McHale, who is American and has been working at this parish for more than a decade, is still working at the same parish despite his eyebrow-raising comments.

"A complaint was received and has been investigated in keeping with our diocesan complaints policy. The investigation has been very recently completed and the complaint is upheld," said a spokesman for the diocese of Hexham & Newcastle.

Death erections have been seen on men who died by execution or hanging.

A 2015 article in Premier Christianity magazine even noted the "strange physiological reaction … the final shame of a crucified man."

A death erection can indicate that a death was quick and violent, according to Principles of Forensic Medicine by William A. Guy.

Death by hanging has been noted to affect the genitals of both men and women, with men showing "a more or less complete state of erection of the penis, with discharge of urine, mucus or prostatic fluid is a frequent occurrence ... present for one in three cases."

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