"Very strange movements and economic irregularities" in the brotherhood of the Great Power and the Macarena

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The heritage of the Brotherhood of the Macarena and the Great Power of Madrid is being managed

.

As this supplement has been able to verify the data provided by one of the brothers, who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from the Governing Board, those who run the brotherhood

On May 8, 2015, MOG, a native of Jaén, donated to the entity the first A of house number 7 on Villamanín Street, in Carabanchel Bajo and, since then, the operations related to the property have raised suspicions in part of the brotherhood

The last will of MOG was to use the value of the property to defray part of the expenses related to the canopy of the Virgen de la Macarena in Madrid.

The carving is a copy of the popular Sevillian image.

The brotherhood, attached to the Royal Collegiate Church and Basilica of San Isidro, sold the farm a year later, on May 11, 2016, as it appears in the property registry.

"Every year, the brotherhood has the obligation to show its brothers an economic summary of the activity. It is established in the rules.

, "explains the same source, who knows balance well.

The rest of the donations do appear justified in the annual summary "but not the floor".

When asked by the brothers during an extraordinary town hall meeting, the governing board claimed to have used the money to comply with MOG's wish

vicarage license

The brotherhood sold the property for 103,084 euros.

"It is the largest amount of money entered in more than 80 years of history. Never had a donation of this caliber been received."

Article 57 of the Administration of the Statute and regulations of the diocesan curia establishes that "for acts of extraordinary administration of the diocese or parishes" such as

". The brotherhood, defined as a private association of the faithful by canon law, belongs to the parish. The movement had to consult first with the Vicariate 3rd of Madrid. There is no record of the consultation. "We have consulted the department of associations and brotherhoods of the bishopric of Madrid without receiving any answer for now".

The private association of the faithful that is the Brotherhood of the Great Power and the Macarena of Madrid is "under the authority of the Ordinary of the place in what refers to the administration and expense of the goods that they have received as a donation."

The same source explains that they have not received a response from the department of Associations and brotherhoods of the bishopric of Madrid.

Until the complaint of a group of brothers for the lack of information on the expense made with the money received from the sale of the property, the brotherhood had never disclosed "any type of balance."

In doing so, the accounts presented first in an accounts council and later in an extraordinary council, despite referring to the operation that complied with the will of MOG, under the concept of "behind the scenes execution", show a "substantial" difference .

"They balance the expenses in their own way. Without justifying anything. Without official papers. Without clarifying whether they are gross or net values."

A group of brotherhoods from Seville, residing in Madrid, founded the brotherhood in 1940. In 1987 it received the title of Royal, when King Emeritus Juan Carlos I accepted the position of Honorary Big Brother.

Since 1997, the older brother is the city attorney

, who began his seventh term in 2021. The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, in its General Decree, advises "regulating the duration and number of mandates of government officials" of associations of the faithful and promotes "

Luis Rafael García Martínez is at the head of "a thousand brothers" whom he directs with an iron fist.

In a letter addressed to the brothers during the last elections held, to which this newspaper has had access, García Martínez accused the other candidacy of "lack of training and ignorance."

"His practices had already been reported to the vicarage by a group of brothers who ended up being filed by the older brother. The church turns a blind eye," says the same source.

Luis Rafael García Martínez denies that the brotherhood has not been informed of the movements related to the MOG inheritance

It is absolutely clarified. We consult with the archbishopric, we comply with the Treasury and it happened in 2015. There's no point in resurrecting that. Besides, these are internal things that shouldn't be covered in the newspaper."

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