Catholic priest 'caught snorting cocaine in Nazi room’

Fr Crossan has admitted to taking the drugs but denied he is a Nazi

A catholic priest has taken extended leave from priesthood after being filmed snorting a line of cocaine in a room that appears to hold Nazi memorabilia.

Father Stephen Crossan was caught on video snorting what appeared to be cocaine, BBC reported.

Responding to allegations, Father Stephen Crossan who no longer lives at the parochial house, told the paper he did take the drugs but it was “just the one night and that was it.” He added that he was not a Nazi and collected historical items from all countries.



Father Stephen Crossan also claimed that he had been on sick leave with depression when the video was taken and had since left the church.

Video footage obtained by the Sun shows Father Stephen Crossan sniffing cocaine with a rolled-up £10 note at his home, located in the grounds of St Patrick's Church, in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.

The 37-year-old seems to say the words “I shouldn’t” as he snorts a line of white powder arranged on a plate.

According to BBC, a statement from the bishop of Dromore said he was unaware of the incident. A source told the Sun the incident happened after Fr Crossan and a group of friends left a near-by party in July 2015. The source added they found Nazi memorabilia at Fr Crossan’s home, including flags, hats and an eagle with a swastika on a plinth.



“We were stunned to see the Nazi stuff. It was all over the house", they said.

At the beginning of February 2016, a statement said the priest had asked for an extended leave of absence from the priesthood.

This article originally appeared on BBC.