Priest resigns as pastor after three people reportedly blackmail him

Published: 2006-04-13

WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS, Ohio (CNS) -- A Franciscan priest resigned as pastor of a parish in the Cleveland Diocese after police investigators looking into the theft of checks from the parish discovered that two women and a man had been blackmailing him. Father Thomas Carolan, a member of the Franciscans' province of Sacred Heart based in St. Louis, faces no criminal charges. He had been pastor of St. Jude Church in Warrensville Heights, a Cleveland suburb, since 1990. Cleveland Bishop Anthony M. Pilla accepted the resignation of Father Carolan, 74, March 28. (Bishop Pilla retired as head of the diocese April 4.) On March 27, the priest had reported to police that checks had been stolen from the church, Warrensville Heights Police Chief Frank Bova said. Bova said police were trying to determine if the trio was extorting money from the priest because one of the women allegedly had sex with him. It was unclear whether any money paid to the blackmailers came from the priest's own funds or from parish or Franciscan funds.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .