Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk on Monday defended his acceptance of a $1.5 million donation from Carl H. Lindner Jr. and his family after a prominent Catholic bishop characterized it as "blood money."
Archbishop Pilarczyk said through a spokesman that he thought it was all right to accept the Lindner money despite a call by Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton for Catholic institutions to refuse such donations because Mr. Lindner is chairman and chief executive officer of Chiquita Brands International. Bishop Gumbleton said Chiquita earns its money "off the backs of the poor peasants of Central America" where bananas are produced.
Bishop Gumbleton is a member of the U.S. Catholic Conference's Social Justice Committee. His statement was in response to revelations in Sunday's Enquirer about Chiquita's Latin American business practices. Those findings included aerial spraying of pesticides while workers were still in the fields; brute force used on peasants by guards on banana plantations; and failure to adhere to established health and safety standards for workers.
"The Archdiocese of Cincinnati was aware last fall that concerns of social justice were being raised in conjunction with the operations of Chiquita Brands International," Archbishop Pilarczyk said in a statement issued through spokesman Dan Andriacco.
"Those concerns were considered by the archbishop before he decided to accept the gift of $1.5 million from members of the Carl and Edith Lindner family, which controls Chiquita. On the basis of the information available, there seemed no reason to refuse the gift.
"The money from the Lindner family is being used to fund computer technology and equipment for seven inner-city Catholic schools serving 1,327 children, 75 percent of whom are black; 70 percent of whom are non-Catholic and 64 percent of whom have family incomes below the poverty level."
The archbishop declined to speak directly with the Enquirer for this story.
When asked whether the archbishop had any additional concerns about Chiquita based on the Enquirer's report, Mr. Andriacco responded: "Sure it raises concerns. There were many, many allegations raised by the Enquirer and denied by Carl Lindner, and we are not in a position to choose between the two."
(Copyright 1998)
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