Bishop makes apology over theft

THE bishop of the American diocese from which two Irish priests allegedly stole $8.6 million (€6.8m) has apologised from the pulpit to the parishioners from which the money was stolen.

The Bishop of the Palm Beach Diocese, Gerald Barbarito, told the congregation of Vincent Ferrer church: “I’m truly, truly, truly sorry.”

“Priests are humans and they make mistakes. Some make mistakes we can certainly understand. Others not so. Sexual abuse, stealing money, we cannot understand this. Prayer is our strongest resource. The Lord is the only perfect one and we rely on his strength.”