Miriam Cates: Tory candidate was trustee of church that ‘endorsed’ conversion remedy

Conservative candidate Miriam Cates was a trustee of a church whereas it promoted so-called conversion remedy, the BBC has discovered.

An unbiased report has concluded that conversion practices – which search to alter or suppress somebody’s sexual orientation or gender id – had been “endorsed and supported” by St Thomas Philadelphia church in Sheffield between 2014 and 2019.

Mrs Cates was a member of the church between 2003 and 2018, and a trustee from 2016 to 2018. She informed the BBC she was unaware of the allegations and that she doesn’t endorse homosexual conversion remedy.

Though the BBC has not discovered any proof Mrs Cates had direct information of homosexual conversion remedy going down, the report discovered that it was brazenly mentioned and a part of the church’s tradition in the course of the time she was a member, and a few of her time as a trustee.

The Church of England’s Diocese of Sheffield requested charity Barnardo’s perform an unbiased investigation into the church after Matt Drapper, a homosexual man, complained he was the sufferer of an “exorcism” ritual there in 2014 – earlier than Mrs Cates was on the board of trustees.

The report was revealed on Monday shortly after it was leaked to the BBC

It mentioned “the tradition of the church [in 2014] was one during which the presence of evil spirits and ‘ungodly soul ties’ had been believed to be the reason for gay ideas, emotions and behavior, and prayers of ‘deliverance’ for homosexuals weren’t unusual”.

Contributors informed the report authors that whereas homosexual members of the church could be welcomed, there was a “agency perception” that these people would “ultimately perceive the must be reworked to stay in accordance with biblical revelation and orthodox church teachings”.

The authors had been additionally informed that exorcisms being carried out “had been typically spoken about by church members” and that on one event “there have been celebrations within the congregation as a result of a mum or dad stood up and spoke of an grownup of their household, who had been ‘delivered from the sin of homosexuality’”.

As a director and trustee at the charity behind the church from September 2016 to September 2018, Mrs Cates, had safeguarding duties for individuals who attended.

Mr Drapper, who first raised the allegations with the church in March 2018 and lodged his formal criticism in 2019, mentioned he had continuing trauma as a result of the incident, which occurred at a “weak” time in his life, whereas he was attempting to reconcile his sexuality together with his Christian religion.

His criticism, which Miriam Cates mentioned she was by no means made conscious of, was not formally submitted till November 2019 after she had left the church.

All features of his criticism had been upheld by the investigation staff – however their report, accomplished in February 2024, was solely revealed by the diocese after it was leaked to the BBC.

The diocese informed the BBC in a press release that it had been working “urgently” for the previous month in direction of publication, topic to “mild” redactions.

Whereas the report references the overall attitudes and tradition round gay members and the apply of “deliverance” to alter their sexual orientation, it didn’t rule on any particular person’s involvement.

A report on the church’s present behaviour discovered that “prayers, or certainly any actions, which search to alter an individual’s sexuality [are] not accepted by Church leaders right now in the way in which it could have been ten years in the past.”

The BBC has seen social media posts from Mrs Cates made in November 2012, which counsel she attended a convention hosted by a 3rd get together on the church which Mr Drapper has described as an “exorcism coaching weekend”.

Audio from the convention, which the BBC has not verified, suggests it concerned practising a prayer of repentance “for giving place to any demons … together with demons of… homosexuality… lesbianism”.

Mrs Cates denies attending an “exorcism coaching weekend”.

She mentioned she “did attend a convention on the Church in 2012, though I’ve no diary data of the time, and to the most effective of my recollection, this was an ordinary Church convention with a collection of seminars, bible teachings and worship.

“I’ve no recollection of the content material or title of any of the seminars that befell on the convention as a result of it befell properly over a decade in the past. “

Barnardo’s mentioned it was contacted by one other particular person who attended a course on the church on “internal therapeutic” and “deliverance” in 2017, throughout which a ebook was handed out to members.

It described a “hyperlink between spirit possession and homosexuality and the methods during which these spirits ought to and may very well be expelled and the way, as a consequence, homosexuals could be ‘healed’”.

The investigators additionally heard from others who mentioned that they had both “heard about or noticed ministries which sought to ‘heal’ homosexuals”.

Paperwork and screenshots seen by the BBC point out that “therapeutic” and “deliverance” programs involving sexuality and “sexual id” had been nonetheless being hosted on the church in November 2019.

Throughout her time in Parliament, Mrs Cates was a vocal opponent of makes an attempt to ban so-called conversion remedy, and the BBC understands was a part of a gaggle of MPs who lobbied Rishi Sunak to drop legislation geared toward outlawing the apply.

Mrs Cates informed the BBC: “I don’t and have by no means advocated for what’s known as “homosexual conversion remedy”.

“I’ve by no means participated in such actions, and I used to be not conscious – nor was there any manner that I may have been conscious of Mr Drapper’s allegations, which weren’t – so far as I used to be conscious – raised in the course of the time that I used to be on the management of the Church, and solely surfaced after I left.”

The Community Church Sheffield (NCS) mentioned: “We now have accepted the outcomes of the primary investigation and are saddened that 8 years in the past one among our neighborhood was not cared for in the way in which we might have appreciated. We sincerely apologised to them for this.

“While the management of the church has modified, we recognise there are important classes to be discovered and we’re decided to study them.”

The Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox, mentioned he would proceed to observe progress on an “motion plan” which NCS had put in place to ship on safeguarding enhancements really helpful by Barnardo’s.

The bishop mentioned: “We apologise unreservedly to the survivor for the misery this has induced and to anybody else equally affected by such practices previously.

“The Diocese of Sheffield believes, together with the broader Church of England, that conversion remedy is unethical, probably dangerous and has no place within the trendy world.”

“Any survivors or these with details about misconduct in church or church-related abuse should all the time be at liberty to come back ahead figuring out that they are going to be listened to in confidence.”

Penistone and Stocksbridge candidates are:

Miriam Cates – Conservative

Andy Davies – Inexperienced

Edward Dillingham – Reform UK

Rob Reiss – Liberal Democrat

Marie Tidball – Labour