(LifeSiteNews) — Father Damian Howard, SJ, was asked to step down from his role as the University of Oxford’s senior chaplain last year after allegations of “professional misconduct,” the university and the Jesuits in Britain confirmed last week. A letter written by the priest’s anonymous alleged victim claims, however, that the priest had sexually abused him and accuses the British Jesuits of covering up the allegations.
In a January 18 statement, the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy confirmed that Fr. Howard, who previously served as the Provincial Superior of the Jesuits in Britain, had been asked to resign as the university’s senior chaplain due to allegations of “professional misconduct.” Two days later, the Jesuits in Britain issued their own statement confirming that Howard had been asked to resign in August 2025 after an investigation substantiated the allegation and adding that the priest had engaged in “inappropriate behavior.”
A few days after the announcements, Catholic journalist Damian Thompson posted a letter on X that the alleged victim had sent to Archbishop Bernard Longley of Birmingham in which he claimed he was coerced and manipulated into intimate relations by the priest. The alleged victim also charged that while his allegations were initially taken seriously by the Jesuits, they eventually downplayed and covered them up, prompting him to contact both the archdiocese and the police.
Oxford and Jesuits’ statements on Howard’s ‘professional misconduct’
“You may have seen media reports concerning the circumstances under which Father Damian Howard SJ left his role at the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy. He was asked to step down from this role on the grounds of professional misconduct, following a complaint made by a student, which was investigated by the Jesuits in Britain and found to be substantiated,” the university wrote in its statement announcing Howard’s resignation.
“We continue to take very seriously the wellbeing and welfare of students and all members of the Chaplaincy community,” the university added.
The Jesuits’ statement on Howard’s removal noted that an investigation substantiated the claims of unspecified “inappropriate behavior” that occurred.
READ: Spanish archbishop criticizes gov’t agreement requiring compensation for clerical abuse victims
“Fr Damian Howard SJ was asked to step down as Senior Chaplain at Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy in August 2025 due to professional misconduct, following a complaint that was investigated and substantiated,” the Jesuits wrote.
“The complaint was addressed immediately when it came to our attention. A safeguarding investigation confirmed that inappropriate behaviour had occurred, which we regard as entirely unacceptable,” they added. “He was asked to step down and has been out of ministry ever since.”
The Jesuits emphasized that an independent review by its Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CCSA) is also ongoing, and they have reported the “matter” to the Charity Commission and other relevant authorities.
Student’s abuse allegations
On January 22, Thompson, the associate editor of The Spectator, posted a letter that the alleged victim, an anonymous 26-year-old student at Oxford who was identified as a male by the Catholic Herald, had sent to Archbishop Longley claiming that Howard had coerced and manipulated him into “intimate physical contact,” which the Jesuits and the university had notably omitted any mention of in their statements.
“From Summer/autumn 2024, my senior Catholic chaplain- Fr. Damian Howard SJ, a former Provincial of the Jesuits in Britain- subjected me to an increasing course of manipulative and coercive behaviour, culminating in the Summer of 2025 in an escalation to intimate physical contact over a month which I did not feel able to refuse. The two most significant escalations of this contact took place when I was very drunk,” the student wrote.
READ: Vast majority of priest abuse victims in Michigan diocese were male: report
The student underscored that, at a friend’s advice, he reported what happened to the Jesuits in Britain. He emphasized that he was initially satisfied with the order’s response and pastoral care as their investigation had corroborated his claims, and Howard admitted to his version of events.
However, he later became concerned after seeing the university chaplaincy’s statement and an October email from the Jesuits.
Exclusive: Letter from alleged victim of Oxford chaplain to Archbishop Longley of Birmingham. The archbishop’s reply to follow. pic.twitter.com/7wHSysoH0O
— Damian Thompson (@holysmoke) January 22, 2026
Claims of Jesuits’ cover-up
“I received an email from the Jesuits which set out some of their reasoning for their judgment. I was concerned to read a narrative from which the history of manipulative behaviour and the extensive intimate contact was absent,” the student wrote.
