Priest, 69, who stole N19.5m from church coffer to buy his lover 4 houses, resigns

Priest, 69, who stole N19.5m from church coffer to buy his lover 4 houses, resigns

- A Catholic priest is being accused of stealing N19.5 million from Church

- The priest allegedly stole the cash to buy his lover and housekeeper house

- In his letter, the man of the cloth has urged his parishioners to ‘love one another’

- He also apologised for the distress and unrest caused by his ungodly act

A highly placed Catholic priest, who was accused of stealing N19.5 million from Church coffers after madly falling in love with his housekeeper, has resigned.

The 69-year-old Father John Reid who has reportedly served as priest for nearly 46 years tendered his resignation over the Easter weekend. He also apologised for the distress and unrest that his acts may have caused in the Church.

"I wish to express my sincere apologies for the distress and unrest my actions have caused. I accept full responsibility for the way the finances of the Parishes were used. Sorry,” Father Reid wrote to the parishioners.

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Father John Reid.

"St Paul in 1 Corinthians 1 Verse 10 asks that there be no divisions among us. This is the time to move on, draw a line and come together as the body in Christ in this area. Please love one another as the Good Lord has asked. Thank you for all those who prayed for me, had Masses, and those who wrote letters and sent cards. They were a great comfort to me. May God bless you all," the letter continued.

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It was signed as John CL Reid instead of Father Reid, an indication that the man of God may not return to his duties as priest.

“I think it is very important that Judge Prince, while sentencing Fr John, actually said, 'Those charged with financial responsibility cannot turn a blind eye to the behaviour of a priest. There can be no criticism of the people who reported this,” says Kathleen Smith, the Diocesan Chief Operating Officer.

Father Reid allegedly fell head over heels for his 55-year-old housekeeper, Gillian Leddy. He reportedly bought four houses for her and her two daughters after stealing the Church money.

The priest was consequently suspended for 18 months for fraud. He allegedly lived with Leddy as a family in the presbytery at St Cuthbert’s Church.

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