In a controversial saga within the Scottish Catholic Church, Father Matthew Despard has accused church leaders of bullying him after he made startling allegations about a ‘powerful gay mafia’ running the institution.
Father Despard’s troubles began in 2013 when he published a self-penned book titled “Priesthood in Crisis,” where he claimed that influential figures within the Scottish Catholic Church were part of a clandestine gay network. Subsequently, he was suspended from his duties at St John Ogilvie’s parish in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire.
Despite a Vatican ruling in 2016 allowing his return to work on the condition of a public apology, Father Despard has staunchly refused, asserting that he stands by his claims.
Efforts to resolve the issue took a legal turn when Father Despard appealed to the Roman Rota, an internal court of the Catholic Church in Italy, where he was instructed to retract his book.
He complied, yet the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal, insists on an apology for any harm caused.
Father Despard, however, maintains his stance, alleging that Bishop Toal has ignored his pleas to return to parish duties, leaving him feeling marginalized and silenced.
He lamented to the BBC that the last decade has been emotionally taxing, suggesting that the church may be waiting for his demise to resolve the impasse.
