Catholic priest leaves diocese to join Church of England

A Catholic priest of the Diocese of Middlesbrough, UK, is leaving the Catholic Church in order to join the Church of England.

Canon Stephen Maughan, who was ordained a priest in 2005 after working as a secondary school teacher, will leave the Catholic faith to become an Anglican priest in the Diocese of York.

Canon Maughan has previously served as a parish priest, hospital chaplain, school chaplain and Religious Education teacher. Until the announcement he had been parish priest of St Charles Borromeo, just outside Hull, and both Chancellor and Judicial Vicar of the Diocese. As Judicial Vicar, Canon Maughan was responsible for the Diocesan Tribunal, much of which involved processing cases of nullity of marriage.

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Middlesbrough said:
“We can confirm that after a long period of discernment, Canon Stephen Maughan will be received into the Church of England on September 15, after which he will continue his ministry in the Diocese of York.
“We thank Canon Stephen for his years of service in our diocese and ask for prayers during this time of transition for him, his family and the communities he has served.”

The Anglican Diocese of York was not available for comment.

In line with Pope Leo XIII’s 1896 Apostolicae curae, the Catholic Church does not recognise Anglican orders as valid. The Catholic sacrament of Holy Orders, like the sacrament of Baptism, is irrevocable according to Church teaching. Whilst Canon Maughan may be laicised under the arrangement, meaning he should not exercise his priestly ministry, he will remain a priest.

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