Three elderly clergymen fought off a “good gentleman” bandit who forced his way into their Brooklyn monastery.
The bandit, twice pretending to be a stranded motorist, conned one of the clergymen at the Franciscan Monastery in East New York into giving him $72 – and coffee and cookies – before attacking the three.
“It scares you,” the Rev. Francis Giedgaudas, 79, said yesterday. “You lose confidence in being good.”
But Bishop Paul Baltakis, 73, vowed to continue helping people.
“I’ll be more careful, but I’ll keep on helping. I don’t care about the money,” he said.
Baltakis said he was working in his office Monday when the thief knocked on the door, identified himself as an Englewood, N.J., man and said his car battery was dead.
Baltakis invited the man in, treated him to coffee and cookies and gave him $12.
“He’s a nice-looking man, clean-shaven, short hair, clean clothes. A good gentleman,” said Baltakis.
An hour later, the man returned, saying he needed $100 more for an alternator.
The bishop grew suspicious, but still gave the man $60.
The man returned a second time, saying he needed $20, but wouldn’t say why.
The bishop, realizing there was trouble, asked Giedgaudas and Brother Francis Maluks, 76, to come to the door.
The thug then pushed his way in as the trio wrestled with him, cops said.
The crook fled after ripping the bishop’s car and monastery keys from his pants pocket.