Paul Lantom

Rev. Father Paul Lantom is a priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York in New York City who offers up moral guidance and confession to those who come to him, including Matt Murdock, whose identity as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen Lantom identified and keeps secret.

Appearance
Father Lantom is an older man in decent physical shape. He has gray hair and blue eyes, and looks good for his age. He dresses...well, he dresses like a priest.

Personality
A kind, generous, compassionate man.

Background
As a young preacher, Lantom always perceived himself to be more skeptical than others in his faith, and often debated his peers. He contended that the devil was inconsequential, as he translated the Hebrew word for Satan as an adversary, which everyone had their own, rather than the single bringer of evil.

He has traveled the world and seen many things, and eventually found himself back in New York, leading a church in Hell's Kitchen. It was a community that desperately needed good and he was determined to help however much he could.

In the decades since he found himself in the Clinton Church, he has reached out through numerous community service projects; he sponsors various recovery and rehab groups, helps with the local battered women's shelter, organizes community cleanup projects, and performs countless other duties for the neighborhood.

Over the years, he has become particularly close to young Matt Murdock, who has come to church every Sunday for the past ten years, looking for guidance and solace. In more recent months, he has come to learn that Murdock is secretly the vigilante known as the Devil of Hell's Kitchen. He keeps this secret, stitches his wounds, and continues to offer spiritual guidance to the troubled youth.

Defenders Volume 1

 * Chapter 3 - "The Devil's Due" 

Jessica Jones
Father Lantom has known Jessica for several years now, as she was active in volunteering in a few of the local community programs. She has always seemed kind, if a little lost and troubled. He can see the good in her and wants to help nurture that in any way he can.

Matt Murdock
Lantom has helped to guide and comfort young Matt Murdock since he was a child. He cares for him a great deal and while he does not agree with the boy's violent vigilante activities, he refuses to let the boy sink into darkness by himself.

Abilities

 * Medical Training
 * Social Work
 * Tailor
 * Theology & Philosophy 

Quotations

 * "My door is always open to those who need it. Anytime. No problems." 

Trivia

 * Big fan of The Beatles, and sometimes works their lyrics into his sermons.
 * While he's never watched much television, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't a fan of The Sopranos. 
 * Learned to play the guitar as a young man in an effort to impress a girl. It didn't work, but he still remembers how to do it.