Of course this caught my attention...

I've got to believe that, like the policeman in Pirate's of Penzance, a priest man's job is not a happy one.

Since the high point of American Catholicism - the election of JFK (one of "our" very own) - it's been an arse-over-teakettle downhill tumble for the men in black. Most of the young men who entered in the glow and afterglow of Vatican II revolving-doored their way out. Fewer and fewer men went in. There were fewer and fewer parishioners in fewer and fewer pews as more and more churches closed. 

Some of what happened to the Catholic Church was modernity catching up with it - and the Church's refusal to accept the immutable fact that things change. And plenty of the decline in the last twenty years can be laid on the altar of the lid on the jar containing all that info on all those years of rampant sexual abuse and coverups.

So, I can't imagine the life of a modern priest is an especially happy one. It's always been a lonely one, with plenty of depression and alcoholism to go around, plenty of overeating and addictive behavior, but now it's lacking one of the aspects that helped make it worthwhile and sustainable: the companionship of fellow priests. There are too few of them left, and a lot of the new guys going in (from what I understand) are a bit off. And it's also lacking the deference and respect once accorded priest. That's out the door. Instead, everyone's looking at someone wearing a Roman collar and wondering whether he's one of the guys who did it or one of the guys who ignored it.

(As an aside: I'm working on a novel, The Sins Against Hope, that explores the contemporary priesthood through the eyes and experiences of a good priest who somehow stuck with it and made it to his 50th anniversary.)

Anyway, I get that it's a tough and lonely life. And I get that there's a lot of odd guys drawn to it, and a lot of weird behaviors associated with it. And some pathetic behaviors that seem inevitable, given the isolation and loneliness that riddle the life of a priest. As in the case of Pennsylvania's Father Lawrence Kozak, accused of felony theft for spending over $40K in parish funds on online gaming (and a couple of rather innocent, nerdy gifts for his goddaughter, including a chemistry set).

Police found evidence that Kozak had spent more than $214,000 between 2018 and 2022 on Apple charges, mostly on credits for cell phone video games, among them Wizard of Oz slots, Cash Frenzy slots, Mario Kart Tour, Pokemon GO, Candy Crush Friends Saga, Candy Crush Jelly Saga, Credit Sesame, and Willy Wonka Slots Vegas Casino. 

Police identified that of those charges, $43,397 were incurred on the parish credit card. (Source: The Pillar)

In his defense, most of the money came out of Kozak's own pocket, and the charges to the parish credit card were incurred when his personal card hit its limit and charges rolled over to the parish card. Before he was arrested, he had already begun making restitution. He's in therapy for his mental health. And further in his defense, he became a Candy Crush etc. addict after he was in an accident where he sustained severe brain damage and nearly lost his leg. 

But there is something very sad about developing a gaming addiction - especially, it seems to me, if the gaming you're doing is "just" gambling without the possibility of winning any money. At least if you're betting the ponies or the point spread for the Monday Night Football game, you stand the chance of

making a little dough. Two-hundred and ten thousand dollars worth of Candy Crush Jelly Saga? Huh? (On the other hand, if you lose a bundle on Candy Crush, you've paid for it and there are no leg-breakers coming after you.)

It's unlikely that Kozak will end up behind bars. And why should he? Not condoning embezzlement, but by Catholic Church scandals this is nothing much more than a hill of beans Candy Crush icons. 

These online games are, like Oreos, built to get users hooked. 

Researchers say that mobile phone games are designed to stimulate reward pathways in the brain, and can alter the perception of time. People with mental health issues, like depression or anxiety, can be especially exploited by the neurological effects of such games. 

But psychologist Lisa Strohman told NBC News that anyone can become addicted to mobile phone games.

“Mobile games like Candy Crush are particularly addictive because everything shuffles and changes and then you level up so if you have any competitive nature, you can feel successful,” Strohman told NBC News.

“The [mobile gaming] industry knows that, so they take highly engaging colors and sounds and create a classical conditioning loop that increases the dopamine rewards push,” she added.

Some media reports have documented an increasing number of players who have lost substantial amounts of money on gambling components of cell phone games, or on power-ups, upgrades, and other costly add-ons to usually free games. 

Kozak was apparently sucked in by power-ups, which give a player the temporary ability to get extra "benefits" or whatever good stuff that you wouldn't have if you were content to play the free version of the game.

Hope he's got a decent lawyer, although with his level of pathetic criming, he really doesn't need a Clarence Darrow. (Ironically, the parish he stole from is named for St. Thomas More, Henry the VIIIth's martyred lawyer.)

As noted, it's not likely that Father Kozak will end up in the hoosegow. Nor should he, as he's no doubt living in a prison in his mind and of his very own making. He's no longer running a parish - which was his job AND his vocation - and he's got to pay back the church, and his personal credit card debt. Not to mention the public humiliation. Hard enough being a priest these days...