Banned sex offender vicars are continuing to hire themselves out to conduct funeral services, a senior Church of England cleric has warned.
Families will often not know that the priest carrying out their beloved's funeral has been barred for disciplinary reasons, sexual or otherwise. But some funeral directors, even though they may be aware of the clergy's misconduct, will employ them to speed up the process of arranging services.
The Bishop of Durham, Paul Butler, told the Church of England's governing synod: "I have become aware that clergy who have been refused permission to officiate due to safeguarding offences have sometimes been permitted to officiate at funerals by external commercial funeral directors."
But he said the Church could not stop banned clergy from working as unlicenced funeral celebrants. He said he would raise the issue with MPs to ask for new regulations.
Dr Peter Rouch, the Archdeacon of Bournemouth, part of the Diocese of Winchester, said he had "good relations" with the vast majority of funeral directors but "a few" were lax.
"We have some funeral directors [who], even though advised by the police of an individual with sexual offences against children, continue to use that person for funerals," he said.
Philip Spicksley, president of the Association of Independent Celebrants, said there was no legal requirement for funeral celebrants to have a DBS (disclosure and barring service) background check.
"Any family engaging a celebrant through a funeral director should ensure they ask questions of the funeral director that the person is a member of a reputable and regulated association with proper insurance," he told the Telegraph.
The shortage of available clergy often means that unlicenced celebrants are used instead. Spicksley said in some areas up to 70 per cent of funerals were conducted by celebrants.
