AN arrangement between the Scottish and English charity regulators has been criticised after it emerged the latter would take the lead on any investigations into a church expanding in Scotland that carries out “exorcisms” for homosexuality.
Concerns were raised last month about the Forward In Faith Church International Incorporated (FFCII) expanding its presence in Scotland after being handed charity status by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) earlier this year.
The National Secular Society (NSS) said it had fears about Scottish charity law which deems “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose in its own right.
An “Apostles Update” on the FFCII website from 2017 describes the exorcism of a man possessed by a “homosexual spirit” that had “bound him for many years”.
It goes on to say he was freed during a “miracle night” in St Kitts and Nevis amid an “electric” atmosphere.
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In its explanation of why the church had been given charity status, OSCR said FFCII had met its charity test.
But it added that because the church’s main office is in England, it would be leaving any future investigations into the organisation to the Charity Commission south of the Border.
If “serious and substantial issues” were found, OSCR said it would then work with the Charity Commission to take any necessary action as per a Memorandum of Understanding the organisations hold.
In an email seen by The National, the Charity Commission made it clear it had no concerns about the church operating in the UK and said there was “no evidence” in the blog post in 2017 that “the charity was advocating a particular position on homosexuality”.
It added it had “not identified any current content or articles of concern on the charity’s website” and would not be taking any action.
Another blog entry on the FFCII website describes the “deliverance” of a 14-year-old girl in Zimbabwe who was taken nightly to "eat human flesh and drink human blood" as part of a “witchcraft” ritual.
Fraser Sutherland, CEO of Humanist Society Scotland, said he was disappointed in OSCR’s position and accused the regulator of a “failure to uphold their own priorities”.
He told The National: “It's disappointing to hear that OSCR have decided to opt out of looking into serious concerns regarding a charity on the basis of a cross-Border technicality.
"That the regulator admits it has a duty to look at activities that directly harm others but refuses to even look into concerns of gay exorcisms is in our view a failure to uphold their own priorities.
"As is too often the case it would appear that faith-based charities are given a free pass when in comes to regulatory oversight.”
Dr Alejandro Sanchez, human rights lead at the NSS, accused the Charity Commission of “wilful blindness” on the issue.
He said: “The Charity Commission has claimed celebrating the ‘miracle’ of exorcising a gay man from a ‘homosexual spirit’ is not advocating a particular position on homosexuality.
“This is wilful blindness. The idea that spiritual possession causes homosexuality is a central tenet of gay conversion therapy, which we know is harmful and doesn’t work.
“The first step in combatting religiously inspired homophobia in the third sector is acknowledging its existence. In this case, the commission appears unwilling or unable to do so.”
In a letter to Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart, the NSS highlighted a couple of other cases where churches with “sexist and misogynistic” ideology had been given charitable status in recent years.
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The pastor of Rosyth Baptist Church, which re-registered in January, gave a sermon that month in which he said “a husband is the head of his wife”, while the pastor of Moray Coast Baptist Church, which registered in 2022, said in a 2021 sermon that the “primary function” of women is “to be married, to have children, and to tend to household affairs”.
The NSS said in its letter all three charities – including FFCII – had been reported to OSCR but it had “refused to act”.
The Scottish Government said decisions about charitable status were a matter for OSCR.
OSCR explained that when a charity’s main office of operations is based in England, the Charity Commission will usually lead on investigations.
An OSCR spokesperson said: “As stated in our response to the NSS, the Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) are the lead regulator for Forward In Faith Church International Incorporated.
“Our Memorandum of Understanding with CCEW allows them to take the lead on any investigations into charities which operate in both England and Scotland. If at the end of that investigation they were to find serious and substantial issues which required regulatory action against the charity, OSCR would work with CCEW to ensure that fair and proportionate action was taken against the charity, according to the law.
“In general terms, we cannot intervene in the activities of religious charities seeking to promote their religious beliefs unless their activities have the clear and direct effect of harming others or otherwise breach the law.’
The Charity Commission said: “We have carefully considered concerns raised about Forward in Faith Church International Incorporated. Some of the concerning practices reported on relate to organisations based abroad, beyond our jurisdiction.
“We have carefully reviewed materials posted on the UK charity’s website, and have concluded that there is no role for the commission at this time. As always, we will consider any new information or evidence shared with us. In the meantime, the charity’s trustees must ensure that they run the charity in line with charity law and wider legislation.”
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