Stealing from the collection plate, for example (9)

I believe the answer is:

sacrilege

(Other definitions for sacrilege that I've seen before include "Sinful behaviour" , "Blasphemous behaviour" , "Misuse of something sacred" , "profanity" , "Extreme disrespect for something holy" .)

I've seen this clue in The New York Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.