Embezzlement Widespread at Dioceses, Study Finds

By Peter Panepento

Employees or volunteers have embezzled from many Catholic dioceses in recent years, a new study of nearly 80 Catholic dioceses has found.

The study, conducted by Villanova University in Philadelphia and paid for by the Louisville Institute, is based on data provided by 78 chief financial officers, representing about half the nation's dioceses. Among the respondents, 66 reported embezzlements from 2000 to 2005, with seven reporting that their diocese had been bilked $500,000 or