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But the judge was more heavily swayed by prosecutors, who focused on the length and depth of McAuliffe's deception. He falsified parish financial reports and shuffled money among accounts to cover his theft, court papers said.

McAuliffe never sought treatment for his betting problem, prosecutors said, though he could have through the church or private counselors. He also left his own savings untouched as he burned through the church's money.

I don't care what the religion is, church 'leaders' that steal from the money church members give to the church in the reasonable assumption that it will be used for church-related purposes deserve no excuses or special treatment. This Monsignor stole well over a half-million dollars from his church so he could gamble it away. Sorry, but I'm not sympathetic to his lawyer's claims of rehabilitation and so on. They all say that when they're caught. He got off relatively easy.