NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > Florida Irish priest who embezzled for Las Vegas trips wants his collar back

Florida Irish priest who embezzled for Las Vegas trips wants his collar back

Released from jail he denies mistress allegation and says he is innocent

DARA KELLY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, September 24, 2012, 7:12 AM

Updated Monday, September 24, 2012, 9:43 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

6 Comments

Frances Guinan enters court for his sentencing, in 2009, in West Palm Beach, Florida

Photo by AP

However, Guinan insists that the matter should have been dealt with by Church chiefs. It was his colleagues in the diocese of Palm Beach who alerted police after discovering just how much money was gone.

‘There was no need for it to go to court. The church could have dealt with the matter internally,’ he said.

Guinan said he would like to return to Ireland to see his family as soon as authorities have returned his Irish and US passports.

‘Yes, I would like to go home. I hear that Fr Skehan has travelled back and I would like to go as well.

'My Irish passport has expired and I want to get it renewed. It will be nice to go back home.’

He said he wanted to go back to prison to counsel inmates and spread the word of Catholicism.

‘From my time in jail, I realised that more can be done by the Catholic Church. I would like to do some sort of ministering, but if I can depends on others.’

Last page < 1 2 3

Nster.com

E-mail

6 Comments

See all comments

merefalow | Sep 25, 2012, 07:04 PM EDT

if he was innocent then the court case against him was seriously at fault,?do american courts convict innocent men?well since they circonavigated their own constitution and imprison people without trial?(where is the rights of man and innocent untill proven guilty,i would say the juries out.

Report abuse

Seanmor | Sep 25, 2012, 02:34 AM EDT

The cases of Guinan and Skehan would never have arisen if each parish had a special committe and a treasurer to handle the parish's financial affairs, in which the pastor would have a say but absolute control.

Report abuse

KatieMurphy | Sep 24, 2012, 04:47 PM EDT

WEll at elast he isnt part of the endless hidden molestation of children by the sex starved priests. I bet if he was in America they'd take him back in a second. I've read that only 1 new priest was ordained in NYC last year, and 2 in the LA Dioseces in 2010

Report abuse

CitizenWhy | Sep 24, 2012, 12:34 PM EDT

Take him back and have him embezzle money for the church's coffers. ... P.S. By the way, it is the King James Bible, authorized by that king in his capacity as the supreme Governor of the Church of England, the bible to be translated into the English by the Protestant bishops. Henry VIII not the sponsor.

Report abuse

PhlutiePhan | Sep 24, 2012, 12:19 PM EDT

He steals $8M and is charged with 100K. He then uses the 100K as a benchmark. I say clever manipulation but still say guilty as charged. By the by, the St. James version of the Bible is not accepted by Catholics. It is the Vulgate which is accepted. The St. James basically can be traced back to Henry VIII. So, the good padre is using Henry as his model in relating to women.

Report abuse

CelticQueenUSA | Sep 24, 2012, 09:34 AM EDT

I have heard of dreams but this is ridiculous!

Report abuse