Australian-born Reverend Gregory Richards, who began his tenure at a Feltham Parish in December 1976, quickly gained attention from the British press, earning the moniker “globe-trotting vicar” due to his extensive travels and community engagements. However, less than a decade later, the narrative surrounding him shifted dramatically when he became known as the “AIDS Priest” and “AIDS Chaplain.” This change stemmed from his work not just in the parish, but with young offenders at Chelmsford Prison and a gay man now with an AIDS diagnosis.

As HIV/AIDS was labelled the “gay plague,” tabloid journalists flocked to London’s gay clubs in search of scandalous stories involving the vicar. Despite their relentless pursuit, they uncovered no incriminating secrets, yet their sensational coverage incited widespread panic, leading to misconceptions among prisoners who feared they needed AIDS tests and parishioners who worried about contracting the virus from the church chalice.

We delve into the newspaper archives and soon learn much of what was reported, simply wasn’t true.

All articles and relevant documents from this episode are available on the:

XTRA Tea Blog - REV. GREGORY RICHARDS

----------------------------------------------------

Music / Instrumental by Aries Beats 'A Sin' + WEBSITE

----------------------------------------------------

Third-party media: Used under 'fair use' for the sole purpose of education, criticism and/or research relating to HIV/AIDS and the works of John Lewis, featured in this podcast. No copyright infringement intended -

• British Newspaper Archives / Newspapers