The Diocese of Southwark has apologised after an inter-faith peace walk included a stop at a church which is currently being investigated by the Charity Commission over abuse allegations.
The annual event in south London took in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) in Catford. The evangelical Pentecostal church was the subject of an investigation by The Guardian in 2022 over allegations that members of the congregation felt pressured into giving money and that they were told demons caused mental health issues. A BBC Panorama documentary last year highlighted concerns over the church’s treatment of vulnerable young people and alleged it failed to follow safeguarding policies.
The Peace Walk, which was held in September, was organised by the Lewisham Interfaith Forum (LIF) with the Bishop of Woolwich, Rt Rev Alastair Cutting participating. It stopped at places of worship and community initiatives, including a food bank run by UCKG.
In a statement on its website, the Diocese of Southwark said it “deeply regretted” including the stop: “This was done in good faith, out of a desire to foster unity and highlight several examples of the good work that is going on in Lewisham.
“It has become evident that UCKG’s participation in this event has caused concern among those who’ve experienced abuse in UCKG congregations. This is something we deeply regret and we’re sorry for the distress this situation has caused.”
The statement added that it had been “enormously helpful” to meet with Rachael Reign, the director of Surviving Universal UK, a support group for ex-members of UCKG. She had described the inclusion of the UCKG on the walk as causing “considerable upset, distress and confusion”.
The Diocese of Southwark statement said it was “hugely grateful to Rachael and others for having the courage to step forward and share their stories. It has been helpful to learn from this situation about the ways in which we seek to work with other faith groups and organisations – and how these align with our commitment to high standards of safeguarding and prioritising the needs of survivors.”
In response, a spokesperson for UCKG said it was “disappointed” that the Diocese had issued an apology and “the fact no one has had the courtesy of contacting us regarding the damaging allegations before making what seems a statement of fact about these in the published text.
“We will be addressing this matter directly with the Diocese of Southwark.”
A Charity Commission spokesman said: “We have an ongoing regulatory compliance case into the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God regarding potential safeguarding concerns and are engaging with the charity’s trustees.”
(Photograph shows UCKG in Finsbury, London)