DOWNINGTOWN (PA)
CBS TV
Sept. 18, 2019
By Joe Holden
A priest accused of stealing from his own Chester County church came out of court swinging on Wednesday. Father Joseph McLoone told CBS3 that he wants his day in court.
“People who know me know who I am and that’s enough said,” McLoone said. “I’ve cooperated fully with the process from the very beginning, with the Archdiocese and legally, and I look forward to the day when the truth will come out fully.”
The former pastor of the St. Joseph Catholic Church in Downingtown is accused of diverting more than $100,000 in church donations to an alleged secret account — one detectives claim only he controlled.
Court records show among other things that McLoone deposited donations made by parishioners in memory of their deceased loved ones. It’s claimed the account was opened for the sole purpose of concealing donations for what the church calls All Souls Day.
“One of the reasons to open the account was to use it as a vehicle to take the All Souls collection because he wasn’t allowed to take it,” Detective Ben Martin said.
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