Missing priest found dead in Lancashire docks

A priest who went missing last Thursday has been found dead after police confirmed a body recovered from Preston Dock was that of Father Nicholas Clapp.

Police were called to the docks on Tuesday morning after reports that there was a body in the water outside the Ribble Pilot pub in Mariners Way.

Immediately upon arriving at the scene police cordoned off the corner close to the pub and a nearby office block as underwater teams began their search.

At about 11am the body of Father Clapp, 59, a retired priest, was found.

Father Clapp, disappeared from his home in Preston last Thursday. Det Insp Dave McKenna, of Preston CID said: "We can confirm the body found in the dock is missing priest Nicholas Clapp.

"His family have been informed."

The investigation as to the priest's whereabouts between last Thursday and Tuesday is ongoing.
News
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds
Active faith linked to happier marriages and lower divorce rates, study finds

People who regularly attend church are more likely to report happy marriages, according to a new report examining the relationship between faith and family life.

Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk
Indian churches fearing anti-conversion laws tell non-Christians: enter at your own risk

Churches in Dhamtari, a town in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh, have put up notices warning non-Christians that they enter at their own risk, weeks after a law against religious conversion came into force in the state.

£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes
£1k bursaries to help churches develop youth and community mentoring programmes

Churches across the UK are being offered bursaries to help them establish mentoring programmes aimed at supporting young people and others in their communities.

World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary
World Evangelical Alliance celebrates 180th anniversary

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has held an online celebration to mark its 180th anniversary. Hundreds of people from more than 22 countries attended, and the event was rebroadcast to accommodate different time zones.