Catholic teacher says church has yet to pay pensions

Judge Anthony Cuevas Ramos (Facebook Bonita Radio)

By The Star Staff

Retired teacher Ermelindo Rivera said Monday that the Catholic Church has not yet paid the pensions owed to retired teachers who worked at schools affiliated with the church.

He made his remarks in a radio interview.

“They still haven’t given us our pensions. Numerous efforts have been made with Monsignor Roberto González Nieves, but we haven’t received a single cent,” Rivera stated. “This situation is very difficult for us teachers because we have to pay for electricity, rent, gasoline, food, and medicine, all of which are extremely expensive. We worked in the schools for 10 years to earn that pension, and the Monsignor took it away from us.”

On March 16, 2018, Judge Anthony Cuevas Ramos of the San Juan District Court ordered the Catholic Church of Puerto Rico to pay some $4.7 million from the Catholic Schools Pension Plan to teachers, employees and former employees of several schools. After several motions to dismiss and appeals, the Puerto Rico Supreme Court reinstated Cuevas’ order on May 24 of that year. However, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a per curiam opinion on Feb. 24, 2020, reversing the island Supreme Court’s ruling.

The Catholic Church tried to file for bankruptcy but a judge dismissed the filing.

In 2021, the Archdiocese of San Juan sold the archbishop’s palace and the San Ildefonso Conciliar Seminary to Propiedades Ceiba LLC to meet its pension payment obligations.

“It’s a good thing I became a teacher in my forties. I have the teachers’ pension, but they haven’t given me a single cent since I retired,” Rivera emphasized. “The truth is that when we are no longer useful, they forget about us.”

Attorney Samuel Soto Alonso said: “The defendants settled the claims in the aforementioned lawsuit with the plaintiffs’ attorneys, and the full amount agreed upon was paid on the specified date.”