Advertising wider \u201cImmigration & Asylum Support Services,\u201d the charity said it hosted drop-ins at Park Avenue Baptist Church in Redcar every four weeks and a weekly service at St Joseph\u2019s Church in Hartlepool.<\/p>\n

Reacting to Mr Firth\u2019s testimony in Westminster, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Durham said: \u201cAs the Bishop of Chelmsford said to today\u2019s Select Committee, we have not seen any evidence to support the claim made by Matthew Firth that the Church of England is being used as a \u2018conveyer belt\u2019 for baptisms in order for people to gain asylum status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely proud of St Cuthbert\u2019s and the work the church does to ensure asylum seekers and refugees are welcomed and supported in Darlington. The baptism records before and during Mr Firth\u2019s time at St Cuthbert\u2019s, and the testimony of local church members, do not accord with Mr Firth\u2019s evidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe parish records show that since 2014 a maximum of 15 out of a total of 189 people baptised at St Cuthbert\u2019s may have been asylum seekers, seven of whom were baptised by Mr Firth himself. In the four years prior to Mr Firth\u2019s arrival as Priest in Charge in 2018 only six people who may have been asylum seekers were baptised.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Priest in Charge it was his responsibility to check the authenticity of candidates and it is surprising that, as he acknowledged to the committee, he did not report any sign of anything amiss at the time.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven so, it is not the Church\u2019s responsibility to assess the veracity of asylum claims, and religion or faith is not a determinative reason for asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justice First was contacted for comment.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"