Esther Morales, the mayor of El Tanque, stated on Tuesday that she never authorized the local priest, Héctor Lunar, to restore the church of San Antonio de Padua. The parson attempted to renovate the walls of the temple and ended up destroying frescoes that are over 300 years old, a situation that both the town council and the municipal mayor distanced themselves from.
The damage caused by the priest to the municipal heritage has generated unrest among the locals in recent days, an issue that not even the priest’s apologies in EL DÍA could remedy. “I regret it. I have apologized to all authorities,” he stated, also admitting ignorance of the existence of those frescoes: “I didn’t know that those frescoes were behind that layer of paint. No one informed me.” Regarding the permits to carry out the work, he indicated that “it is now that I have learned that I should have requested permission from the authorities.”
Esther Morales will meet with the bishop next Monday at her own request. She affirmed that the priest did not approach her or the rest of the Town Hall. “He did not ask for permission, he only contacted the Works and Services councillor once to inquire about the possible renovation and she explained to him that the work should be carried out by a specialized company. Nothing more. He also does not have a construction license.”
[–>Disbelief Among the Residents
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The atmosphere in the historic center of El Tanque was one of disbelief yesterday. The La Unión restaurant, living up to its name, brought together several residents, members of the Brotherhood of Our Lady of Good Voyage, and national television crews to express their grievances. The community emphasized that they had not received any direct apologies beyond those expressed by the clergyman to this newspaper.
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The parish was closed in the days leading up to the discovery of the damage to the frescoes. Thus, the rest of the pastoral council members only found out through a photo posted on the parish’s social media. Other residents began to suspect when last Tuesday’s catechesis was canceled due to construction reasons.
Yesterday, they were awaiting the Tuesday mass at six o’clock, where it was rumored that the priest would apologize. The bells rang punctually at the usual time to announce the start of the mass like any other Tuesday. However, the priest never showed up. Unlike the Sunday mass, where residents claimed that “quite a few people attended expecting a possible apology”, only two people appeared yesterday. While Lunar had informed about the cancellation of that day’s catechesis and the previous week’s, the reasons for the suspension of the mass are unknown, as residents claim they were not notified.
Regarding the statements Héctor Lunar made to the media, the residents of El Tanque were firm. “I don’t believe him,” was the most common phrase. María de León, María Lorenzo, and Luis Pérez are some of the El Tanque inhabitants who were skeptical of the Venezuelan’s claims of being unaware of the value of the frescoes he was covering. “He knew, he said it on the local radio station of El Tanque. The workers scraped the wall and asked him what to do, and he ordered them to put up to two layers of paint,” emphasized Sebastián Pérez, president of the Brotherhood.
The relationship with the priest was strained. Ángel Manuel Pacheco, a member of the Brotherhood, highlights the superior attitudes he displays towards the locals, where he imposes his judgment under the sentence: “Because I am the priest, period”. He also highlights phrases like “yes or no, brother?”, which they interpret as an act of arrogance.
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The residents filed a complaint yesterday morning with the Guardia Civil. They emphasized that this is not against the person of the parish priest, but against the act committed in his church. As described by Sebastián Pérez, “it was an act against a Cultural Interest Property that represents the history and culture of a municipality.”
