Monday, June 16, 2008

Court Hearing Postponed for Former Catholic Priest

I know it's a shocking concept, but amazingly a Catholic priest from up near the Charlottesville area of Virginia is up on criminal charges that do NOT involve molesting minors. Yes, it's a startling circumstance. Rather, the former pastor - who has already been convicted for funneling funds from two parishes - is up on 13 new charges of embezzlement. Not to sound prejudiced, but it is also telling that the priest in question had been imported from the Philippines due to the severe shortage of priests in the Diocese of Richmond and elsewhere in the USA. God forbid that the Nazi Pope allow honest, competent and sincere married, gay or women priests. Oops - this guy was unbeknown to the Diocese, married too. Here are highights from the Richmond Times Dispatch:
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A former Catholic priest convicted in federal court of defrauding two local churches of hundreds of thousands of dollars was due back in court today on 13 more charges. . . . Rodney L. Rodis, 51, was sentenced in February to five years in federal prison for diverting for personal use money donated to the two county parishes he headed. Rodis was sentenced for mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering -- not for stealing.
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Rodis was sentenced for mail fraud, wire fraud and money laundering -- not for stealing. The state charges accuse Rodis of stealing money from Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Bumpass and St. Jude Catholic Church in Mineral while he was pastor. The counts cover thefts from 1995 to 2006. He could face a prison term of up to 260 years if convicted on all charges.
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Authorities later found out that Rodis was married two years before coming to the U.S. from the Philippines, his native country. He was living a double life with his wife and children in Spotsylvania County while pastor of the two churches. Rodis apparently wired the stolen money to the Philippines, where his family purchased property, according to evidence in his federal case. Rodis, who is in federal custody, has been barred from priestly duties and has had his pension cut off. Proceedings to formally defrock him have begun.

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