Priest Arrested For Allegedly Soliciting A Prostitute

wftv ^ | 08..05.2003 | AP

[RedBloodedAmerican]

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A Roman Catholic priest was arrested for soliciting a prostitute and masturbating in his car, sheriff's officials said Monday.

The Rev. Thomas Vellappallil, 40, was charged late Friday with soliciting a prostitute and committing a lewd act for offering to pay an undercover police officer $20 for oral sex, according to a report from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

Father Thomas was driving a car owned by his religious order, The Missionaries of Lasalette in Connecticut. The undercover female officer posing as a prostitute wouldn't have known he's a priest. He was not wearing his collar when he was arrested, but rather an ivory shirt and khaki slacks. And he might not have admitted it to investigators. The report lists Thomas' occupation only as "Good Shepherd Church."

He was released on $750 bond.

Vellappallil has been removed from the ministry, said Carol Brinati, spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Orlando. "He can't work as a priest in our diocese pending the outcome of the investigation," she said.

Vellappallil had served at his church, Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Orlando, for four years, Brinati said. He was an associate pastor.

"I dearly love the man. I know him fairly well. I've talked to him many, many times. He's just a very loving Christian man," says Parishioner Steve Brook. "The Lord told us anybody without failures can pick up stones and throw them at other people. But other than that, you better not try to do that stuff. That's why I won't do that. I've got my own problems and failures."

The Orlando Catholic Diocese says it's up to his religious order to decide what to do with him once his prostitution charge is resolved. One way or the other, he's charged with misdemeanors so he won't go to prison.

But the Orlando Diocese is not obligated to tell other dioceses that Father Thomas was arrested. So it's possible he'll be transferred to another Catholic church that knows nothing about all of this.

A call placed to Vellappallil at Good Shepherd was referred to the diocese.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Well, at least he was straight.

[AppyPappy]

Really. There is some hope although a man who would visit a prostitute is pretty much a loser.

Just think, if he had solocited a man, he could be a Bishop.

[Ronin]

Cold comfort, I guess, is better than none.

[y2k_free_radical]

he surely was cheap in the amount offered-is it that available ?

[Phantom Lord]

This is a big improvement.

[sushiman]

The Pope ought to let them get married ! The supposedly best and brightest of the Catholics are unable to re-produce . Not smart .

[sushiman]

What I meant by THEY was Priests , and NOT the priest and hooker ! :)

[wideawake]

And the tragedy continues. I hope our bishops are proud of themselves.

[Plutarch]

Sounds eminently qualified to be an Episcopal Bishop, but he needs to solicit a male prostitute under 22 years, encourage him to "come out", show him some pornography, and engage in "touching".

[Plutarch]

Sounds eminently qualified to be an Episcopal Bishop, but he needs to solicit a male prostitute under 22 years, encourage him to "come out", show him some pornography, and engage in "touching".

[Bluntpoint]

The fact that he may be straight may very well work against him.

Some Bishops only frown on "straight" peccidillos.

[csvset]

Sounds eminently qualified to be an Episcopal Bishop, but he needs to solicit a male prostitute under 22 years, encourage him to "come out", show him some pornography, and engage in "touching".

Sounds like the Who's Tommy...

See me... Feel me... Touch me...

[ICX]

Haha!

Why risk getting vilified over soliciting a woman for sex when you can just molest an altar boy, get protected by the church, and defended by the Left?

[Texas_Dawg]

Well, at least he was straight.

Haha. Yeah... I think that's a Biblically sound interpretation of the situation. (/sarcasm)

[alisasny]

They kicked this guy out immediately yet we still have priests defending their innocence of child abuse. Sad

[Onelifetogive]

But the Orlando Diocese is not obligated to tell other dioceses that Father Thomas was arrested. So it's possible he'll be transferred to another Catholic church that knows nothing about all of this.

That was BEFORE the internet...now Catholics can protect themselves from priests such as this. (And must protect themselves since the bureaucracy won't protect them.)

[BlackElk]

1. What he proposed to have the prostitute do is not likely to resul in reproduction unless you know something I don't.

2. If you are not a Catholic, why is it any of your business whether the Roman Catholic Church imposes a discipline of celbacy on its priests? If you are Catholic, you ought to know better.

3. Our Catholic priests are not at all necessarily our best or our brightest. They are our clergy. They are specially consecrated to God. They are not just guys who do religion for a living. They are, however, sinners and, in that sense, like the rest of us.

4. Worry about your own church, if any.

5. The Roman Catholic Church is smart enough to have been around for approximately 1,970 years and will persist until the end of the world as guranteed by its Founder.

[evets]

And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;
and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
rev 13:11

[NMFXSTC]

"Come hither, my lovely one. I shall absolve you of your sins. Alright now, for your penance, (well, you know the rest!)