The Arizona Republic: Two Catholic priests have been indicted on more than a dozen charges of theft and fraud involving about $160,000 in missing funds at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Mesa.
Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley announced the indictments on Dec. 22. They named the Rev. Dennis Riccitelli, former pastor of Holy Cross, and the Rev. Blasé Meyer, a longtime Riccitelli friend who has been working as associate pastor at St. Clement of Rome in Sun City. Meyer also was a former pastor at Holy Cross.
Riccitelli resigned as pastor in December 2003 after he was confronted with the results of an internal audit conducted by the diocese. The audit was ordered by Archbishop Michael Sheehan, diocesan administrator at the time. Parishioners raised concerns earlier in 2003.
Among the allegations against Riccitelli and Meyer is their co-ownership of property that they leased to the church for use by visiting priests, and overcharges connected to that venture. Parishioners have said Riccitelli frequently was absent from the church, and frequently used visiting priests to conduct services.
