The world is not his refuge.
The Archdiocese of New York has stripped Father Paul Biercki of his “priestly licenses” after he was accused of misconduct, officials said.
Federal investigators say the conman, who goes by the nickname “Father Paul” and also goes by the nickname “Friar Tummy Tuck,” used at least $650,000 in fake charitable donations to fund a lavish lifestyle and plastic surgery.
Bielecki claimed to be running a clinic in war-torn Lebanon, but was actually 5,600 miles away in Manhattan. Authorities say the priest preyed on would-be donors for the past eight years, soliciting donations on local radio shows and crowdfunding websites for non-existent hospitals and ambulances in Lebanon.
Federal authorities confirmed that Bielcki has been deemed a flight risk and is currently being held in the Westchester County Jail.
Even more problematic is that he can no longer fulfill his role as a priest.
“Ordination gives you the ability to perform the duties of a priest and administer the sacraments, and by being stripped of that authority you are taking away permission to perform the duties of a priest,” said Molly Flinton, a spokeswoman for the St. Mary Province of the Capuchin Order, based in White Plains.
“He cannot hear confessions, he cannot celebrate Mass in public, he cannot perform baptisms, funerals or weddings, he cannot provide counselling or spiritual direction. At this time, he is still a priest but he cannot perform these functions,” Fullington said.
“The Province of St. Mary is working with the Provincial Superior in Rome regarding Fr Paul's status as a Capuchin friar,” the spokesman said.
Ralph Thacker, a Brooklyn community leader who helped raise thousands of dollars Participating in a fundraiser to support Christian refugees in the Middle East in Bay Ridge in 2018He highlighted the generous donations made by fellow Rotary members of the Verrazano and Salam Clubs of New York.
“We were taken away. What he did was [scamming the community] “What he said is completely false and should be exposed,” Thacker said.
“Biercki used his position as a religious to gain the trust of victims across the country and defraud them out of hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Damien Williams of the Southern District of New York, who arrested the priest on Aug. 17 on charges of wire and mail fraud.
Born in Poland, Father Bielecki joined the Franciscan Capuchin Order in Krakow in 1994, ironically taking a vow of poverty which required him to renounce material things and have no property or bank accounts.
The order provides each monk with a monthly stipend of $250 and a credit card for expenses.
He was ordained as a priest in 2001, church officials said.
Since 2011, he has been a “guest” of the Diocese of St. Mary, which covers New York and New England and is headquartered in White Plains.
