AN EPISCOPALIAN priest in the United States, the Revd Hunt Priest, who founded a Christian psychedelic society, has been unfrocked, after an investigation concluded that he was using his position to endorse hallucinogenic drugs, most of which remain illegal in the US.
After a 13-month disciplinary process, the Bishop of Georgia, the Rt Revd Frank Logue, concluded that Mr Priest, who received a penalty by consent, had committed “conduct unbecoming to a member of the clergy” and “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation”.
The order states: “The Rev Hunt Priest has agreed to a sentence of Deposition. He is hereby deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority of ministry conferred upon him by ordination.”
Mr Priest became involved in the use of psychedelics after taking part in a 2016 study conducted by researchers from John Hopkins University and NYU, who had advertised for religious leaders to take part in a small study sampling psilocybin.
Four other Episcopalian priests were accepted on the trial. A report on the 2016 study was first published in May, having been delayed owing to allegations of ethical lapses by the research team, which were upheld by a review board. Of the study’s 24 participants, 96 per cent rated their psilocybin experiences as among the top five most spiritually significant of their lives.
In 2021, having said that he felt “like a new creation” after taking psilocybin, Mr Priest left his church post to set up Ligare, a Christian psychedelic society.
The Title IV investigation by the diocese of Georgia was sparked by a complaint lodged by a former intern at Ligare, the Revd Joe Welker, a pastor in the Presbyterian Church who describes himself as “whistleblower” and former “believer in the psychedelic gospel and an activist in the movement”.
He left the Society after six months over concerns that it was not upfront about the potential risks of psychedelics.
In response to the judgment given by Bishop Logue last week, Mr Welker posted online: “The issues here extend beyond just one case of clergy misconduct. This is a result of years of enabling behavior from the psychedelic movement, including by Hopkins researchers and other psychedelic leaders prioritizing their spiritual movement over public safety. I thank the diocese of Georgia for seeking justice with compassion, reaching accountability that will prevent harm to the vulnerable.”
Speaking to the Religion News Service (RNS) last week, Mr Priest maintained that neither he nor Ligare had promoted the illegal use of psychedelics and that the disciplinary case against him had highlighted Ligare’s “necessary” efforts to educate about psychedelics and religion.
In a letter to his supporters, Mr Priest says that he chose to “resign” rather than be removed from ministry. “I was given a choice by the Bishop of the diocese of Georgia to either resign my work at Ligare or return to more traditional church ministry, or resign my ordination.”
An Episcopalian priest cannot resign during a Title IV process, however. While the diocese confirmed to RNS that, before deposing Mr Priest, Bishop Logue had offered him a path to return to active ministry, this would have required Mr Priest to stop his work with Ligare, among other stipulations.
Mr Priest gave a talk, “Let’s get High! Psychedelics and God”, at last year’s Greenbelt festival.