NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire Union Leader
By KATHRYN MARCHOCKI
New Hampshire Union Leader
MANCHESTER — Catholic clerics were surprised — but not shocked — to learn Monday that the diocese’s former top-ranking priest agreed to plead guilty to charges of stealing from the diocese, Catholic Medical Center and the estate of a fellow priest.
“The whole thing is tragic,” one diocesan priest said of the Rev. Monsignor Edward J. Arsenault III. The priest spoke on condition his name not be published.
“There was money taken from Catholic Medical Center and from the estate of Monsignor (John) Molan … His life is ruined,” the priest added.
The priest said he didn’t think the charges would affect other Catholic clerics in the Diocese of Manchester, which includes all of New Hampshire.
“I think most people will not think worse of their own parish priest,” he said.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.