SCOTLAND
Herald Scotland
A SHERIFF has been urged to give permission for the Catholic Church to evict a priest who is at the centre of a row with senior church figures.
Father Matthew Despard, 50, is involved in a long-running dispute over a book he wrote alleging a gay mafia was operating at the top of the Church.
Fr Despard was ordered to leave his home at St John Ogilvie in High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, but refused, disobeying the wishes of the Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Toal.
Bishop Toal told Fr Despard to leave the house in November 2013 but the Church later launched a legal action to evict him.
Church lawyers have now called on Sheriff Joyce Powrie to grant an order forcing Fr Despard to leave the property.
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