácio de Loyola, became a tourist attraction, generating significant profits through extra services like crystal bed sessions, blessed water, and herbal pills. These pills later revealed to be passionflower herbs, alone contributed to an estimated annual income of $40 million. However, behind the façade of healing and spirituality, a sinister truth was brewing.
Sexual crimes and child trafficking by John of God were exposed in 2018
In 2018, the Christian world was rocked by an explosive scandal that exposed ‘John of God’s’ true nature. Over 300 women, including his own daughter, bravely came forward to share their harrowing experiences of sexual abuse at the hands of the man they had trusted to heal their pain.
The accounts were gut-wrenching and painted a chilling picture of manipulation, betrayal, and unspeakable acts. The victims described how they had been lured into private sessions with Faria, seeking solace and relief from their physical and emotional struggles. Instead, they became victims of his perverse desires.
Faria’s own daughter also recounted her traumatic experiences of rape and violence at the hands of her father. Many claimed that he promised to heal them but exploited their vulnerability, subjecting them to unimaginable acts of sexual assault and violation. The stories were haunting, revealing a pattern of systematic abuse that spanned decades.
\It is important to note that these sexual assault charges are not the only appalling allegations against this so-called faith healer. Uncovered amidst the torrent of accusations is the claim that ‘John of God’ allegedly operated a baby trafficking ring, selling children to childless couples. While these accusations have been overshadowed in recent coverage, it is crucial to acknowledge the extent of the crimes committed by this individual.
‘Sex slaves kept to produce babies for 10 years’
John was arrested by Brazillian authorities after over 600 allegations of rape and sexual exploitation were made against him. He was also accused of keeping teenage girls as sex slaves, making them undergo pregnancy and childbirth, and then selling the babies to the ‘highest bidder’.
Sabrina Bittencourt, a Brazillian activist whose investigation led to John’s arrest, had stated that her organization has spoken to couples on 3 different continents who have claimed that they bought babies from John for as much as $50,000. Sabrina Bittencourt also stated that in John’s ‘baby farm’ teenage sex slaves were made to produce children for 10 years, before being killed.
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