Trial set for two priests accused of theft in Fla.
DELRAY BEACH (AP) – Two priests who authorities say for years stole cash from their Florida church’s offering plate and hid it in the church ceiling and offshore bank accounts to pay for lavish lifestyles will soon face a judge.
Their trial is scheduled to start Wednesday in an embezzlement case authorities say could be one of the biggest to hit the U.S. Catholic Church.
Before prosectutors could charge them with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church, the Rev. Francis Guinan and Monsignor John Skehan fled the country in 2006, leaving their parishioners amid an international scandal.
Skehan’s attorney wrote in a recent court filing that an “amicable resolution” has been reached in his client’s case that will be presented to the court Wednesday, indicating a possible plea deal. Skehan attorney Scott Richardson did not return several calls for comment.
The accusations shocked parishioners, who said they never suspected anything and recalled how the kindly Skehan, 81, loved to read to their children.
Some credit him for growing the seaside church’s flock from a few hundred to several thousand.
Days before the trial was to begin, some parishioners who headed in for evening Mass said the church wasn’t focusing on the trial. Others still feel the scandal.
“You feel betrayed by people that you trust,” said Laura Beck, whose three children attend the church’s school. “People were not expecting that.”