Two Roman Catholic Priests were Jailed for Stealing

A Florida court sentenced two catholic priests to varying prison terms for stealing and misappropriating funds of their church.

Two Roman Catholic priests were sent to jail by a Florida Court for stealing thousands of dollars from their church funds. Mb.com.ph reports:

John Skehan and Francis Guinan were accused in 2006 of skimming money from collection plates and bequests at their church in Delray Beach, Florida, and spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on real estate, travel, rare coins and girlfriends.

Skehan, 81, was sentenced Tuesday to 14 months in prison and seven years probation after pleading guilty in January to a charge of grand theft of over $100,000.

Guinan, 66, was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison after taking the case to trial and being found guilty of a lesser charge of theft under $100,000.

Many catholic priests have been criticized for committing various crimes ranging from misappropriation of funds to sexual abuse committed mostly on parishioners and church personnel. Proof of the continuing and widespread abuse by many catholic priests is contained in a wikipedia report on compensation payout recorded up to 2007. Huge settlement payouts include the 2007 settlement by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California involving claims of over $600 million for abuses committed by the clergy. In September 2003, The Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay out $86 million to 552 victims. In 2005, Bishop Tod Brown of the Diocese of Orange apologized to 87 alleged victims of sexual abuse and announced a settlement of $100 million following two years of mediation There are thousands of cases involving catholic priests from around the world committing various forms of crimes, mostly sexual abuse and misappropriation of funds. The Catholic Church hierarchy has been struggling in its effort to put order in the institution and in reviving its sagging popularity.