The Outrage Should Be Total & Complete: A Church in Ruins
What the F*ck is Going On? There, I Said It!
Alright, take a breath. You’re probably reeling a little from the opening sentence, but let’s be real - this moment calls for blunt honesty, and frankly, a bit of profanity. Because if we’re not swearing, are we really confronting what’s going on? If this latest scandal doesn’t make you furious, what the fck* is wrong with you?
Look, I know swearing doesn’t solve anything. But sometimes, sometimes, it’s the only way to express the sheer disgust, confusion, and anger you’re feeling. And right now, I’m looking at the Church of England - and the utterly disgraceful behaviour of its senior leaders - and I’m just done with polite words. Something is very wrong, and it’s time we stopped pretending like it’s okay.
A man who was raped by a priest as a teenager has renewed his call for the Bishop of Oxford to resign.
Matthew Ineson disclosed the abuse he suffered to the Right Reverend Dr Steven Croft in 2012 while he was Bishop of Sheffield, but an independent review, external last year found senior clergy had "failed to act".
Mr Ineson accused Dr Croft of hypocrisy after he said it was right that the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned over safeguarding failures.
Dr Croft said it was one of his "deepest regrets" that he did not do more to ensure the disclosure was followed up.
Mr Ineson, who has waived his right to anonymity, was raped and sexually assaulted in the mid 1980s when he was 16 by Reverend Trevor Devamanikkam, who was a priest at St Aidan's Church in Bradford at the time.
Nearly 30 years later, Mr Ineson said he told five senior clergy including Dr Croft about his experiences on eight separate occasions in 2012 and 2013 - but the information was never followed up.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp8nk5gvk4yo
How are we still allowing these sickening, vile abuses to happen under the watch of some of the most powerful figures in the Church of England? How are we still hearing apologies, hearing promises of “lessons learned,” hearing claims that “safeguarding policies” will be improved - while the predators and their enablers still walk free, the guilty remain untouched, and the victims continue to suffer in silence?
This latest scandal - this unrelenting, horrific spiral into institutionalised abuse - has finally gone too far. The Church is supposed to be a safe haven, a place for healing, for support, for shelter. And yet, it has become a breeding ground for some of the most vile, despicable people, all protected by a disgusting culture of silence, complicity, and outright cover-ups.
The outrage should be total. And it should be complete.
John Smyth: The Prolific Abuser Hidden by the Church
Let’s start with the monster at the centre of this mess: John Smyth. The former evangelical leader, who sexually abused dozens of boys in the 1970s and 80s, was allowed to roam free for decades because the Church of England - under the guidance of its senior leadership, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby - swept his horrific crimes under the carpet. Even after Smyth was exposed, the Church failed to act. Instead, it protected him, covering for his crimes and making excuses for his behaviour until the whole thing exploded in their faces.
Welby - who now admits that he should have reported Smyth to the police years ago - has only stepped forward after an independent review found that his failure to act was an unforgivable lapse in judgement. But is it too little, too late? Of course it is. The man who was supposed to hold the highest moral office in the land failed to protect children. And now he has the gall to offer an apology and he has reluctantly resigned, as if that somehow erases the pain and the lives ruined by his failure to act.
But here’s the real question: Why did the Church protect Smyth for so long? Why didn’t anyone - anyone - speak up sooner?
Dr. Steven Croft and Trevor Devamanikkam: Another Pair of Disgraces
Then there’s Dr. Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford, who is also complicit in this web of abuse and cover-up. In 2012, a man named Matthew Ineson came forward and disclosed that he had been raped by Reverend Trevor Devamanikkam - a priest who had worked in Bradford, and whose abuse was, incredibly, allowed to continue for decades.
Croft, at the time the Bishop of Sheffield, failed to act on Ineson’s disclosures, despite the fact that Ineson came forward multiple times with clear, desperate cries for help. Why didn’t Croft follow up? Why didn’t he take the matter seriously? Why did he allow another predator to go unchecked?
