Emergence of mysterious marriage certificate for aged Cardinal

The Cardinal is in poor health and says he did not sign any document. Cardinal appears as married in Serecí, he denounces that the document is a forgery. Allegations about an alleged marriage of Toribio Porco Ticona in a village far from Oruro in the 1990s have been made on previous occasions, but the document was not made public until now.

A marriage certificate of Cardinal Toribio Porco Ticona is active in the Bolivian Civic Registry Service (Serecí). The religious authority denounces that the document is forged, as he claims that he never participated in any civil union.

"This document is forged, I have not signed anything in any Civil Registry. I did not marry anyone. Before (2018) they sent us a paper (a photocopy of the manual register), we tried to investigate who did it, but we were unable to find out," Cardinal Toribio Porco Ticona told Página Siete in a contact that was brief, due to his delicate state of health.

The marriage registration document, corroborated by this media and denounced by the prelate, dates from 31 December 1992. According to the data, the legal union was celebrated in the official's office of the locality of San Antonio de Condoriri, in the Cercado province of the Department of Oruro.

The document contains a book number, a heading number and a folio number. All verified. The signature matches that of the Cardinal. The spouse is a woman, whose name is being withheld.

When asked about the document, she maintained that it was a forgery and that until now she had been unaware of its existence. She indicated that she will file the corresponding complaint to investigate how and by whom her identity was supplanted, forged her signature and made this registration, which dates back three decades.

Active but with observations

Article 73 of the Family Code states that "marriage is proved with the certificate or testimony of the marriage certificate registered in the respective book of the civil registry".

In this case, although the status of the document is "active", the system warns that it has observations, although it does not specify which ones. At first glance, it is striking that the identity card of neither of the spouses has been registered and that the celebration before the official has no identified witnesses, but only a couple of signatures.

Both observations, which were thought to be due to the transcription from the physical book to the digital system, are repeated in a manual register, a document that Porco received in 2018.

Article 56 of the Family Code, in force since 1977, provides that for the celebration of a marriage the spouses must present, on a compulsory basis, their identification card or some equivalent document to prove the identity of the intending spouses.

Articles 57 and 58 provide that two witnesses must be present for the manifestation of the marriage. These witnesses must present their affidavit stating that they know the intending spouses and that they are aware that there is no impediment or prohibition to the marriage.

Neither requirement is met in the case of the Cardinal's marriage certificate. Among other curious aspects is the date and time, 31 December 1992 at 00:00.

When asked about this type of observation, different Civil Registry officials maintained that these were common irregularities in the old documents, especially in rural areas, where many people used to go - and still do - to get married or register their children without having to present the requirements. It should be clarified that the consultation was made in general and not for this particular case.

An "accusation" from years ago

The accusations about the cardinal's marital status are not recent, they have surfaced from time to time since 2011. They became more frequent when he was named cardinal emeritus (because he is retired) in 2018, but until now no documents had been produced, or so it was believed.

That year, Porco became Bolivia's third cardinal and the first of indigenous origin. Before becoming a religious man, he was a miner and once a parish priest, he also served as mayor.

He served in Uncía, Llallagua, Coro Coro, Patacamaya and in Bolivian migrant communities in Argentina, where he met Pope Francis when he was still a cardinal.

The accusations point out that Porco, while serving in Coro Coro and in the Bishopric of Oruro, had a marital life and a child, despite the vow of celibacy. The denunciation that reached the Nunciature came out in the midst of the struggle between those in favour or against his investiture.

In a letter sent to the Catholic News Agency, the cardinal explains that the "rumours" were spread in 2011 and ended up as "simple calumnies (...). Personally I am glad that they are coming out at this time, in order to close the case definitively".

He warned of legal proceedings for slander against those who spread these rumours.

No investigation

Because of his state of health, the cardinal has long since ceased to lead an active public life. Parkinson's disease, diagnosed five years ago, makes his hands tremble and makes it difficult for him to speak.

Página Siete asked the Bolivian Episcopal Conference for days for an interview with the Cardinal or his legal representative, but there was no response. It was a personal decision to receive the journalist of this newspaper to answer questions about the marriage document.

In the room of a church educational centre, the cardinal indicated that in 2018 he received a similar document to which this media outlet had access. As evidence, he showed a photocopy of the handwritten register.

With this document he reiterated that he did not sign the record. However, he could not explain why, if he already knew about this fact, he did not report it.

"We have tried to find out who did it, but we have not been able to find out," he said, somewhat wearily.

As proof, he also presented an affidavit with the seal of the Apostolic Nunciature in Bolivia. In it, he denies the accusations of a marital relationship and paternity. The fact is that the marriage certificate is followed by a birth certificate which has been annulled.

"I am prepared, if necessary, to carry out a DNA test," the document states.

However, after that the cardinal was not summoned for an investigation, he told this newspaper.

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