Former Catholic priest Rodney L. Rodis, convicted of embezzling $600,000 to $1 million from his churches, has been granted an appeal by the Virginia Court of Appeals. The court agreed to consider whether his federal mail-fraud and money-laundering convictions barred his prosecution in Louisa County Circuit Court, said his lawyer, John R. Maus.

Former Catholic priest Rodney L. Rodis, convicted of embezzling $600,000 to $1 million from his churches, has been granted an appeal by the Virginia Court of Appeals

A Louisa County judge yesterday sentenced a former Catholic priest to 13 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from two parishes where he served as pastor. Rodney L. Rodis, who also led a secret life as a married man, will serve that sentence after he completes a five-year prison term in a related federal case.