A Catholic priest has been given a suspended 20-week prison sentence for stealing approximately £200 from his church’s donation plates. Fortunato Pantisano, an Italian national who had been a priest at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Fulham, west London for ten years, was caught on CCTV footage taking the money on January 7. Pantisano appeared to plead not guilty but was convicted of the theft charge following a trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
District Judge Daniel Sternberg said the offence carried a degree of “high culpability” due to the trust and responsibility placed in the defendant by the church. The judge ordered Pantisano to pay £200 in compensation and about £800 in prosecution costs. The priest was found to have been suspended at the time of the theft and continued to plead his innocence, according to the pre-sentence report.
However, despite Pantisano’s consistent denial of guilt, Judge Sternberg stated that it is likely the former priest will no longer be able to practice as a clergyman. Although the suspended sentence sends the message that Pantisano poses no real risk to society and has a good chance of rehabilitating himself, the verdict highlights the magnitude of responsibility and high-level trust bestowed upon figures within the Church hierarchy.
Pantisano stole from the church that he had served for over a decade. He remained adamant that he did not commit the theft but will now face a suspended prison sentence, adding further to the challenges that the Catholic Church is presently trying to overcome. Despite Pantisano’s claims to the otherwise, Judge Sternberg acknowledged that the offence committed significantly breached the trust placed in clergymen.
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