The Interdiocesan Seminar Santa Rosa de Lima, in Caracas (Venezuela), denounced the usurpation of its name and that of its rector – P. José Dionisio Gómez – to ask for money through “unofficial digital platforms”.
Through A statementthis July 7, Fr. Gómez said that this new scam mechanism asks for international transfers to PayPal and Westernunion accounts, with the alleged purpose of “helping seminarians with their personal hygiene expenses and passages for the return to their homes for their prompt vacations.”
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“We as a seminar are not asking for donations for this purpose, nor do we have accounts on these platforms”emphasizes the statement.
In a statement sent to ACI Press, the rector of the institution emphasized that seminarians “are sustained by their dioceses and their families,” in addition to various donations.
“I invite you to be very careful. How to protect themselves? Well, before donating, look at the source well. See that it really is the seminar and is the person indicated to represent and ask (donations),” he said.
Fr. Gómez remarked that the seminar “does not ask for money in that way”, but always “invites people to collaborate” with their donations through regular channels, because the institution “always needs food, needs money to sustain the payment of its workers, for repairs and many other things.”
“There are ways to ask for donations. There are good people. You can directly contact the seminar For their official networks And ask how they can help us, ”added the rector.
Finally, he took the opportunity to highlight the importance of Catholics aware of the importance of helping Church’s institutions and social works, but always “the way in which” people who officially represent these institutions officially represent.
“We invite you not to fall into these false prophets, which unfortunately take advantage of the goodness of many people who want to help the church,” said Father Gomez, who also assured his prayers “for those who are behind this manipulation and for the conversion of their hearts.”
351 years of history
On October 9, 2024, the Interdiocesan Seminar of Caracas “Santa Rosa de Lima” turned 351 years of Foundation.
In 1673, the Lima Dominican friar Antonio González de Acuña, then Bishop of Caracas and the main promoter of the cause of canonization of Santa Rosa de Lima, barely arrived from Peru sat the bases of the enclosure, where Great men have formed consecrated to God and Venezuelan history.
Andrés Henríquez
I was born in Caracas in 1996. I am a writer for ACI Press and correspondent of EWTN since 2023. Since then, I cover events of the Catholic Church in Venezuela, Latin America and the world. I have more than 6 years of experience in bilingual media. In addition, in Venezuela I have worked from various fields for freedom and respect for fundamental rights in the country. I am a member of the Regnum Christi Federation since 2014.