Anthony Michael Pilla was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.
17 Facts About Anthony Pilla
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Anthony Pilla served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland in Ohio from 1979 to 1981 and as bishop of the same diocese from 1981 to 2006.
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Anthony Pilla was born on November 12,1932, in Cleveland, Ohio.
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Anthony Pilla attended Cathedral Latin High School in Cleveland for several years before the family moved to Cincinnati.
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Anthony Pilla completed his preparation for the priesthood at Saint Mary Seminary in Cleveland.
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Anthony Pilla was ordained a priest by Bishop Floyd Begin for the Diocese of Cleveland on May 23,1959.
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Anthony Pilla was consecrated by Bishop James Hickey on August 1,1979.
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Anthony Pilla was named apostolic administrator of the diocese on July 29,1980, after Hickey was named archbishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.
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Anthony Pilla was named bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland on November 13,1980, by Pope John Paul II.
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Anthony Pilla was elected president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in November, 1995, serving until 1998.
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Fifteen of them were 15 active priests, who Anthony Pilla suspended from ministry.
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In 2005,36 lay members of the diocese sued Anthony Pilla, accusing him of allowing $2 million in diocesan funds to be stolen.
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Anthony Pilla was replaced by Auxiliary Bishop Richard Lennon on the same day.
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In May 2008, Anthony Pilla testified for the prosecution in the embezzlement trial of Joseph Smith, the assistant treasurer for the Diocese of Cleveland.
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Anthony Pilla said that in 2004 he had received an anonymous letter accusing Smith of theft.
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Anthony Pilla knew that O'Connor had previously abused a child at St Joseph Parish in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
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Anthony Pilla died in Cleveland on September 21,2021, at age 88.