Spanish Priest at Ecce Homo Church Arrested for Fraud

UPI
December 5, 2013

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2013/12/05/Spanish-priest-at-Ecce-Homo-church-arrested-for-fraud/UPI-31111386250545/?spt=rln&or=1

Police said they arrested a Spanish priest -- from a church where a woman defaced a fresco of Jesus while trying to restore it -- on sex and fraud charges.

The Rev. Florencio Garces, 70, was one of six men arrested Friday as part of a sting called Operation Thorn Tree, TheLocal.es reported.

He was released after his arrest but was remanded in custody without bail Thursday, Spain's El Mundo newspaper said.

Garces allegedly embezzled $251,000 from the parish where he worked in Borja in the Zaragoza region.

The church in Borja made headlines last year when a parishioner took it upon herself to restore a painting of Jesus -- called Ecce Homo -- fearing it was becoming damaged by the damp atmosphere inside the church. Her attempts at fixing the fresco caused the figure to look more like a monkey than Jesus, TheLocal.es reported.