| January 29, 2007 | Volume 82, Number 7 | |
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It comes down to trustPeople of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond are undoubtedly dismayed and saddened that a priest is being charged with embezzlement of more than $600,000 from two parishes where he served as pastor. But the fact that Father Rodney Rodis, former pastor of both St. Jude in Mineral and Immaculate Conception in Buckner, is facing these charges based on what appears to be solid evidence should not diminish the level of trust all of us need to place in our good and dedicated priests of the diocese who serve honestly and honorably. The fact that Father Rodis is a native of the Philippines should not cast doubt on the honesty and integrity of other Filipino priests of the diocese and international priests in general. It all comes down to trust. The good people of St. Jude and Immaculate Conception, both in Louisa County, had no reason not to trust Father Rodis. Indeed, he was liked by many of them. Both Bishop Emeritus Walter F. Sullivan, who originally assigned the priest to the two parishes, and Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, who retained him in that position, trusted him. The diocese delayed notifying the parishes of the embezzlement and worked quietly with the Louisa County Commonwealth Attorney because Father Rodis was not a U.S. citizen and they could not risk that he might flee to the Philippines if he knew he was under suspicion. “We could not get him back here to indict him,” Crystal Lang, diocesan controller, told parishioners Jan. 14. Some will say that the diocese should have known about the third bank account at Virginia Heartlands Bank in Fredericksburg which was opened by Father Rodis without the knowledge of the parishes and to which he diverted funds. But an auditor cannot audit an account which is not known to exist. Others wonder why the diocese did not know the priest was living in a home in Spotsylvania County instead of the rectory the two parishes provided. But how could the diocese know this if Father Rodis took steps to keep his secret life hidden? He lived among neighbors in Fredericksburg, part of the Diocese of Arlington, and never told neighbors he was a priest. Catholics in the neighborhood presumably went to church in another diocese where Father Rodis was not known. And even if Father Mark Lane, Vicar for Clergy, or another diocesan representative had asked to meet with Father Rodis at the rectory, he would have been there at the appointed time and no one would have been any the wiser that the priest lived elsewhere. Again, it comes down to trust. Unfortunately there are always schemes to beat the system. In this case, the game is up. Father Rodis will have to answer questions of the court. The diocese and parishes will seek to recover the money which was embezzled. Despite this tremendous scandal, let us continue to trust our priests and others who genuinely serve in Christ’s ministry.
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