Overview
- Bishop Emanuel Shaleta pleaded not guilty to multiple felony counts and was released on $125,000 bail with GPS monitoring, no access to church accounts, and his passport surrendered.
- Prosecutors allege roughly $270,000 is missing from monthly cash rent payments exceeding $30,000 from a tenant of the cathedral’s social hall.
- The district attorney says Shaleta concealed the shortfall by shifting money from a charity fund to the operations account after offering unverifiable explanations when discrepancies were flagged.
- Authorities arrested Shaleta on March 5 at San Diego International Airport before a flight to Germany, noting the probe began in August 2025 after a church representative submitted documents; about $10,000 in cash was found in his luggage.
- The Holy See announced the resignation on March 10 and appointed Bishop Saad Hanna Sirop as temporary administrator, with the sealed complaint expected to be unsealed at the preliminary hearing.