Posted on 07/07/2010 3:00:39 AM PDT by Scanian
A Catholic priest stole $1.3 million from his Waterbury, Conn., parish to finance a gay old time in New York, authorities charged yesterday.
The Rev. Kevin Gray allegedly blew the money he looted from his financially struggling parish over seven years on male escorts, rooms at hotels, including the Waldorf, designer clothes, trendy restaurants and tuition for several young studs.
Gray, 64, regularly shacked up in an Upper East Side apartment that he rented for a 35-year-old man, court documents charge.
The priest not only paid for the apartment, but also the Harvard tuition for his male friend, authorities said.
Gray told that man for years he was a Catholic Charities lawyer and was suffering from colon cancer -- both of which he later admitted were lies, cops said.
He "was leading a double life," said Waterbury Police Capt. Christopher Corbett. "People are shocked by this news . . . He was a well-respected priest."
Gray was ordered held in lieu of $750,000 bond yesterday after appearing in Waterbury Superior Court. His alleged scam was exposed by a recent Hartford Archdiocese financial review of his Sacred Heart Parish, whose overwhelmingly Hispanic congregation he had led since 2003.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
And to think my ancestors were TAXED to support this institution... Can we get our money back???
The Rev. Kevin Gray allegedly blew
a most unfortunate turn of phrase....
What in the hell is with the Catholic clergy.....this is just unbelievable.
As a wayward Catholic, this is just more of the same. They have been getting away with this behavior for years. The problem to me is why does it take 7 years to realize that he took all this money? Do you think his behavior was covered up? Somebody knew what was going on and felt to intimidated to speak or was payed off. They need to hire the local fire depts. to come in and flush out these churches. MHO.
As a wayward Catholic, this is just more of the same. They have been getting away with this behavior for years. The problem to me is why does it take 7 years to realize that he took all this money? Do you think his behavior was covered up? Somebody knew what was going on and felt to intimidated to speak or was payed off. They need to hire the local fire depts. to come in and flush out these churches. MHO.
You wrote:
“Can we get our money back???”
Sure and we’ll send you a bill for living in Western Civiliation (a Catholc thing), for literacy (Catholics established schools in the West), for medical care (hospitals are a Cathlolic invention), any enjoyment you ever had for Western art or music, etc.
The Catlick church has got to clean house on its homo Priests. I attended for 8 yrs and it has become a liberal institution.
Pray for America
As written the posters concern was that her ancestors were taxed to support Harvard. When did the Catholics found Harvard?
Sorry, but I think the “institution” in question was the Catholic Church. Who was ever taxed to support the private university of Harvard? No one as far as I know. I think the comment was about how annoyed the poster was about a gay priest stealing parishoner money to send a gay lover to a liberal university like Harvard.
Tax-supported state churches are, of course, a major reason why secularism and anti-clericalism have a bigger hold on Europeans than on Americans.
Bump for reference.
It really is a shame - I've been acquainted with Fr. Gray for a while, and he does seem to be a nice person.
Here's some links to other stories with more info:
Waterbury Republican-American: Popular ex-pastor charged with stealing from parish
Hartford Courant: Police: Priest Used Parish Money For Hotels, Male Escorts
New Haven Register: Priest accused in theft of $1.3M
And here's a copy of the Waterbury Police Department's Arrest Warrant application, which has much more detail than any of the stories combined:
Arrest Warrant Application
You left out the Inquisition, the fact that The USA was founded on Catholic not Protestant or Biblical values and those festive fun days like the The St. Bartholomew's Day massacre.
Actually, our nation was founded on the principles of the Anglo-Scottish Enlightenment. Many of our founders (Adams and Jefferson, amongst others) were not fans of the Catholic Church, largely because they wanted to avoid Clerical intrigue and the influence of a powerful clergy on the populace.
You wrote:
“You left out the Inquisition,”
No, it just didn’t apply. Most inquisitorial tribunals were self-supporting or government run so they were not financally supported by the faithful through the Church.
“the fact that The USA was founded on Catholic not Protestant or Biblical values”
I know the USA was founded on many Catholic principles but had no idea if the poster was American so it seemed irrelevant.
“and those festive fun days like the The St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre.”
Since the St. Bart’s massacre was a government sponsored and encouraged event it doesnt apply.
Anything else?
You wrote:
“Actually, our nation was founded on the principles of the Anglo-Scottish Enlightenment. Many of our founders (Adams and Jefferson, amongst others) were not fans of the Catholic Church, largely because they wanted to avoid Clerical intrigue and the influence of a powerful clergy on the populace.”
In reality many of the founders were seriously indebted to Hooker. Hooker was indebted to Aquinas. Thus, without even knowing it, many of the Founding Fathers were using Catholic principles without ever knowing it.
All of Western Thought, even that which we today consider post-religious, has been influenced by its Christian/Catholic predecessors, which were in turn (thanks to Augustine) influenced by classical (ie pagan) thought. No philosophy exists in a vacuum.
Hooker? More info please.
People are being abused....what this man did to his congregation is “spiritual rape” for the pleasures he indulged himself with.. in a lifestyle diametrically opposed to God's clear word. He needs to be prosecuted and jailed for his crimes........
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