Priest who said Catholic Church suffered a ‘culture of homosexual bullying’ made to leave parish
A priest, the author of a book which alleged that the Catholic Church suffered from a “culture of homosexual bullying”, has been made to leave his parish.
Bishop Joseph Toal back in 2013 removed Father Matthew Despard from his post at St John Oglivie Church in Blantyre, which is part of the Archdiocese of Motherwell.
The church has brought a case against Father Despard for breaking canon law by writing the book ‘Priesthood in Crisis’.
He wrote the book āPriesthood in Crisisā in 2010, but he self-published it on Amazonās Kindle store in March in the wake of the resignation of Cardinal Keith OāBrien.
The book claimed that a powerful āgay mafiaā covered up a culture of sexual bullying.
Parishioners walked out of a service, voicing opposition to the removal of the priest, which was confirmed by a spokesman for Bishop Toal.
He was later reinstated after appeals, but has now been told he must vacate the parish.
Father Despard was told he had “injured the good reputation of a number of people, both lay and clergy.”
Cardinal OāBrien, 75,Ā resigned as leader of the Scottish Catholic ChurchĀ in late February 2013 following accusations by several priests of inappropriate āsexual conductā.
The allegations surfacedĀ one day afterĀ Cardinal OāBrien told the BBC that male priests within the Catholic Church should be able to marry female partners.
The cardinalās progressive stance on heterosexual matrimony ran counter to his views on LGBT equality.
A Vatican inquiry concluded in April āĀ and no further action against Cardinal OāBrien was taken.
