Ex-Church of England priest reveals requests for baptisms from groups of 'six ... trends now
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An ex-Church of England priest today revealed how baptism requests from asylum seekers 'melted away' when he demanded they begin attending services first.
The Rev Matthew Firth told MPs how groups of 'six or seven' were brought to him every 'two or three weeks' while he was a priest at St Cuthbert's in Darlington.
He said the 'sizeable cohorts' were made up of 'mainly Iranian and Syrian young male asylum seekers' during his time at St Cuthbert's between 2018 and 2020.
But Mr Firth added the numbers 'fell off a cliff' when he introduced a more 'rigorous' baptism 'process' by requesting they become involved in the church first.
The issue of asylum seekers looking to convert to Christianity was thrust into the spotlight following the chemical attack in Clapham, south London, in January.
Abdul Ezedi, the suspected attacker, came to the UK hidden in a lorry in 2016 and was turned down twice for asylum.
He then successfully appealed against the Home Office rejection by claiming he had converted to Christianity.
The Rev Matthew Firth told MPs how groups of 'six or seven' were brought to him every 'two or three weeks' while he was a priest at St Cuthbert's in Darlington
Abdul Ezedi, the suspected Clapham chemical attacker, successfully appealed against his asylum rejection by claiming he had converted to Christianity
Ezedi is believed to have been supported in his claim by someone from a Baptist church, rather than the Church of England, but the case has prompted strong debate.
Mr Firth, who left the church in 2020 and is now a vicar for the Free Church of England, gave evidence to
