Kendall at T19 indicates that it appears that the Daily News didn't contact the bishop for the first story. Why should any of this be surprised at this? The Daily News was obviously printing a sensationalist story - who needs a bishop's comments for that? ed.
From the NY Daily News via TitusOneNine:
BY SEAN EVANS and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Friday, January 2nd 2009, 2:27 AM
An Episcopal bishop will formally ask a church committee Friday to open an investigation into club-hopping priest Gregory Malia's nightlife romps.
The Right Rev. Paul Marshall of the Diocese of Bethlehem, Pa., said he was troubled by reports of Malia dropping tens of thousands of dollars at trendy boites, in apparent violation of his vows.
Malia - who has been suspended from his priestly duties - could be permanently defrocked if the so-called standing committee rules against him.
The Jaguar-driving priest has denied doing anything improper and predicted the church committee will clear him and let him return as vicar of a small summer parish.
He insists wild spending on visits to clubs like Pink Elephant were connected to fund-raising efforts and his for-profit company - a pharmacy for hemophiliacs.
"I'm sure it'll be okay," Malia told the Daily News after an article about his extravagant jaunts led his shocked church bosses to take action.
The bishop said he was "distressed" by the reports because he expects members of the diocese to lead a humble lifestyle - and stunned because he thought Malia was more strait-laced.
"Part of the surprise of all this is that he has a very conservative view of the Bible, is opposed to all expressions of homosexuality ... and doesn't believe in the ordination of women," Marshall said.
"While I have always known him to be wealthy, he has always seemed to be the wealthy conservative."
Malia, who suffers from hemophilia, kept a low profile in the church after being ordained in 2002, church officials said.
He rarely participated in diocesan events and skipped about half the services at his parish, St. James in Dundaff, because of his illness.
In an interview earlier this week, Malia said his charitable giving is close to "hundreds of thousands" of dollars but would not provide details.
He was also vague about his business dealings in the clubs and had said in an earlier interview that his visits to the party spots were generally not business-related.
Club sources told The News that when Malia comes to the clubs, he orders magnums of the most expensive drinks, gives enormous tips and buys bottles of Dom Perignon for strangers.
"I think some of it has been exaggerated," Malia said, adding that he welcomes the church probe.
"I'm going to answer their questions."
3 comments:
There is a great deal more about this story that has gone untold. One might wonder how stories about a man that challenged and fought insurance companies for over a decade successfully suddenly appear as if out of nowhere. Why is there no mention that he Sued blue cross and blue shield repeatedly for failing to pay millions in medical bills successfully. Why is there no mention of numerous state and federal complaints filed by Fr Malia? Why is there no mention of complaints filed in state court against blure cross with specific claims of recketeering, price fixing, antitrust violations and targeting of individuals with specific health conditions in a scheme with express scripts for profit? Less than a year after these filings Blue Cross filed a law suit against Fr Malia supposedly for improper billing while in the background Blue cross and express scripts entered into a deal with the ethical factor, llc (a competing company with Malia's Company which magically opened two blocks away from Malia's business on the same street.) Together blue cross and the ethical factor filed complaints with as many law enforcement agencies as they possibly could manifesting in state investigations that lasted over 4 years with no result or finding of wrong doing. Directly after that investigation ended they again went to the state Attorney General and filed another complaint which resulted in Malia's business being raided and all of his files being seized and was broadcast nationally yet no finding of any wrong doing and not even one entitlement resulted from any investigation. Why is there no mention that many of the complaints and accusations that have been made against Fr Malia were made by those who used this negative publicity to profit financially?
While Fr Malia was filing actions against blue cross for nonperformance of the settlement agreement related to racketeering and antitrust violations, blue cross specifically targeted Fr Malia's company with express scripts to terminate his participation in national networks...but there is no mention of it. There is no mention of the dozens of employees and clients that were diverted, solicited, paid and/or offered jobs to penetrate Fr Malia's comapny and file complaints against Malia only after they solidified their positions in the competing company two blocks away.
