Bath, PA--A study by Villanova University professor Robert West has revealed that 85% of U.S. dioceses have reported embezzlement over the past 5 years.Bath, PA -- A study by Villanova University Villanova University (vĭl'ənō`və), at Villanova, Pa., near Philadelphia; Roman Catholic; est. 1842 as a men's school, coeducational since 1967. professor Robert West Robert West (b. 1928) is a Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and world-renowned chemist best known for his groundbreaking research in silicon chemistry, as well as for his work with oxocarbons and organolithium compounds. has revealed that 85% of U.S. dioceses have reported embezzlement embezzlement, wrongful use, for one's own selfish ends, of the property of another when that property has been legally entrusted to one. Such an act was not larceny at common law because larceny was committed only when property was acquired by a "felonious taking," i. over the past 5 years. In 11% of the dioceses surveyed at least $500,000 was stolen (a minimum dollar figure of $4.3 million). The revelations were prompted by a case in Bath where a parishioner, the town's mayor, altered collection tally sheets in order to pocket the difference. While dishonest employees and volunteers are part of the problem, Prof. West also notes that while "Bishops' conferences provide ... internal controls, they lack any enforcement mechanism," i.e. external auditors The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. . Underlying this is the fact that "in faith-based organizations ... we assume people are honest, so we don't put in the controls a business would." |
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