Ever since I watched the Netflix docuseries The Keepers about a nun who was murdered in Baltimore, I've been fascinated with corrupt clergy. Smoke Screen: Fake Priest, like the title suggests, is a podcast about a man who pretends to be a Catholic priest. Father Ryan uses the life savings of nuns who've made a vow of poverty to buy artifacts and a pack of llamas(!) for his monastery. He seems to always be on the run from cops, but the members of his monastery believe that Father Ryan is the victim of an attack on religious freedom. Host Alex Schuman tracks down nuns who were a part of Father Ryan's monastery, as well as Ryan's own son, to piece together the truth of this story. At times, I felt as if I was listening to a fictional podcast because of how unbelievable it seemed, but it is, in fact, a true story.
Listen to Smoke Screen: Fake Priest now.
