Father Skehan

I am definitely not the one to be talking about a priest or anything religious. I don’t even believe in formal religion, for the most part. This is not to say that I don’t believe in good and evil and right and wrong. Basically, I believe that you get your just rewards right here on Earth.

If you recall, Father John Skehan, 81, pleaded guilty to embezzlement from the church in Delray Beach where he had been a priest and sentenced to 14 months. Grand theft is not something to be taken lightly and raiding the church’s coffers, setting up slush funds and fake records to hide his sinful act, cannot be cast aside or forgotten.

The fallen priest has developed prostate cancer. He also has diabetes and asthma. These afflictions happen to a lot of people, even priests. They happen to the elderly even more often; that is the normal outcome of the progression of age. Things happen.

Father Skehan did apologize for his actions, unlike Father Guinan who got 4 years. The Church and its parishioners have forgiven him. It just seems to me, if the victim has forgiven him, then the Court should allow him to be home, under house arrest, to serve his sentence. Locking him up in jail serves no purpose. He has already received his reward for his crime and his betrayal.