Florida Catholic priests 'stole millions from collection plate'

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: Telegraph



Monsignor John Skehan, 81, originally from Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, pleaded guilty just hours before the start of his trial to taking money from his church over the course of several years in what authorities say could be the one of the biggest embezzlement

Rev John Skehan, 81, originally from Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, pleaded guilty just hours before the start of his trial to taking money from his church over the course of several years in what authorities say could be the one of the biggest embezzlement scandals to hit the American Catholic Church.

Skehan faces charges with fellow priest, the Rev Francis Guinan, originally from Birr, Co Offaly, who has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say the pair took cash from the offering plate at St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, in West Palm Beach, and stashed it in the church ceiling and in offshore bank accounts.

They then spent the money on expensive homes, gambling trips to Las Vegas with a mistress, even a $275,000 (£200,000) rare coin collection, authorities say.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4308456/Florida-Catholic-priests-stole-millions-from-collection-plate.html

[Seldona]

1. Molest children and get sent on to another parish.

Steal the churches money and kiss your ass goodbye.

Priorities people. Priorities.

[laconicsax]

5. I'm pretty sure there's no Biblical prohibition on molesting children.

[No Elephants]

19. There is a Biblical verse about hurting children--that the perp will suffer or something

like that. it is not coming to me right now, but I know it exists.

[LeftyMom]

2. Well there goes the "religion makes people behave" argument.

Again.

[dysfunctional press]

16. and to think that it's we atheists who are considered to be adrift without a moral compass

:eyes:

[defendandprotect]

3. "All the saints are in churches -- and all the sinners outside of them" . . . Oh, yeah-!!

[meow2u3]

7. Sinners and saints alike are in churches

But not always for the same reason.

[CoffeeCat]

4. When they saw this priest...

...driving a red Ferrari and wearing diamond-studded collars--they should have said something.

;)

[meow2u3]

6. What happened to "Thou Shalt Not Steal"?

meow2u3 to thieving priests: Try living up to your vows of poverty the first time--before you're tempted to rip off your parishoners. Your actions give the entire Catholic Church a bad name and invite anti-religious bigots in general and anti-Catholic bigots in particular to attack not only you, but your fellow Catholics.

You two disgust me with your bad example. I hope you're defrocked ASAP.

[suston96]

20. Secular - archdiocesan - priests do not take a vow of poverty.

Secular priests - those not members of a religious order - normally do not take the vow of poverty. They take vows of chastity and obedience.

http://www.dioceseoflincoln.org/purple/priesthood/index.htm

Scroll down.

[eilen]

8. I think it's hilarious

I think they were jealous of the Protestant mega church leader's private airplanes, limos, and mansions. (Looking at you Rick Warren, Joel Olsten, Oral Roberts....)

Did they make commercials telling people that God wants them to send more money or He will smite them down? Hookers and gambling, oh my. Were they playing the market too? "Investing" money for the church?

It just goes to show you that it is a all a racket. Oil and Heroin are not the worst exports from the Middle East, it is Religion.

[Doremus]

9. The brother of a customer of mine is a priest. According to my customer

he has more money and assets than he (the customer) does. He's some sort of bigwig in the church.

Trips abroad, a stable of race horses, nice cars, big house.

Meanwhile, the poor saps tithing the food money every week can barely afford to keep a roof over their heads.

Their respective rewards await them, I'm sure. :eyes:

[customerserviceguy]

10. This happened to the parish where my lady grew up

in New Jersey. By the way, priests don't take vows of poverty, that's only for nuns and monks.

The Catholic Church is destroying itself from within at the very time it is being starved of new blood from without. It should be extinct in America in about a hundred years. Fifty if there were no more immigration from Latin America.

[Ichingcarpenter]

11. I see a screenplay out of this ... two irish guys with the gift of gab

fleece rich West Palm Beach and get mistresses, hookers and Vegas romps.

They don't get caught until their 80s. They also fleeced the church out
the money that would could have used to support prop 8.

It would make a good comedy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Stick 'em on Craggy Island!

Father Ted Crilly (Dermot Morgan) is the most normal of the priests on the island, although he still finds himself in very confusing situations. He is a bon vivant, exiled to Craggy Island for something referred to only as "that Lourdes thing." - an apparent misappropriation of church funds which had been intended to fund a poor child's pilgrimage to Lourdes, which Ted allegedly spent as part of a Las Vegas gambling spree. Ted's defense has always been that the money was "just resting in my account." Ted was previously a priest in Wexford, which is also the home town of the series director, Declan Lowney. His greatest desire is to escape Craggy Island and to find a wealthy parish and a life free of embarrassment, although he is also shown to be as easily seduced by fame as by money.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Ted

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. Father Ted was a great british comedy

My son turned me on to the show years ago.

[Javaman]

12. One for you, one for me, two for you, one, two, for me...

3 for you, 1,2,3, for me...

[dysfunctional press]

15. so- do priests have to file income taxes on stolen money?

:shrug:

that's how they took down capone, after all...

[KamaAina]

17. Wasn't this an episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond"?

:wtf:

[AngryOldDem]

18. This is why the Church needs laity involved.

And it's telling why it has dragged its heels on any kind of financial transparency. "Follow the money" is just as valid a maxim here as it is anywhere else.