For midwesterners, the problem of stealing money in God’s name is a problem that’s far away. It might happen on their little rural TV sets, but the “televangelists,” as they’re called, are in glamorous studios in glamorous cities.

Until now.

Monsignor John F. Morales, former chancellor of the Gary, Ind., diocese, found out Saturday he might spend the next 21 years of his life in a jail rather than a church.

The 56-year-old Morales, who once was convicted of gambling and tax fraud, now has been found guilty of greasing his own pockets with thousands of dollars from bingo games. In addition to the possible jail sentence, Morales also stands to pay up to $1.2 million in fines.

Although it could be easy for the media to label the little scam “Morales without morals,” there is a bigger issue at hand. Others from the Catholic community in Gary say the Morales decision does not reflect on the church itself.

Unfortunately, it does. Those little church bingo games didn’t send a penny toward the Catholic church, something officials could have figured out if they would have looked. Second, the so-called “volunteer” workers were paid and were liars when it came down to talking about profits and where they went.

It’d be nice to think the church is an innocent bystander in this, but they’d be wise to admit this one bad apple.