Barcelona Archdiocese Intervenes in Three Foundations Over Irregularities

The Archdiocese of Barcelona has taken control of three diocesan foundations—Valldejuli, San José Oriol, and Virgen de los Desamparados—following allegations of serious administrative irregularities, including fraudulent property sales at below-market prices Source: abces.

What happened

The intervention follows an external audit commissioned by the archdiocese, which uncovered evidence of mismanagement. In the case of Fundación Valldejuli, the audit found that foundation assets were sold fraudulently and undervalued, leading to significant patrimonial losses quantified by some sources in the millions of euros, though the archdiocese has not confirmed the exact amount Source: lavanguardia. The other two foundations are accused of poor administration rather than fraud. As a result, the administrator and director of Valldejuli—both linked to all three foundations—resigned Source: abces.

Key developments

• The archdiocese appointed two new joint administrators to oversee the foundations Source: abces.
• The resignations involved a permanent deacon, Rubén García Lozano, and a priest, Saturnino Rodríguez Rodríguez, who also holds a role in the archdiocesan curia Source: lavanguardia.
• The archdiocese stated that investigations are ongoing and that it will decide on further steps, including possible legal action, once the facts are clear Source: lavanguardia.

The foundations manage elderly care homes: Valldejuli and La Torrassa in L'Hospitalet, and a priests' residence .