Athens marathon priest is defrocked by Catholic Church

AN eccentric Co Kerry priest known for his daredevil stunts at international sporting events was yesterday defrocked.

Neil Horan, 57, will no longer be able to call himself Father after he was kicked out of the priesthood by the Catholic Church.

He was told of the decision at a meeting with the Archbishop of Southwark in south London yesterday.

He become famous for disrupting the men’s marathon at the Athens Olympics and dashing onto the track at Silverstone Grand Prix.

Mr Horan, who was dressed in his now customary brown kilt, Irish green waistcoat and green beret, said he was stunned by the news. “I completely reject this decision. I appeal to the much higher court of heaven and the court of Jesus Christ. I now cannot preach, I cannot give out communion - I am little more than a pagan.”

The former priest from Nunhead, south London, went on: “I feel extremely let down, I have given my life to the Church and I feel terrible about how they have handled the whole situation.

“I feel it was unchristian and uncatholic,” he said. Earlier Mr Horan arrived at the Archbishop’s house armed with press releases and a mini-tape recorder.

Before going into the meeting he performed an Irish jig and preached the importance of the bible.

As he pranced around in darkened isolated street, a passer-by watched in baffled bemusement.

Kicking his legs in the air, he displayed green satin underpants which he has worn while carrying out all his high publicity stunts.

After running on to the track at Silverstone in 2003, he was jailed for two months.

The colourful figure was cleared last October of charges of indecency against a seven-year-old girl in 1991. He had worn the same underpants when the girl and her mother had visited him at his home.

Mr Horan said he had refused to sign any papers removing him from the priesthood because he did not think his views on the Bible were wrong.

Monsignor Richard Moth, Vicar General of the Southwark diocese, in a statement, confirmed that Mr Horan had been laicised from the Church.

He said this meant the former priest could no longer carry out any ritual duties or be a priest in the diocese.