Parishioners at St. Frances de Chantal Church in Bronx, New York, had their prayers answered when embattled Fr. Peter Miqueli announced he quit the parish. However, he did not personally made the announcement.
Instead, Deacon George Copolla read Miqueli's statement during the 5 p.m. Saturday Mass. The announcement was met with applause since Miqueli's boy toy scandal had angered parishioners, reports The New York Post.
Because of suspicions that the priest has been using church collection and donations to finance Miqueli's gay S&M lover, bodybuilder Keith Crist, the parishioners filed a lawsuit seeking their parish priest's removal as well as an accounting of church funds. They also created a Facebook page asking for his ouster.
Some parishioners, like William Doucet, says he stopped donating cash and instead wrote checks when he learned about the sex scandal.
But while parishioners are happy with Miqueli's decision, some think the priest's move was long overdue. "He was just mean and nasty. His letter is a lie ... We reported him to the archdiocese and they said they would look into this, but they never did," complains Bronx resident Craig Burner.
They slammed his hypocrisy by showing a holier-than-thou attitude when he is allegedly living a sinful life. The New York Post reports that he spoke against gays at baptism class, shouted at parishioners lined up for Communion and used Christmas to exact revenge.
Miqueli questioned Catherine Holmes's standing as a Catholic because she was a single mother. The incident happened when her daughter Genevieve, 12, was preparing for confirmation at the St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Church. Because Genevieve missed a lot of religion education classes, Miqueli denied her the sacrament of Confirmation. The incident made the mother and daughter stop practicing their Catholic faith.
The priest is not only unpopular in Bronx but also among his relatives. Two brothers, Joseph and Richard, signed the petition calling for his ouster.