“If someone who has made promise of celibacy or a vow of chastity has a dating app on his or her phone, that is asking for trouble,” said Cardinal Joseph W. Vatican officials said they met with representatives from the blog in June but would not publicly respond to its reports. But officials are also deeply uncomfortable with the use of cellphone data to publicly police priests’ behavior. The reports have put church officials in an awkward position: Priests take a vow of celibacy that is in no way flexible, and the downloading or use of dating apps by clergy members is inconsistent with that vow. “When there is reporting out there that claims to expose activity like this in parishes around the country and also on Vatican grounds, that is a five-alarm fire for church officials, there is no doubt about it,” said John Gehring, the Catholic program director at Faith in Public Life, a progressive advocacy group.
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Catholic Church official convicted of the crime.The reports by the blog, The Pillar, have unnerved the leadership of the American Catholic Church and have introduced a potentially powerful new weapon into the culture war between supporters of Pope Francis and his conservative critics: cellphone data, which many users assume to be unavailable to the general public.
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McLoone originally took over at the church in 2011 after its former priest, William Lynn, was charged with covering up sexual abuse committed by other members of the clergy. Pending the outcome, Monsignor McLoone remains on administrative leave." "The Archdiocese and the parish will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the criminal matter enters its next phase. "These charges are serious and disturbing," Kenneth Gavin, chief communications officer for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, told Philadelphia Magazine this week. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia had placed McLoone on leave in 2018 after learning about a secret bank account that he was allegedly using to embezzle funds. "Father McLoone violated the trust of the members of St. "Father McLoone held a position of leadership and his parishioners trusted him to properly handle their generous donations to the church," the Chester County D.A.'s office said in a statement. He made at least 27 of these payments, according to investigators. McLoone also allegedly sent thousands of church dollars to men he met on Grindr, a dating app for gay men.Īccording to a police complaint obtained by Philadelphia Magazine, McLoone - who took an oath of celibacy as part of his priesthood - would meet other men on the app and transfer them funds through services such as Square and J-Pay. Large portions of that amount reportedly went toward vacations, dinners and a beach house in New Jersey. Prosecutors say McLoone, 56, managed to steal $98,405.50 from the church over a seven-year span between 20. Joseph's Catholic Church in Downingtown, Pa., was charged with felony theft and other related crimes, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office. A Catholic priest was arrested in Pennsylvania Wednesday for allegedly stealing almost $100,000 in church donations, money authorities say he spent on traveling and his dating life.įather Joseph McLoone, a former priest with St.