“This was particularly concerning because it was presented as the product of ‘recognitions’ I had supposedly made during the course of the investigation, even though it contradicted a signed written statement I made to them in August,” he added.
In an email to LifeSiteNews, the Jesuits in Britain defended their handling of the abuse complaint, stressing that they handle every complaint with “care and diligence,” and highlighted that Howard was promptly removed from ministry.
“We take every complaint extremely seriously and respond with care and diligence. When this complaint was received, the safeguarding team of Jesuits in Britain carried out an investigation. Based on their conclusions, immediate action was taken: Fr Damian Howard SJ was asked to step down on the grounds of professional misconduct and has not been in ministry since,” they said.
“All complaints are dealt with by following a structured process designed to ensure fairness, protection and care,” the order added.
The Jesuits continued:
In this case, the safeguarding investigation included interviews with relevant parties, as well as a careful examination of documented interactions between them. This comprehensive approach ensured that the matter was considered fully.
The student further stressed in his letter that the same month he received this email, he tried to raise the issue with the university; Bishop Nicholas Hudson, who currently serves as the bishop of Plymouth; and the Archdiocese of Birmingham’s Safeguarding Office, to whom the Jesuits had apparently sent a report about their investigation.
It is not immediately clear how Bishop Hudson is involved in this case.
He also noted that the Safeguarding Office’s response allegedly revealed that a member of the Jesuits’ safeguarding office had told them that he had withdrawn his complaint, “admitted” that the conduct was consensual, that he had made the complaint simply to avoid the “awkwardness” of seeing the priest on campus again, and stated that he would deny the allegations if asked by police.
READ: Cardinal McElroy asks Vatican to laicize whistleblower priest claiming DC sex abuse cover-up
“None of this is true. I never stated any intention to withdraw my complaint, nor retracted any of the extensive oral and written testimony I provided to the Province,” he wrote.
The student continued:
The record is contradicted by my own correspondence with the Jesuits from July onwards (in which I clearly regard my complaint as extant and Damian’s conduct as abusive, and possibly criminal) and the Jesuits’ own communications (in which I was told that my allegation was substantiated and my account confirmed by Damian).
The student emphasized that in November, after learning about the false report, he reported Howard’s conduct to the police, the Jesuits’ current provincial superior, Father Peter Gallagher, and the Archdiocese’s Safeguarding Office.
“Almost two months later, I have never received any explanation of why statements have been falsely attributed to me. Nor has any attempt been made to check up on my welfare after making this discovery, which was (as you can imagine) incredibly upsetting,” he wrote.
He noted that the CSSA told him it would not investigate his claims until the Jesuits had concluded their investigation and had finished his letter, which requested a face-to-face meeting with the bishop to discuss the allegations.
The archbishop’s response
In response to the student’s letter, Archbishop Longley expressed sympathy for him but said the Jesuits have their own safeguarding team that is currently investigating the allegations and stressed that the archdiocese has no jurisdiction or responsibility to investigate his concerns. Longley also requested that any communications on the matter be paused with the archdiocese.
Archbishop Longley’s reply: https://t.co/N9E5om2RGw pic.twitter.com/CHGTSpN2l5
— Damian Thompson (@holysmoke) January 22, 2026
“I would also request that any further discussion on this with our Archdiocese is paused, pending the outcome of the CSSA case review and the outcome of your complaint made to the Jesuit Provincial,” the archbishop wrote.
Thompson noted in another X post that the Jesuits investigating the claims are already suspected of lying.
Note that Archbishop Longley asks that discussion with his archdiocese ‘be paused’ while the matter is addressed by Jesuits already suspected of lying.
— Damian Thompson (@holysmoke) January 22, 2026
The Jesuits in Britain told LifeSite that they are awaiting the recommendations of its independent review and are prepared to take further action as required. However, the order declined to comment on the specifics of the Oxford student’s claims of cover-up.
