A PRIEST was arrested after over $100,000 went missing from a church but the alleged answers were found through a PNC bank.

Father George Athanasiou was an assistant priest at the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, around 20 miles away from Pittsburgh.

Alarm bells were raised in September when church officials noticed bank checks were missing and had been deposited into an unauthorized PNC bank account.

Church leaders told the police that Athanasiou, 38, was the only member with access to a PNC ATM card.

They added that he “would not be permitted to take, sign, or deposit… checks into that PNC account… and would have no legitimate reason to withdraw sums of the church’s money from ATMs.”

North Strabane Police said they met with church leaders on November 20 to discuss the criminal complaint.

Money started to leave the church’s bank account in April 2022 and continued until November 2023, according to court documents obtained by CBS affiliate KDKA-TV.

The suspect was arrested on November 29 on 223 counts of theft by unlawful taking, forgery, bad checks, and access device usage.

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Police added that PNC Bank records, video, and evidence recovered from his apartment led to his arrest.

Investigators said that Athanasiou “admitted to stealing the money due to personal hardships,” according to KDKA-TV.

Athanasiou, who had worked at the Greek Orthodox church for nearly five years, was suspended without pay pending the investigation.

The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh described the news as “deeply distressing,” in a letter to its community.

“Fr. George is a beloved member of our families, and we must pray for him and for all those affected by this situation.”

Athanasiou has been placed on an unsecured bond of $250,000 and his next court appearance is scheduled for December 18, according to court documents.

The District Attorney for Washington County, Jason Walsh, added that the father would still be investigated, regardless of his holy job.

“Our goals in any prosecution is to make victims of crimes whole, so we work towards that goal in this case, like we do in every case,” Walsh said.