Les Cochran

Thievery Les Cochran

Is thievery the second big scandal of the Catholic Church? Get the facts. Priests were not the only ones engaged in deviant behavior, and sex abuse was not the Church's only form of criminality; thousands more priests and staff members were embezzling and stealing, giving root to the thievery scandal in the Catholic Church.

THIEVERY is a documentary based upon the collection of ninety-seven (non-sex abuse) cases uncovered through a comprehensive investigation of legal cases, newspaper stories, and articles reported from 2002 to 2018. Throughout this period, sex abuse scandals dominated comment about the Catholic Church. And rightfully so. It's estimated that priests imposed their will upon over 100,000 innocent children.

THIEVERY uses actual news stories to illustrate the types of financial mismanagement perpetrated by unethical priests and staff members. It reveals how depraved bishops covered up countless cases of theft. It demonstrates how Church officials failed to hold bishops and priests accountable. It conveys a sense of urgency for action to be taken by the Church hierarchy.

With estimates of thievery in the U. S. Catholic Church now surpassing $1.2B annually, legal costs for sexual abuse cases escalating, operational expenses growing, the number of lapsed Catholics increasing, and the percentage of contributions dwindling, THIEVERY raises the daunting question: Is the Catholic Church too big to fail?