The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SACRISTAN
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
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More clues leading to the result SACRISTAN
- Church official has wrapped silks, brown, for chapter to wear
- Southern fellow restraining endlessly caustic church worker
- Church worker heads for chapel and really is taken by devil
- Church worker mostly succinct in Devil’s clutches
- Church worker, councillor, is in the devil's clutches
- . Criminal transactions not banned for a religious worker
- Church worker carries bag, under strain perhaps
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Church official" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case church official = sacristan.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SACRISTAN mean?
SACRISTAN noun- The person who maintains the sacristy and the sacred objects it contains.