The Civil Association San Juan Bautista has issued a statement rejecting the accusations linking it to an alleged land dispossession in Catacaos, Peru, and to acts of violence related to that conflict. The organization maintains that these claims are false, were already publicly addressed in 2024, and have resurfaced in public debate following various interventions by priest Jordi Bertomeu.
The association states that an attempt has been made to suggest it is part of the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, which allegedly dispossessed Catacaos community members of their land and is linked to the deaths of community members. In response, it denies any legal, patrimonial, or institutional subordination to the Sodalicio, while acknowledging past cooperation due to their shared Catholic identity.
What is the Civil Association San Juan Bautista
The Civil Association San Juan Bautista was founded in 1991 with charitable, religious, and social support purposes, particularly in the areas of funeral services and dignified burial.
The organization, which has a Catholic identity, notes that since its founding some of its members have been linked to the Sodalicio de Vida Cristiana, though it insists there is no legal subordination between the two institutions.
It currently manages ten cemeteries in different regions of Peru and states that it also carries out pastoral and social work, as well as support for various ecclesial and civil institutions.
The association denies having usurped land
In its statement, the Association maintains that the acquisition of the land linked to the Catacaos case was carried out in 2012 within the formal property system recognized by Peruvian law.
According to its account, the land originally belonged to the peasant community of Catacaos, registered as the owner in 1999. However, before any intervention by the association, the plots had reportedly passed to individual ownership by one hundred community members in 2000 through the legal mechanisms in force at the time.
The association states that it later purchased 1,895.40 hectares from those listed as registered owners in the Public Registries, and therefore considers it incorrect to present the transaction as a “dispossession” carried out by the organization.
No judicial ruling against the organization
The San Juan Bautista Association emphasizes that there is no court ruling or judicial decision determining that it has committed any crime in relation to these events.
It also rejects being held responsible for deaths that occurred in different contexts. The statement mentions the cases of Guadalupe Zapata Sosa, Luis Pasache, and Cristino Melchor, and maintains that these are separate incidents that occurred at different times and have no causal or factual connection to the institution.
In the association’s view, grouping these episodes to construct a public accusation against it constitutes a serious form of misinformation.
Criticism of Jordi Bertomeu
The statement devotes a specific section to priest Jordi Bertomeu, whom the association attributes an active role in the public dissemination of these accusations.
The organization considers it especially serious that these claims have been made from a position of ecclesial authority, as, according to the association, they may mislead both public opinion and members of the Church itself.
The association also questions the fact that the accusations have been reactivated in an ecclesial context, including acts such as the so-called “mass of reparation” in Catacaos.
Complaint in Spain for defamation and libel
The Civil Association San Juan Bautista further states that on November 12, 2025, it initiated legal action in Spain against Jordi Bertomeu for statements made in April 2025 on RAC1 and TV3, in which, according to the organization, he allegedly linked the institution to supposed crimes of money laundering and tax fraud without evidentiary support.
The association affirms that it has filed a criminal complaint for alleged crimes of defamation and libel, after first initiating a conciliation procedure.
According to the statement, Bertomeu did not attend a hearing scheduled for April 20, 2026, and requested the suspension of the next summons. The new hearing is reportedly set for June 22, 2026.