Man Who Allegedly Posed As Los Angeles Priest Arrested, Accused of Defrauding Churchgoers

[mdgspencer]

He was charming and full of good humor, winning over many as he served as a priest in the Los Angeles area since the 1990s, as he moved from parish to parish, saying mass and leading prayer groups. But he wash’t a priest at all. After bilking Catholic churchgoers out of their money, he has been exposed and arrested. Only some Catholic church ladies saw through him. He said a special mass that many of them knew by heart but which he didn’t know well, and they reported him.
see www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-fake-priest-bogus-trips-pope-francis-lapd–20160202-story.html

 

[PaulfromIowa]

It is incredible that a Catholic pastor would let a supposed priest celebrate the Sacraments and sell things at his parish without checking his credentials.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Isn’t the diocese responsible for doing that? A priest can’t just walk into a church and say he needs a job. The Bishop assigns the priest to a parish so the diocese office would be responsible for checking the credentials.
I thought he was found out after he had collected money from several people to go see Pope Francis when he visited and the trip never materialized.

 

[mikekle]

Isn’t the diocese responsible for doing that? A priest can’t just walk into a church and say he needs a job. The Bishop assigns the priest to a parish so the diocese office would be responsible for checking the credentials.
I thought he was found out after he had collected money from several people to go see Pope Francis when he visited and the trip never materialized.

Ive ran into people over the years that had this gift, they were just very convincing people, Ive seen a few of these people talk their way into careers they had no business being in.(not the clergy though).

This guy probably initiated a relationship with high ranking people at the parish and people with this gift, thats all they need and they can take it from there, they probably reached a level of trust or friendship where they obviously didnt think it was necessary to check his background or credentials.