A COTSWOLD vicar has been reprimanded after 'not leaving' the bathroom whilst a parishioner was in the shower and many other offences, a tribunal has found.
Henry Curran, who served at Moreton St David's Church, was found behaving inappropriately to his congregation before he took on his Cotswold role in 2021.
A Church of England tribunal found he was 'unbecoming or inappropriate' after failing to control his anger towards parishioners while he was working in Nottingham between 2007 and 2021.
This included displaying controlling behaviour, failing to maintain professional boundaries by allowing incidences of inappropriate nudity and threatening to kill himself.
He was asked by the Bishop of Gloucester to stand back from his ministry in December 2022, yet continues to live with his wife at the benefice.
The tribunal found that he 'engaged in controlling behaviour' after allowing an 'unhealthy co-dependant relationship to form'.
He also admitted to three instances of failing to control his anger between 2016 and 2019 including an incident between himself and a member of his congregation where he allegedly snapped, shouted and slammed a door following a conversation about floral arrangements.
In April 2016 Mr Curran went on holiday with his family and a member of his congregation to the Lake District.
At some point during the holiday, Mr Curran entered the bathroom, remembering that he needed to pick up an item he had previously forgotten.
Prior to entering he knocked on the door and a woman said 'come in'.
Mr Curran entered to find the member of his congregation nude in the shower but he did not leave the room, a tribunal heard.
Tribunal documents state: "Notwithstanding that it was fully consensual, Mr Curran failed to maintain appropriate boundaries between himself and the woman by permitting occasions of nudity in the home".
In 2009 Mr Curran sent a text message to the woman he previously admitted to using controlling behaviour towards that read: "Because of everything you have done I can see no other option but to kill myself. I have a ladder and a rope in the car".
The married reverend was not sacked as the tribunal said the threshold for prohibition had not been crossed.
The Church of England has however raised concerns about Mr Curran returning to St David's without pastoral support and training.
He has been ordered to complete an anger management course, complete training on ethics and professional boundaries and will also have supervision from a senior cleric for a period of two years.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Gloucester confirmed that the Revd Henry Curran resigned from his role as Priest in Charge: Moreton-in-Marsh with Batsford, Todenham, Lower Lemington and Longborough with Sezincote on January 12.
