Scottish priest, suspended after writing on ‘powerful gay mafia,’ ordered to leave parish

November 29, 2016

A Scottish priest who was suspended from ministry after writing a book on homosexual influence in the Church has now been ordered to leave the parish where he was assigned.

Father Matthew Despard was suspended in November 2013 from his post at St. John Ogilvie parish in Blantyre. Bishop Joseph Toal of Motherwell said that the suspension was warranted because Father Despard had “injured the good reputation of a number of people, both lay and clergy.” The priest appealled the disciplinary action, and has remained at the parish. Now, with his canonical appeals exhausted, he is being ordered to vacate the parish.

In his book Priesthood in Crisis, which he self-published and marketed on the internet, Father Despard had complained of a “powerful gay mafia” at work within the Catholic Church in Scotland. The book appeared shortly after Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Edinburgh resigned, having admitted to homosexual misconduct, prompting speculation about the extent of homosexual influence within the clergy. Father Despard’s book was quickly withdrawn because of threatened lawsuits.

 

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Further information:

• Catholic priest at centre of gay mafia row under pressure to quit church job (Daily Record)
• Scottish priest sentenced by Church tribunal for book charging 'gay Mafia' influence (CWN 4/20/15)