Public documents, Facebook photos and court filing blatiently and specifically show these facts. Court documents and filing, depositions and even police reports, FBI and Security and Exchange Comission complaints echo the same. Finally, there is a court action that has been sealed by the Lucerne county court of common pleas in which the board of directors claimed to own nearly half of Fr Malia's corporation. They were granted full control of the company even though Malia was never informed of the court action, plaintiffs never showed any evidence of ownership and the court required no required bond for Malia's $100,000,000.00 corporation.
While Malia fought to regain control of his company an altercation erupted aT a local Resturant with Fr Malia's estranged daughter which Malia was accused of "brandishing a hand gun". There was no mention that this same daughter worked with the company soliciting Malia's employees and clients a few blocks away.
There in no mention that his daughter admitted she was informed prior to going to the Resturant that her father was there, that she assaulted her father in the Resturant because he "brushed against her" on his way to the rest room, no mention that his daughter then waited for 20 minutes outside within eyesight of Malia's car with nearly 20 men and again no mention that it was his daughter that jumped out of her brand new Mercedes M class and accosted Malia's assistant who was attending a business meeting with Fr Malia. No mention that this woman accompanying Fr Malia was also assaulted by Mallia's daughter.
Most troubling is that there is not even the slightest hint showing or mentioning that Fr Malia, a severe hemophiliac, was seriously injured and bleeding internally into his chest, ribs, abdomens and knee. This altercation came just days before Malia was to receive a court order returning his own company back to his control. Malia's injuries were serious enought to be life threatening and his daughter was aware that she was the only individual listed in her fathers trust as the beneficiary of all he owned.
While these and other extensively documented facts seem truly hard to believe, neatly all of what I've noted here is available publicly. New reporters sat in the court rooms and heard testimony of all of this. The records are available publicaly on the other court actions taken by Malia and against Malia. So this isn't just pointless banter, these are facts.
What is even more odd is the instantaneous reaction of Fr Malia's bishop, Paul V. Marshall. Mind you Marshall knew Malia for 16 years or more yet without so much as a conversation with his own Priest, Marshall charged to the press the same day the first GOSSIP colom article appeared. If that isn't strange enough Marshall himself states that he has only known Fr Malia to be strictly conservative, generous to the parishes he served and that he didn't even speak to Fr Malia prior to making his statement which then turned into a complete attack on his own fellow minister's character.
Marshall showed no mercy in saying that Malia was against "any form of homosexuality in any of it's expressions", the ordination of women and that malia should have funded his own soup kitchen and built schools in the sudan? Marshall claimed to "always know that he (Malia) was wealthy". What is really troubling about all of these remarks from Marshall is that this bishop was well informed that Fr Malia had spent much of the previous 3 and a half years fighting to survive life threatening internal bleeding that kept Fr Malia bedridden 90% of the time. Marshall knew the Fr Malia faithfully continued to serve the small summer mission he was sent to even when it threatened his own life.
I for one would like to see the truth come out. I don't think anyone has a right to present one sided information in this manner that places any person in a false light and suppresses information that exhonerates an individual. If Malia was out spending money I don't think that is a matter for the church or bishop to comment about publicly. Envy and jealously of others doesn't and shouldn't dictate how anyone conducts business or the kind of entertainment one should be allowed to participate in.. Episcopal priest don't take vows of poverty or moderation and I find Marshall's, an extreme left wing liberal, actions highly questionable.
I wouldn't be surprised to see this entire matter and Marshall in a federal court having to answer a great number of questions given that recent facts have been discovered directly linking Marshall to the individuals that frauduently claimed ownership of Fr Malia's company (a leading national corporation prior to the take over) and who left Malia's company with tens of millions in missing funds and drugs with no one having been held responsible. Please contact me if you desire the facts or evidence I have uncovered.
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