Waterbury Republican-American
July 9, 2010
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2010/07/09/lifestyle/family/494209.txt
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| From left, Louis Carchi of Waterbury and his wife Anita show their support for the Rev. Kevin J. Gray who was arraigned in Waterbury Superior Court in Waterbury Tuesday. Police say Gray stole more than $1 million from his parish over the past seven years, spending the money on luxury items while falsely telling people he had cancer. Steven Valenti / Republican-American |
The Rev. Kevin Gray is either a humble servant of God or a manipulative instrument of Satan. Take your pick. The mind cannot tolerate both.
Whether Gray was a bitter, resentful fraud who duped his parishioners into thinking he was on death's door and bilked them out of a million dollars, or a pious, obliging servant of the Lord who spent hours at death beds, smoothed the process of immigration for the poor and walked the faith he eloquently preached, is a matter for the courts and, ultimately, his Maker, to decide.
Earlier this week, Gray pleaded not guilty to police charges that he stole $1.3 million from Waterbury's Sacred Heart parish and used it to finance a high-end lifestyle of male escorts, expensive hotels and fine Manhattan dining. Believe the police and this is a story so salacious it is almost a cliche.
But among the more startling revelations in this pathetic, sordid tale is the blind support of those he purportedly swindled who do not believe the allegations. His defenders — most of them parishioners of Sacred Heart — not only endorse his character but insist on his innocence. No, they say, a man who was the embodiment of compassion could not be a scoundrel, a gigolo and a thief. It's impossible. Both hearts could not have beat in the same chest.
Many of us who watched these fervent protestations were left scratching our heads. How could people who had been so roundly fleeced, react with such sheep-like fidelity?
Denial, as many say, is not just a river in Egypt.
But it is probably not the only answer to this squalid and bewildering tale.
To read the complete story see Friday's Republican-American or our electronic edition at http://republicanamerican.ct.newsmemory.com.
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