Professor accuses New York priest of plagiarism The Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio (December 27, 2000 9:23 a.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com) - An expert on the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has accused a New York priest of plagiarizing her work in his biography of the Roman Catholic televangelist. Some stores have withdrawn the book but Kathleen Riley, an assistant history professor at Ohio Dominican College, has asked for an apology and attorney's fees. She also wants the remaining books destroyed. Riley, 46, has sent a lawyer's letter to Rev. Myles P. Murphy accusing him of lifting quotations and footnotes from her doctoral dissertation to use in "The Life and Times of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen." Murphy, 42, an assistant pastor at St. Gabriel's Church in New York City, cited Riley's dissertation 11 times in his book. He agreed she deserved more credit but denied plagiarism and refused to apologize, saying the two had used the same research archive. Sheen gained immense national popularity with his 1950s broadcasts of "Life Is Worth Living." He died in 1979. The book's publisher, Alba House of the Society of St. Paul, pulled the books from some stores after receiving Riley's letter. An Alba spokesman would not comment on the recall Tuesday. The priest's book builds on research he did while working on a thesis at the University of Dayton. After Riley contacted the university, the school sanctioned Murphy, spokeswoman Pam Huber said, declining to release details because of privacy laws.
