London parish priest avoids prison after stealing from collection baskets

A Catholic priest has avoided prison time after being convicted of stealing around £200 from the offertory collection during Mass in a London parish.

Italian-born Father Fortunato Pantisano, 44, was sentenced on 16 September after being convicted earlier this month of taking the money from the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in the Fulham area of the UK capital. He was sentenced to 20 weeks in jail, but this was suspended for two years.

The priest was accused of taking the money after the second Mass of the day on 7 January, an incident that was filmed by a parish volunteer who had noticed money missing from previous collections.

Volunteer John McGranaghan had placed two baskets in a locked office that could be accessed from the priest’s house.

“This was the collection from the parishioners for the two masses that morning. We went back to count the offertory and there were two empty baskets and the collection had gone,” he told the trial.

“Because of what had been happening in the previous weeks I decided to go back to count the money that day,” he added. CCTV footage showed Pantisano taking the baskets and returning them empty.

During the trial, Pantisano said he could not recall if he had taken any of the collection money.

‘I do not remember taking any money. If I did it was not my intention to be dishonest, it was to buy food maybe, I don’t remember. Sometimes there are emergencies like homeless needing money or charities, or the priests need to buy food,” he said.

When the Prosecutor Nathan Paine-Davey asked him if it was not credible to say he did not remember taking the money, the priest replied: “I am the parish priest and I have a right to be there. The money is given for the priests to decide what to do. I deny stealing and I have no other comment.”

Paine-Davey told the court the priest’s statements were “not credible”.

“The defendant cannot tell you why he had his hands in the baskets and took them out of view,” he said.

“The purpose of removing the baskets was to steal money out of sight of the CCTV and only today we hear this vague, rambling account of what happened,” the prosecutor continued. “You just can’t put your hand in a collection basket. That is dishonesty.”

Pantisano’s lawyer Nina Reinach said the priest was “a man of good character who has never been in trouble and that has to be counted to his credit.”

District Judge Daniel Sternberg commented that it was unlikely Pantisano would be able to practice as a priest after his conviction.

Robert Walker, the Diocese of Westminster Director of Resources, told the court there are strict rules regarding the cash collections and that individual priests cannot simply help themselves to the money.

“This has caused an incredible amount of mistrust between the church and the parishioners,” Walker said. “It only takes one person to do something wrong to ruin the reputation of the rest.”

Photo credit: Favor_of_God/iStock by Getty Images.

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