A gay man has received compensation from a Church of England parish after being subjected to an 'exorcism' intended to purge him of his homosexuality. Matthew Drapper, 37, was a volunteer at St Thomas Philadelphia, a joint Anglican-Baptist congregation in Sheffield, when the incident occurred in 2014.
Drapper was invited to an 'encounter God weekend' at the church, where he was told that 'sexual impurity' had allowed demons to enter his body. A married couple, described as 'prayer leaders', conducted the exorcism, instructing him to 'break agreements with Hollywood and the media' that led him into an ungodly lifestyle.
Drapper said he was left deeply distressed and felt so depressed and 'empty' that he considered taking his own life. He told the Times: 'Looking back it seems like something out of a horror movie – for someone to be standing over you saying they can see the demons leaving your body is quite terrifying.'
He left the church in 2016 and made a formal complaint three years later. After initially denying the claim, St Thomas Philadelphia commissioned Barnardo's to investigate. The charity's 2021 review found it was a 'supported fact' that Drapper was subjected to a prayer session that was 'a form of exorcism'.
Drapper then made a legal claim, resulting in an out-of-court settlement and a five-figure payment. The church had previously apologised, saying: 'We are saddened that one of our community was not cared for in the way we would have liked.'
