Your turn.
Published Sunday
May 29, 2005
Archbishop urges priest in financial investigation to leave
BY CHRISTOPHER BURBACH
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss has told a priest whose handling of a south Omaha parish's money is under police investigation that he should leave the Omaha Archdiocese.
Omaha Archbishop Elden Curtiss
The Rev. Peter Stravinskas remains temporary administrator of St. Anthony Catholic Church, 32nd and S Streets. But Curtiss has reported to a gathering of archdiocesan priests that he "suggested to Father Peter (Stravinskas) that he needed to locate in another diocese," according to minutes of the gathering.
Stravinskas, a noted Catholic author and defender of the faith's traditions, is not a priest of the Omaha Archdiocese. Technically, he is a priest of the Diocese of Boise, Idaho, although he has not served there for many years.
Curtiss brought Stravinskas to Omaha from Pennsylvania. As a priest from another diocese, Stravinskas serves at the invitation of the local bishop.
Curtiss declined to be interviewed. He said through the Rev. Gregory Baxter, chancellor of the archdiocese, that he would have no comment until after the Omaha police complete their investigation.
Reached by telephone at St. Anthony's rectory, Stravinskas declined to comment on Curtiss' report to fellow clerics or the police investigation.
The St. Anthony issue came up in a May 3 meeting Curtiss had with more than 20 archdiocesan priests. Curtiss' remarks about having told Stravinskas that he needs to locate in another diocese were included in meeting minutes that have circulated in the archdiocese. The minutes did not mention when Stravinskas might leave Omaha.
The minutes also said that Curtiss told the priests, "Internal audit suggests there was poor bookkeeping but no theft."
"The archbishop thinks that this matter will be dropped," the minutes said. "There are no criminal charges filed."
Jennifer Timmins, a member of St. Anthony's parish council who launched a Web site in his defense, said she didn't know if Stravinskas will leave but hopes he doesn't.
"Do we want him to leave? Absolutely not," Timmins said. "Do we think he's innocent? Absolutely yes. Father Stravinskas does what he preaches. He teaches solid Catholic doctrine and dogma, and he also provides the example. He's a good, holy Catholic priest."
For nearly two months Omaha Police Department detectives have been investigating other parishioners' report of alleged embezzlement of parish funds. Among other things, they served three search warrants March 30 on the St. Anthony's rectory and archdiocesan offices, seizing records and a computer, and gaining access to the computer's contents.
No charge has been filed.
Police declined to comment on the investigation except to say that it remains active.
Detectives served a fourth search warrant April 27 at Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Omaha.
A judge granted police access to records of a Wells Fargo account belonging to Newman House, a priests organization headed by Stravinskas, according to Douglas County District Court records.
In applying for the earlier search warrants, police had testified under oath that records showed money from St. Anthony's accounts appeared to have been used for Stravinskas' personal expenses, including travel, mortgage loan payments and private credit card accounts.
Aciu Dieviu!