An “immature” vicar who tried to help a parishioner have a more relaxed approach to nudity has been reprimanded after he walked in on someone in the shower.
In one incident, the Reverend Henry Curran, 48, went into the bathroom to find a member of his congregation in the nude, “but did not leave”, a Church of England disciplinary tribunal has heard.
A female parishioner described having “conversations about nudity” with the priest, but insisted she was never expected to be naked in front of him.
Eight different misconduct allegations were investigated, all of which took place between 2009 and 2021 when he was working at St Mary’s Wollaton Park, Nottingham, next door to the University of Nottingham.
The tribunal found Reverend Curran had displayed coercive and controlling behaviour, an unacceptable lack of self-control and failed to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
But it decided it was not necessary to sack the married reverend, and instead ordered him to complete a course of counselling and training on ethics.
The reverend, who became an ordained priest in 2003, went on a family holiday to the Lake District in April 2016 and a member of his congregation came with them, the tribunal heard.
At some point during the holiday, Reverend Curran walked into the bathroom to get something he had forgotten.
After knocking on the door, the parishioner told him to come in.
He entered to find them exposed in the shower, “but did not leave”, the tribunal was told.
Responding to a separate allegation, the tribunal concluded that Reverend Curran “failed to maintain appropriate boundaries” between himself and a female parishioner by “permitting occasions of nudity in the home”.
In a witness statement, the woman wrote: “I remember having conversations with Henry about nudity.
“I found this very helpful because it has helped me to feel far less anxious or afraid in situations such as changing rooms.
“I was comfortable with it, and I wasn’t expected to be naked in front of him.
“It was about having a more relaxed – and less sexualised – approach to nudity e.g. if sleeping naked and going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or being relaxed about getting changed in front of someone else or brushing your teeth in the bathroom sink or getting something from the bathroom while someone else was in the shower.
“I was never pressured to go along with this, it was not expected of me.”
Investigations into separate incidents found the reverend struggled to “control his anger”, and was responsible for a catalogue of “outbursts”, the tribunal heard.
In 2018, during a church council meeting about Christmas services, Reverend Curran “became angry”, lost his temper and hit his hand on the table, the tribunal was told.
A student who was at the meeting said he was particularly affected by the outburst and “had a long cry outside” afterwards.
In September 2009, a female student and parishioner who had left the church received a text from Reverend Curran which read: “Because of everything you have done I can see no other option but to kill myself.”
The police were called, and it became clear he had driven a two-hour journey and had parked a few minutes’ walk away from where she was, the tribunal heard.
“The Reverend failed to put in place appropriate professional boundaries in his relationships with his parishioners, whether as lodgers, on holiday, at meetings or as key members of his team,” the tribunal said.
“His behaviour at meetings or in relation to expressing his views on nudity which demonstrate his failure to understand the nature of the professional relationship required between an incumbent
and parishioners.
“Partly as a consequence of his failure to maintain appropriate professional relationships, and partly his own immaturity, he was unable to control his anger.”
But after “careful consideration”, the tribunal concluded that it did not believe the “threshold for prohibition” had been crossed.
Reverend Curran was told to complete a course of counselling for anger management, as well as training on ethics and the maintenance of professional boundaries.
A senior cleric will also be appointed to oversee his current ministry – Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire – for two years.
He was asked by the Bishop of Gloucester to stand back from his ministry in December 2022 pending the outcome of the complaints.
