NEW ZEALAND
Christchurch Court News
By David Clarkson
A former Catholic parish priest has admitted defrauding the church of about $128,000, more than a year after he was suspended by the Bishop of Christchurch.
Father John William Fitzmaurice committed the offences while he was the parish priest at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament and at Addington’s Sacred Heart Parish.
He was suspended by Bishop Barry Jones in September 2011 and the bishop issued a pastoral letter to be read at all masses.
The bishop told parishioners: “It is now with great sadness that I inform you that I have placed the matter with the police. I took this step because of financial irregularities in areas for which (Fitzmaurice) has been responsible. The police will follow their own procedures and make their own investigations.”
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