Former Seminarians Accuse Honduran Bishop of Homosexual Misconduct

Edward Pentin has obtained two testimonies by former seminarians of the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, about homosexual misconduct of Auxiliary Bishop Juan Pineda. The testimonies were written down for a Vatican investigation carried out by retired liberal Argentine Bishop Alcides Casaretto in May 2017. Since then they are in the hands of Pope Francis.

Tegucigalpa archdiocese is led by Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga, a close Francis ally and personal friend of Pineda. Pineda has been in charge of the archdiocese since January, because Rodríguez undergoes chemotherapy treatment in Houston, Texas, for prostate cancer.

The testimonies contain events that allegedly occurred when Pineda taught at the seminary. Both ex-seminarians later had to leave the seminary. According to the first, Pineda attempted to have sexual relations, “In the night he came close to me and touched my intimate parts and chest, I tried to stop him, on several occasions I got out of bed and went out.”

The second ex-seminarian testified that he witnessed firsthand an improper relationship between Pineda and a third seminarian. Pineda is reported to maintain a string of other intimate male friends in Honduras.

Picture: Juan Pineda, © House Committee on Foreign Affairs, CC BY-NC, #newsNlpojldngc