EGN NEWS DESK
An impartial assessment has concluded that Soul Survivor founder Mike Pilavachi engaged in a long time of manipulative and controlling behaviour.
Fiona Scolding KC’s report spoke of an “abuse of energy” by which Pilavachi used his religious authority to govern and management younger women and men underneath him for a interval spanning over 30 years.
The months-long assessment discovered “credible and constant proof” of dangerous behaviour that included forming “inappropriately shut relationships” with younger males that had been adopted by lengthy durations of ‘ghosting’ “whereby Mr Pilavachi would appear to interrupt off all contact with a person for no obvious motive”.
Other particulars included non-public one-on-one massages to younger males who had been generally solely of their underwear.
The report reads, “These massages weren’t sought out by the younger folks, they weren’t loved, and plenty of younger folks felt deeply ashamed after them.
“They had been an abuse of energy: they concerned imposing bodily intimacy in circumstances the place the younger males felt unable to refuse, and while views differ, two younger males topic to the massages perceived them to be fulfilling a sexual outlet for Mr Pilavachi.
“Mr Pilavachi says that his behaviour was not sexual in intent – however the very circumstances described above can be broadly seen in society as a precursor to sexual intimacy, if not sexually intimate in and of itself.
“Whatever the explanations for this behaviour, it was deeply inappropriate for a person who was ready of duty over these younger folks and who held roles of religious energy.”
Furthermore, the report stated that Mr Pilavachi had engaged in non-public and “prolonged” one-on-one wrestling classes with younger males within the Nineties, 2000s and probably even the 2010s.
“This was a severe abuse of energy, as in our view its intention was to actually ‘dominate’ underneath the guise of ‘horseplay’. For many younger folks this was not one thing that they needed, welcomed or felt snug with,” it said.
The report, which was commissioned by Soul Survivor trustees, additionally cited a failure of oversight on the a part of the church management.
“We take into account that folks in positions of management within the church and trustees (though not all) knew of Mr Pilavachi’s relationships with younger males and his ‘ghosting’.
“It has not been doable for us to determine precisely who knew what and when, however we take into account that these most concerned within the church and its management would have recognized about Mr Pilavachi’s behaviours in the direction of others.
“It is probably going that some (albeit not the vast majority of the trustees or these in positions of management) additionally knew of the wrestling, no less than to some extent, and extremely seemingly {that a} very small variety of folks knew in regards to the massages – no less than properly earlier than they got here to public consideration in 2023.
“Moreover, in our view, folks ought to have recognized about these items. This is an unacceptable state of affairs and represents failures on many ranges.”
The report stated that Pilavachi’s behaviour had induced “deep psychological hurt” to victims whereas the failings of the church management had induced “an excessive amount of hurt” to the people concerned in addition to the Soul Survivor group and wider Church.
A “notion of religious superstar and the anointed chief” and insufficient oversight by church trustees and the Church of England had been cited as components within the failure to cease his behaviour.
Responding to the report, Soul Survivor leaders stated they had been “profoundly sorry” for the failings.
“This report reveals a transparent sample of Mike Pilavachi’s abusive behaviour and a tradition at Soul Survivor that didn’t determine and stop it,” they stated.
“We totally settle for the assessment’s findings and acknowledge that failings of governance and management have contributed to the numerous ache and hurt suffered by the people concerned, the Soul Survivor group and the broader Church.”
The Church of England’s lead safeguarding bishop, Joanne Grenfell, stated the report made for “stark studying”.
“In order that the Church may study all it will probably from this case and make sure that such a surprising abuse of energy, perpetrated over a few years, shouldn’t be repeated, we’ll discover what additional work must be executed, together with a selected focus in relation to the governance and scrutiny of recent worshipping communities throughout all traditions within the Church of England,” she stated.
If you or anybody you might be in touch with are affected by the publication of this report and wish to speak to somebody independently please name the Safe Spaces helpline on 0300 303 1056 or go to safespacesenglandandwales.org.uk.
Alternatively, it’s possible you’ll want to contact the diocesan safeguarding staff in your space or the National Safeguarding Team at [email protected].
