FORGIVENESS & FULL DISCLOSURE
Rico Tice has an enduring place in my heart for tenderly leading me to Christ while he was a student minister in 1990. His example and friendship were instrumental in setting the direction of my life in the years to follow. I will always be grateful for this. I’m also thankful for the way he has, on occasion, tried to distance himself from toxic elements in the subculture and consistently held out the gospel with clarity, humility and grace.
John Smyth was enabled to abuse for so long primarily because complicit tribalism suppressed a truth that would set people free. There remains a parallel danger that tribalism will prevent those who ”knew something” about Smyth’s abuse facing adequate scrutiny about their knowledge and actions. It would be all too easy, especially when there is an understandable outcry for resignations from bishops who knew more and did far less, for conservative evangelicals like myself to fear a ‘witch hunt’ and give our friends an easy ride.
Notwithstanding significant issues with ’trolls and lunatics’, social media has been a phenomenal resource in both allowing victims to come together in a supportive way and equipping them to bring the deeds of darkness into the light. While there remains a risk of trial by media, a lot of the work of exposing the John Smyth scandal has been done by Channel 4 news reports as well as victims and advocates posting on Twitter (now known as X).
In the absence of: adequate resignations in response to the Makin report; the undertaking of independent reports from Zimbabwe and South Africa; a transparent process of triangulation; and qualified leadership emerging to drive effective cultural change, I wish to post this blog via social media - without prejudice - in order to illustrate the nature of the reflection and level of scrutiny I believe is required to steer us onto solid ground.
In his recent statement, Rico notes that the Makin report only refers to him reporting Smyth’s abuse to the Church of England once, when he was interviewed for ordination in 1991.
Rico adds that earlier, as a twenty year old university student in 1987, he was both made aware of Smyth’s beatings of people from Iwerne camps and that he quickly recognised it as being profoundly wrong. He says he made his concerns known soon afterwards to people in the Iwerne camp hierarchy, on more than one occasion, but without naming names.
Rico is also eager to stress he reported what he knew to the Church of England again at a later date, in 2017, after the Channel 4 documentary.
Lastly, Rico acknowledges the need for the safeguarding investigation now underway and offers his thoughts and prayers for the victims.
Whilst the statement begins by announcing its intention as victim-focused and establishing the truth, it fails on a number of counts:
If victims have ‘a right to the truth about what happened’, it’s not clear why these senior Iwerne names are neither mentioned in the statement, nor in the Makin report. We (especially victims) need to know which leaders thought it better ‘for the sake of the gospel’ to overlook sadistic brutality than to report it as the crime it was internally known to be.
It stops short of condemning the cover up by Iwerne, despite Rico admitting privately that he was briefed by them not to disclose to the Church authorities in 1991.
It stops short of condemning the apparent cover up by the Church of England pre-2012.
It fails to clarify the role of his recently retired boss, Hugh Palmer, and Richard Bewes before him, in the Smyth scandal. If they never talked about Smyth, Rico should say that; but if they did communicate about Smyth, now is the time to reveal what was said. The same would be true of wider conversations.
Most strikingly, both the Makin report (scope?) and Rico’s statement omit to mention that he checked on the wellbeing of British students returning from a gap year with Smyth in Zimbabwe around the 1990 mark and discovered that beatings were still taking place. There was widespread failure to take any action to safeguard those in Africa. Guide Nyachuru, died in suspicious circumstances at one of Smyth's camps in Zimbabwe in 1992.
Rico’s relative youth, lack of power, unusual advocacy and proactive activity are especially noteworthy in these episodes. However, his enduring sympathy for the suffering of victims needs to be matched with lament over his role in institutions which systematically covered up and prolonged such abuse and, in hindsight, deep regret at not attempting even more to help. When we maximise all that we can apologise for, then that opens the door to forgiveness and trust.
Don’t mishear me. It’s not my intention in any way to throw Rico under the bus. I’m purposefully choosing the thin end of the wedge to make a point. Rico has done far more than many over the years to expose Smyth’s abuse and far more than most since Makin to speak up on matters of the past. It’s not up to me to hand out discipline or exonerations, but I would think more clarity and contrition is what is required for him to go forward in ministry whilst others need to fall on their swords. One victim, known as ”Graham”, says ‘victims do not want revenge, we want full disclosure, and honest, credible apology.’
Whilst Jesus teaches that the two always go together, many are happy to be faith leaders yet few are willing to be leaders in matters of repentance. Forming healthy cultures is not merely about independent safeguarding, transparency and accountability in order to catch psychopathic abusers at the earliest opportunity, it’s also about creating safe spaces where we are not tempted to abbreviate our accounts for fear of being treated unfairly.
