Priest sacked for touching people during baptism

A parish priest in the Diocese of Hereford has been sacked after touching two people without their consent and stripping down to his boxer shorts to conduct a “full immersion” baptism. According to the diocese Reverend Clive Roger Evans, 62, had touched the bottoms of a woman and a girl, and had “engaged in conduct unbecoming or inappropriate to the office and work of a clerk in Holy Orders”.

Reverend Evans, who was the vicar of St Peter’s Church in Bromyard and St Peter and St Paul’s Church in Stoke Lacy, told the tribunal he had been reluctant to carry out the full immersion baptism in 2017 because he was due to go on holiday with his wife.

He said that due to the urgency of the request he had agreed to help, however in a 30-page ruling, the tribunal accepted Reverend Evans’ evidence but said he still had “ample opportunity” to make sure he had the appropriate change of clothing.

The panel added there was “no extreme urgency which might conceivably be imagined to justify a state of semi-nakedness”.

The report reads: “The panel does accept that Reverend Evans felt there was an urgency to the request and that this led him to take the unusual step of acquiescing to it and stopping off en route to his holiday to perform the baptism.

“We do not, however, accept that the degree of urgency was extreme or that it was perceived as such.”

It continues: “The panel considers that underwear is intimate apparel.

“It is qualitatively different to, and has different associations from, other forms of clothing, or even of swimwear.

“As such there is a loss of dignity by stripping down to underwear in the circumstances in which it occurred which is inherently inappropriate and unbecoming.

“There was no extreme urgency which might conceivably be imagined to justify a state of semi-nakedness and public display of underwear.”

The panel removed Reverend Evans from his post and has prohibited him from exercising any of the functions of his orders for a period of six months. He has also been instructed to complete a full range of training courses in safeguarding, appropriate working and pastoral boundaries prior to any recommencement of ministry.

In sacking the priest for touching people during baptism, they also granted anonymity to those concerned in the allegations.

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