California Syriac Catholic Bishop Accused of Stealing Two Hundred Thousand Dollars for Church Remodel

A civil lawsuit filed in San Diego County seeks the return of a $200,000 (£147,000) cash donation that a parishioner says was intended to help renovate Our Mother of Perpetual Help Syriac Catholic Church in El Cajon, California.

Court records show Trellis lists Hani Toma v. Yousif Abdulmasih as a civil fraud and misrepresentation case filed in San Diego County Superior Court on 2 September.

ABC 10 News reported that the complaint names Yousif Abdulmasih as the defendant and identifies him as Bishop 'Marnaba Yousif Habash.'

The allegations have not been adjudicated, and El Cajon Police told the broadcaster that officers were not involved and had found no criminal case against the bishop.

Lawsuit Alleges $200,000 Was Collected for Church Renovation

According to ABC 10 News' account of the complaint, Toma identifies himself as a member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Syriac Catholic Church and says he was approached for money to support renovation work at the parish.

Toma alleges that he agreed to give $200,000 on the understanding that the money would be used for the project and that his contribution would remain anonymous. The report says the lawsuit alleges the defendant went to Toma's workplace on 8 June and collected the donation in cash.

Toma later spoke with a priest at the church, according to the report, and alleges the priest told him the parish already had enough money to complete the renovation and that no donation had been received for the work.

The lawsuit accuses the defendant of retaining the money for personal use, ABC 10News reported. Toma is seeking the return of the $200,000 as well as additional damages.

No court has found those allegations to be true. The church declined to comment when ABC 10 News contacted it, while the broadcaster said it had been unable to reach the bishop for a response.

The report also says the lawsuit alleges the bishop subsequently went to Michigan. It does not establish that the journey was connected to the dispute. St. Toma Syriac Catholic Cathedral in Farmington Hills, Michigan, describes itself as the cathedral of the Syriac Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance in the United States.

Catholic Records Use a Different Spelling of Bishop's Name

The defendant's identification requires care because Catholic sources use a different spelling from the one cited in the news report.

ABC 10News reported that the complaint identifies Yousif Abdulmasih as Bishop 'Marnaba Yousif Habash.' Vatican records, however, identify the bishop of Our Lady of Deliverance as Barnaba Yousif Habash.

A Diocese of Lansing account also refers to 'Mor Barnaba Yousif Habash' as bishop of the Syriac Catholic diocese in the United States.

The original court filing would need to be reviewed to establish precisely how the defendant is named and described.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a Syriac Catholic parish at 1101 South Mollison Avenue in El Cajon. The Diocese of San Diego's 2026-27 directory lists the Rev. Msgr. Emad Hanna Al-Shaikh as its pastor.

The parish is part of the Syriac Catholic tradition, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with Rome.

The Southern Cross, the newspaper of the Diocese of San Diego, reported in 2023 that the local parish was part of the Syriac Catholic Diocese of Our Lady of Deliverance, whose US jurisdiction includes communities across the country.

For now, the dispute remains civil. The available reporting does not identify a ruling, settlement, or criminal charge arising from Toma's allegations. His lawsuit seeks to recover the money he says he donated for the El Cajon church renovation, while the claims against the defendant remain unproven unless and until established in court.