TWO Irish priests are again facing charges of stealing money from their parish in Florida which could see them jailed for 30 years if found guilty.The charges against Fr John Skehan (80), originally from Johnstown, Co Kilkenny, and Fr Francis Guinan (65), from outside Birr, Co Offaly, were dropped earlier this year.
They were accused of stealing millions of dollars from their parish in Delray Beach, Florida.
Prosecutors have recently re-filed a first degree felony charge of grand theft of over $100,000 (€66,000). The case was sidelined earlier this year after a legal tussle pitting defence lawyers and Judge Sandra McSorley.
State Attorney Barry Krischer dropped the charges against the two priests but vowed to refile them.
The move came after the judge chided the lawyers for their delays in exchanging evidence and preparing for trial and declined to rule on their request for a continuance in the complex financial case.
McSorley is still the judge assigned to the case but neither the prosecution or the defence attorneys were able to say when the case might reach trial.
Delray Beach police charged Frs Skehan and Guinan in September 2006 with stealing offertory money from St Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church on Delray Beach, and allegations arose that Fr Skehan -- and much later Fr Guinan -- had mishandled more than $8m (€5.2m) over decades.
The alleged thefts linked to the two priests go back 40 years with claims that the money was used to support lavish lifestyles.
Attorney Ed Ricci, a vocal critic of the priests and of what he calls cover-ups in the Catholic Church, said it was "baffling" that a case of such significance to the Catholic community wasn't ready for trial in February. He believed it was highly probable there would be no trial.
"Their accounting practices defy scrutiny," Ricci said of the church's practices, which have come under the spotlight.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sacerdos