A CATHOLIC priest stunned his followers after a ‘vulgar’ Easter weekend speech that claimed Jesus had an erection when he died.
Father Thomas McHale, 53, of Our Blessed Lady Immaculate in Consett, Co Durham, appalled the audience of up to 100 people, which included children, after claiming that as a result of the shock of crucifixion blood would have rushed to Christ’s lower body.
“The church was shocked. There were young families there.” one congregation member told The Times.
A death erection, sometimes known as angel lust or rigour erectus, is an engorgement of the penis and is often found when the deceased passed away as a result of hanging or poisoning.
A representative for the diocese of Hexham & Newcastle said in a statement: “A complaint was received and has been investigated in keeping with our diocesan complaints policy. The investigation has been very recently completed and the complaint is upheld.”
Father McHale, who is from America, has reportedly accepted that his words were inappropriate and has apologised and remains working as a priest.
This isn’t the first time that a priest has been reprimanded for his sermon. In 2015 a Filipino man of the cloth was condemned not for his words but for riding the aisles on a hoverboard.
While the congregation clearly enjoyed it, not everyone saw the funny side and the priest was suspended by church authorities.