He was a celebrity pastor at one of Canada’s biggest megachurches. Inside the sexual abuse allegations that brought down Bruxy Cavey, the church leader and pastor of Hope Community Church in Toronto, it was clear where his sympathies lay. He had long been a proponent of the idea that homosexuality was a sin, and he had always been a supporter of gay rights. He had even written a book with a title that mocked the idea that gay people would go to hell.
That was before June 30, 2010.
On that day, a group of gay men came to Hope Church to be confirmed as Christians. They were there to learn a lesson. It was about their own sin.
“He told the group that we should never be ashamed of who we are, be it gay, straight or religious,” said Andy, who is gay and is not being named to protect his current and future employment, after having served as a minister in another church. “He told them to be proud of who they are.”
A week after the group’s visit, the media had begun reporting that the pastor and church official had sexually abused four of the men. For the sake of anonymity, the men refused to name the pastor at the time.
“We had a very heated discussion that evening,” said Andy. “We discussed the fact that no one goes to a church that is not God-centered. It was only logical they have a pastor who is God-centered, who loves people and is there to help.”
“I wanted to speak, but my stomach was in knots,” he said. “I went into the room and held my son. I cried. He was just a week old. So that was tough. I felt like my son was in a situation no one else’s could ever be.”
It was not the