Thou shall not plagiarize: Priest accused of lifting sermons directly from the Web

priest

A Massachusetts priest busted plagiarizing his sermons directly from the Web has been suspended.

The Rev. John McGinn, 65, is accused of directly lifting his speeches from the “Dynamic Preaching” book — which is only available via an online subscription at Sermons.com.

The Episcopal clergyman also allegedly published some of the work in written form under his own name.

McGinn, who has led St. John’s Episcopal in the Cape Cod town of Sandwich since 1993, was put on administrative leave earlier this month.

His shocked congregation of 300, who meet each week in a small wood-shingled village church, were told of his fate in a letter from the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

“This is a serious breach of the pastoral relationship between John and each of you,” wrote Bishop M. Thomas Shaw.

“I am sorry that this matter has caused pain and will likely cause further pain in the parish,” he added.

Cape Cod Times reports that church elders launched an investigation last year.

They claim to have found 15 instances of where McGinn had lifted work from others and passed it off as his own.

Bishop Shaw also wrote that McGinn had confessed to his actions and that the diocese was now “working out a final agreement” with him.

McGinn now plans to retire from the role.

Read more: Daily News 

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