Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Dec 22, 2017 / 12:05 pm
Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodriguez Maradiaga has rejected accusations of financial mismanagement, and offered an explanation for allegations that he has received an excessive salary for a largely ceremonial role at the Catholic University of Honduras.
In an email interview with CNA, Cardinal Maradiaga explained that "a little more than one year ago, we had to fire a manager of the university because he was stealing," and "shortly after, an anonymous defamatory paper was spread, filled with a series of calumnies of the kind published this week."
Cardinal Maradiaga was referring to a report by Italian outlet L'Espresso. According to the report, Cardinal Maradiaga received $600,000 from the University of Tegucigalpa in 2015, as a sort of "salary" for being the chancellor of the University. The cardinal was also accused of losing nearly $1.2 million of Church funds through investments in some London financial companies.
The accusations were not new, since the website ConfidencialHn had reported on them in Aug. 2016. Cardinal Maradiaga said that the archdiocese has begun a legal action to defend itself, but this has "had no effect in clarifying the truth."