A FORMER Rossendale curate who moved in with a married parishioner -- while her husband is still living there -- today blamed the church for his unusual living arrangements.

Until just over a year ago the Rev Eric Lomax was curate at the joint benefice of St Mary's and All Saints, Goodshaw, and St John's Crawshawbooth. His parishioners were shocked when news of the affair broke in April.

Mr Lomax, 37, then vicar of Copmanthorpe in the York Diocese, quit his parish after he began a relationship with parishioner Liz Carter.

He said today he had no choice but to live part-time at her home -- while her husband Tony still spends some time there -- after the church had taken away his home and told him to go.

He had kept silent over his relationship but after a Sunday newspaper exposed lurid details of their affair -- which he denies, Mr Lomax agreed to talk.

He said: "How can I go anywhere with no home, no money and no job?" He suggested that the Church needed to learn about forgiveness and accepting reality.

He appealed for people to leave him and his loved ones alone, saying the past few weeks had been a "nightmare" as he had been dogged by stories about his private life and as his children, and his partner's children, had been bullied.

Mr Lomax said the Church Of England's reaction when he told them about his relationship was the main reason behind his living arrangements.

He said: "I have got no choice. The church took my home away, offered me no alternative and told me to go.

"It is a complex situation. When this happens people can move houses. Here, we only have one house between three of us.

"Sometimes I am not there and he is hardly there. People say it is some sort of threesome but that does not exist. I barely see him. I am looking for alternative accommodation -- I do not like this situation."