It wasn’t until Devamanikkam’s death in 2017 that any real action was taken. But the damage was done. Devamanikkam had continued his abuses even after Ineson had disclosed them. Croft - like so many before him - failed to protect the vulnerable and, in doing so, enabled the abuse to persist. Ineson’s call for Croft’s resignation is not only justified, it is essential. How many more lives must be ruined before someone in power takes responsibility?
Mike Pilavachi and the Soul Survivor Scandal: Where Is Andy Croft?
Then there’s Mike Pilavachi, the founder of the Soul Survivor youth ministry, a man whose ministry touched thousands of young people across the UK. And yet, despite multiple substantiated allegations of abuse - allegations that have been circling for years - the Church has done nothing substantial to address the culture of manipulation, coercion, and exploitation that Pilavachi cultivated within his ministry.
The continued silence of Andy Croft, Mike Pilavachi’s close associate, is also deeply concerning. As the son of Dr. Steven Croft, who is so deeply embroiled in these scandals, Andy’s refusal to speak out about what he witnessed or experienced is not just disappointing - it’s damning. How does a man stand by, watching the world burn, and fail to act? Was he complicit in the silence? Did he turn a blind eye to what was happening right in front of him? A report says yes in the case of Soul Survivor.
We deserve to know what Andy Croft experienced, what he saw, and what he did - if anything - about the abuse that was occurring under Pilavachi’s ministry. And the fact that he has stayed quiet only fuels suspicion. The lack of transparency here is maddening, and we cannot allow this dangerous culture of silence to persist.
What More Will It Take?
How many more apologies are we supposed to accept before we demand real, radical change? How many more apologies from bishops, archbishops, pastors and other clergy who have failed in their most basic duty to protect the vulnerable? How many more promises of “learning lessons” from men who should have known better long before it became a crisis?
The time for apologies is over. We are long past the stage where the Church can afford to placate us with meaningless words. The outrage should be full and total - and it should not be quieted by excuses or half-hearted measures.
Radical Solutions: What Needs to Happen Next?
Immediate Resignations and Accountability:
Dr. Steven Croft must resign as Bishop of Oxford. His failure to act on Matthew Ineson’s disclosure of abuse is unforgivable. He should never have been in a position of authority after that and nor should he ever in the future.
Mike Pilavachi and Andy Croft must be investigated again and thoroughly - and this time, it needs to be done properly. No more "reviews" funded by Soul Survivor or any other entity with a vested interest in protecting the brand or the abuser. This must be an independent review, carried out with full transparency and accountability, where those with the power to sweep things under the rug are completely sidelined.We’ve seen it time and again, haven’t we? Allegations surface, and the response is always the same: a quick "internal investigation" that leads to nothing, followed by another promise of “safeguarding improvements” or a limp apology. No more.
Independence in Safeguarding:
Safeguarding policies should no longer be controlled by the Church itself. The systems currently in place are clearly failing. We need a truly independent body that can investigate allegations without bias, with the power to compel action and bring offenders to justice.
A Ban on Church Leaders Who Fail to Act:
Any Church leader who fails to act on credible allegations of abuse should face immediate removal from their post. No more second chances for those who have enabled abuse by doing nothing. The Church’s refusal to take action must end now.
Real Support for Survivors:
Survivors like Matthew Ineson should be at the forefront of this movement for change. They should not only be supported but given a voice to shape the reforms needed within the institution. We need survivor-led investigations and real compensation for those who have been harmed.
Transparency, Transparency, Transparency:
The Church must open its doors to full public scrutiny. There should be no more cover-ups. Every person who has ever enabled abuse, from bishops to archbishops, must face the consequences of their actions. Full disclosure, full accountability.
The Time for Tolerating Silence Is Over
The silence of the Church in the face of abuse, the protection of predators over victims, and the failure of so many to step up is a disgrace that no apology can fix. This isn’t just about the past; it’s about the present and future. If the Church is to regain any shred of credibility, it must tear down the systems that have allowed these abuses to continue, and start anew.
Enough is enough.
We must demand a full and total reckoning. The only way to begin to heal is by holding these abusers and their enablers to account, by ripping the cover off the culture of silence that has enabled their behaviour, and by building a future where this will never happen again.
Let the outrage be complete. Let it be loud. Let it shake the foundations of the Church, because that is the only way we will ever begin to make this right.