Priest placed on leave over ‘upsetting’ TikTok posts
Cleric posted videos making jokes about funeral songs
A PRIEST has been placed on indefinite leave after posting videos making jokes about funeral songs on social media.
In a statement to be read to parishioners in Gort, Co. Galway this weekend, Bishop Brendan Kelly refers to ‘upsetting information’ regarding 44-year-old curate Fr Michael King.
He confirms that the priest is ‘on indefinite leave from all duties’ and will be absent from the parish ‘for the foreseeable future’.
‘Hurt and let down’
‘I fully understand that you feel hurt and let down at this time,’ adds Bishop Kelly.
The move follows the publication of a number of videos by Fr King on the popular social media platform TikTok, in which he appeared topless and alluded to sex and alcohol.
The cleric appeared to be lying on a bed and not wearing a top in the video.
In another post on the TikTok platform, the curate excitedly declared that it’s ‘thirsty Thursday’ and ‘half past pub time’ before saying: ‘Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug… beer. Nice.’
Fr King laughed and lip-synced in a third video captioned ‘Me in charge of a funeral playlist’, which featured clips of songs such as Queen’s Another One Bites The Dust, the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive, and the dance hit You’ll Never See Me Again.
He also featured on a post by another TikTok user in which he told her: ‘Pineapple does not go on pizza, b*tch, and carrots do not go into cakes, okay?’
Fr King, from Renmore in Galway, was ordained in 2016 and had been a curate for the parish of Gort in the south of the county before being placed on indefinite leave due to the controversy.
Last August he was appointed as administrator of Kilbeacanty/ Peterswell parish and priest-incharge in Beagh. Prior to becoming a priest, Fr King had been employed as a barman in a number of nightclubs in Galway city. He was also an amateur actor, featuring in a number of theatre productions.
In his message to parishioners, set to be delivered this weekend, Bishop of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Brendan Kelly will say: ‘Many of you have become aware over the past few days of upsetting information concerning Fr Michael King. ‘I wish to advise you that, from Monday last, Fr King is on indefinite leave from all duties and will be absent from the parish for the foreseeable future.’
The diocese communications office had not responded to a request for additional comment at the time of going to print.
‘Absent for the foreseeable’