NEW YORK
New York Daily News
BY DANIEL LEWIS, ALYN ACKERMANN, REUVEN BLAU
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Parishioners had mixed reactions Sunday to the resignation of their alleged S&M-loving Bronx priest.
The Rev. Peter Miqueli’s resignation letter was read to the faithful gathered at the start of three separate morning services at St. Frances de Chantal Church Sunday morning.
“He will come back!” shouted Theresa Chirinnos after the missive was read at the 10:30 a.m. mass. The congregation applauded.
After the service, Chirinnos, 66, said that she was a trustee at the church and helped open collection envelopes every week. She said Miqueli was arrogant but blamed a lawsuit against him alleging stolen funds on a small group of parishioners with an axe to grind.
“He no gay. He never stole money,” she said.
On Thursday, members of St. Frances de Chantal and Miqueli’s former church, St. Francis Cabrini on Roosevelt Island, accused Miqueli of using the plundered reserves to help pay for a master/slave love affair with boy toy Keith Crist. …
On Sunday, Archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling admitted the church had some management problems. But he stressed that so far the claims against Miqueli have been unsubstantiated.
Zwilling said a woman in the parish says she has photos and emails that prove Miqueli was stealing money and was giving it to Crist, but after asking her multiple times to show them the documents she refused.
“We don’t have any documentation,” Zwilling said. “We don’t have any proof.”
“All we have are allegations,” he continued. “We’ve asked for documentation and we don’t have any.”
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