Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga is a former long-serving Honduran archbishop and close adviser to Pope Francis who advocated for the poor and campaigned for human rights but late in his career became embroiled in a series of publicised financial and mismanagement scandals.

Born on December 29, 1942, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Rodriguez Maradiaga encountered the Salesians at a young age and joined their order, making his perpetual profession on May 3, 1967, in Guatemala. After completing his theological studies at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, he was ordained as a priest on June 28, 1970, in Guatemala.

Rodríguez Maradiaga pursued further education, earning a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome and a diploma in clinical psychology and psychotherapy from Leopold Franz University in Innsbruck. He then returned to Central America, where he taught a wide range of subjects including chemistry, physics, music, and theology in various Salesian institutions across El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

His ecclesiastical career advanced rapidly. On October 28, 1978, he was appointed titular Bishop of Pudentiana and Auxiliary of Tegucigalpa, receiving episcopal ordination on December 8 of the same year. He served as Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Copán from 1981 to 1984. On January 8, 1993, he was promoted to Archbishop of Tegucigalpa and simultaneously appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of San Pedro Sula, a position he held until 1995.

Rodríguez Maradiaga has been actively involved in various Church organizations. He served as President of the Episcopal Conference of Honduras from 1996 to 2016 and held several positions within the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), including its presidency from 1995 to 1999. He was also elected president of Caritas Internationalis, serving from 2007 to 2015.

On February 21, 2001, Pope John Paul II created him Cardinal with the title of Santa Maria della Speranza. His influence continued to grow, and on April 13, 2013, Pope Francis appointed him as Coordinator of the Council of Cardinals, a position he held for 10 years.

Throughout his ecclesiastical life, Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga has been known for his critiques of economic systems that lead to exploitation and marginalization. He campaigned for human rights and the poor, earning widespread praise. As president of CELAM, he used his position to denounce the region’s foreign debt burden. He has a personal passion for aviation and plays the saxophone.

Late in his career the cardinal became involved in several publicised financial scandals and allegations of mismanagement. These included reports of over a million dollars going missing, allegedly receiving large sums as grand chancellor of a university, and reports of questionable financial flows from foundations connected to him.

His auxiliary bishop and close associate, Juan José Pineda, was forced to resign following accusations of financial mismanagement, including channeling Church money to friends and purchasing an apartment and car for a close male companion. The cardinal faced further serious allegations regarding homosexuality in Honduran seminaries that were under his control.

Maradiaga denied the allegations, claiming they were “calumnies” aimed at discrediting him and jeopardizing Pope Francis’ reforms. However, questions remained and in 2022 Cardinal Maradiaga faced further allegations of mismanagement and financial misconduct.