A priest from the Diocese of Southwark has been given an official warning after he "liked" inappropriate photos on Twitter. 

By clicking the like button, the images could have appeared on the timelines of his Twitter followers. 

Rev Michael Todd claimed that he was supporting a nudist friend, and said that he believes nudism and Christianity go hand-in-hand. 

After "liking" the photos in 2019, a member of the Diocese of Southwark PR team came across the images. 

She then reported the incident to the Archdeacon at the time, Right Rev Jane Steen. She is now the Bishop of Lynn.

The incident warranted a tribunal, which was overseen by Jundge John Lodge. 

The tribunal found that the images were of a "sexually explicit" nature.
 
The judgement reads: "We did not accept, as set out above that these were simply images of naturism and consider this was post action justification, which in some ways supported the conclusion of the Tribunal that this was negligent as opposed to intentional misconduct or an act of folly on the part of the respondent." 

The tribunal decided that a rebuke was the most appropriate form of punishment. An injunction was considered but was rejected. 

It also concluded that Rev Michael Todd should not be required to undertake further training, as the incident occurred more than 2-and-a-half years ago.