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ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has formally accepted the resignation of Bishop Emanuel Shaleta of the Chaldean Catholic Diocese in San Diego, California. This announcement came from the Vatican on Tuesday following the bishop’s arrest on charges of embezzlement and money laundering.
During his court appearance in California on Monday, Bishop Shaleta entered a plea of not guilty to 17 felony charges. The courtroom was filled with many of his supporters.
Authorities allege that Shaleta misappropriated $270,000 from the St. Peter Chaldean Catholic Cathedral located in El Cajon.
On March 5, Shaleta was apprehended at San Diego International Airport as he attempted to leave the country, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest followed a report from a member of Shaleta’s congregation, which included documentation pointing to possible embezzlement activities within the church.
The judge set his bail at $125,000. Prosecutor Joel Madero expressed concerns about Shaleta being a flight risk, whereas Shaleta’s lawyer argued that his travel plans were arranged in advance.
During a recent Mass, Shaleta addressed allegations against him, saying he has never “abused any penny of the church money.”
“On the contrary, I have done my best to preserve and manage the donations of the church properly,” he said at the time.
Shaleta’s lawyer, Sharon Appelbaum, said she planned to show that the allegations were false. The priests of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy of St. Peter the Apostle released a statement in solidarity with Shaleta.
Madero, the prosecutor, said the allegations against Shaleta are connected to monthly rental payments of over $30,000 from a tenant of the church’s social hall that allegedly were missing. He said there were discrepancies in church accounts. He said Shaleta “provided completely unreasonable tales of where that money was going” and could not give proof of where it went.
The Vatican said in its daily bulletin Tuesday that Leo had accepted Shaleta’s resignation under the code of canon law for Eastern Rite churches, which allows for the pope to agree if a bishop asks to step down.
Leo actually accepted the resignation when Shaleta presented it in February, but an announcement was not made until Tuesday, according to the Vatican embassy in Washington. The Holy See appears to have waited to announce the decision to avoid interfering with the police investigation.
Leo named Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop as a temporary administrator.
Shaleta, 69, was ordained a priest of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Detroit in 1984. He was named to the San Diego branch of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church in the U.S. in 2017.
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