The independent review into disgraced Watford reverend Mike Pilavachi MBE has corroborated reports of inappropriate close relationships, bullying, coercion, one-on-one massages and more.
Watford News has been following the story of Mr Pilavachi, founder of local charity Soul Survivor, after he was accused of using his spiritual authority to control and coerce individuals. Now, Fiona Scolding KC’s internal Church of England investigation commissioned by Soul Survivor has verified the allegations. The report involved conversations with around 70 people and collected evidence from several sources.
Published on Thursday, September 26, the report concluded that “credible and consistent” evidence confirmed that Mr Pilavachi had developed inappropriate close relationships with young men, exhibited controlling behaviour, engaged in lengthy one-on-one wrestling sessions in private with young men, gave one-on-one massages in private, and displayed poor safeguarding practices, among other reports.
The report has also found that several members were aware of Mr Pilavachi’s behaviour, and goes on to question how he had so much power and control over others. When analysing why these things happened, the report suggests that it would have been down to “the notion of spiritual celebrity and the anointed leader, the blurring of boundaries within the Soul Survivor organisations, inadequate performance management and oversight from the trustees and the Church of England, and a failure to take action when matters became known”.
Following the publishing of the report, four members of the senior team at Soul Survivor said: “To all those victims who have been deeply impacted, and continue to be, we are profoundly sorry. As trustees and leaders of Soul Survivor, we want you to know that we have heard you.
“We recognise that this has been a painful time for many in our church community. We are sorry you have been let down by these failures. We are fully committed to the ongoing process of changing the culture, restoring trust and bringing healing.”
To read the full report, response and summary, head to www.soulsurvivorwatford.co.uk/outcome
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