The head of the Catholic Church in West Virginia — who was expelled over sex harassment allegations— spent millions on luxury travel and doled out lavish gifts to fellow clergy, a report said Wednesday.
Bishop Michael J. Bransfield, 75, showered $350,000 in gifts to others in the church — including some he is accused of abusing and one archbishop who was overseeing a probe into his conduct, according to The Washington Post.
“Everybody’s trying to destroy my reputation,” Bransfield told the paper when asked about the allegations. “These people are terrible to me.”
It wasn’t clear what people Bransfield was referring to.
The details of his spending were included in a confidential report about Bransfield that was drafted by 11 clerics and obtained by the paper.
“Bishop Bransfield adopted an extravagant and lavish lifestyle that was in stark contrast to the faithful he served and was for his own personal benefit,” the bishops wrote in the final report.
Read more at the New York Post