Get the stories that matter to you sent straight to your inbox with our daily newsletter. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

THE Catholic Church were yesterday accused by a priest of forcing him out his home – by changing his locks while he was on holiday.

Father Matthew Despard, 48, said he was “sickened” by the move, which came after he had previously changed the locks of the church-owned property when he was suspended in November.

He had refused to leave the home at St John Ogilvie, High Blantyre, Lanarkshire, despite being told to by interim bishop of Motherwell Joseph Toal.

It prompted the church to launch a legal bid against him to repossess the house in the name of his stand-in, Father William Nolan.

But Despard, who was alerted by his lawyer to the locks being changed while he was on holiday, says he had pledged to hand over the keys on his return from the break tomorrow.

He added: “A team broke in earlier in the week and changed the locks again. I’m seriously shocked and disgusted by this behaviour as it’s completely unnecessary.

“They also haven’t supplied me with replacement keys and I’m concerned if that continues I will be excluded from the house, which is my home.”

Last weekend, Nolan issued a notice at Mass saying that the court action was not to evict Despard but to get access to the chapel house. he said Despard’s lawyer had told the court he’d left the country.

Despard was suspended after he published a book claiming the Catholic Church in Scotland was dominated by a “powerful gay mafia”.

The Church said the locks were changed after they won a court action to allow Nolan access to an office. They added they hoped Despard would “allow the priest reasonable access to the office”.