Fr. Peter Miqueli (Photo : Facebook)
Another scandal is hitting the Archdiocese of New York after parishioners from St. Frances de Chantal in Bronx, New York, filed a lawsuit against an alleged gay priest.
The lawsuit charges Fr. Peter Miqueli, parish priest of St. Frances, of stealing $1 million from two New York City parishes to support his alleged male sado-masochistic lover identified as bodybuilder Keith Crist. In a 36-page court filing that could puts "Fifty Shades of Grey" to shame, the lawsuit claims the priest allegedly paid his lover $1,000 per sex session, reports the New York Daily News.
Crist allegedly demands Miqueli to call him "master" and to drink his urine. They reportedly share a house in Brick, New Jersey, which the priest paid $264,000 in 2009. The money for the house and for financially supporting Crist came from a fund donated to fix the parish's pipe organ, a thrift shop and parish collection.
But it seems it went to the bodybuilder's organ as Miqueli enjoyed the "body of Crist" who was named co-defendant in the lawsuit as well as Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of the Archdiocese of New York.
They lovers also spent the parish funds on vacations in Italy and Florida, accuses the parishioners. Crist allegedly owns a new BMW parked at their New Jersey love nest.
In filing the case at a Manhattan court, the parishioners say, "This lawsuit seeks to finally put an end to this truly sinful conduct." The conduct includes sex romps in a bathtub installed at the house's backyard. In one romp, Crist injured his knees. The theft and misconduct has been going on for 10 years, according to lawyer Michael Dowd who represents two parishes.
The parishioners, who have also created a Remove Fr. Peter Miqueli as Pastor of St. Frances de Chantal Facebook page, claims that mass collections were counted by the priest in his bedroom and deposited the money in his personal account instead of the parish account at HSBC in Hauppauge.
Dowd called for Miqueli's removal, saying, "He is like a cancer and the best thing to do with cancer is to cut it out."
Among the evidence that the lawsuit presented are text and email messages between the lovers saved by Tatyana Gudin, the former girlfriend of Crist.
A panel, led by Fordham University Dean John Feerick, had investigated the financial charges. The probe led Dolan to order Miqueli to make changes in the way he governs the parish such as issuing financial statements, the appointment of two trustees and publication of the collection in the church bulletin.
The lawsuit claims Miqueli has savings of $900,000 on a monthly salary pf $2,545. The archdiocese in currently conducting a forensic audit of the parish, according to Joseph Zwiling, spokesman of Dolan.
