The Archbishop of Brisbane has apologised after St John’s Anglican Cathedral was used in a Stan reality television program featuring pornography performer Lily Phillips, saying the church was misled by producers and condemning the program for attempting to “validate the porn-industry.”
Archbishop Jeremy Greaves issued the apology after Australian commentator Melinda Tankard Reist condemned the Anglican Diocese of Brisbane for allowing the cathedral to be used in Turned On: Dirty, Sexy Money, a Stan series centred on the sex industry and OnlyFans creators.
Tankard Reist accused the production of turning the 125-year-old cathedral into a “prop” for the program, questioning how the church could have permitted its sacred space to be used in a production promoting the commercialisation of sex.
The controversy centres on the program’s sixth episode, in which British pornography performer Lily Phillips is shown participating in a religious ceremony at St John’s Cathedral.
The ceremony was conducted by the Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt, Dean of Brisbane. Phillips is shown responding “I do” when asked whether she turns to Christ, renounces evil and repents of her sins.
Tankard Reist argued that the cathedral had effectively been used to lend legitimacy to a production she described as part of a broader public-relations push for the pornography industry.
Greaves has now apologised, saying:
“On behalf of the Dean (who is currently on leave) and the Cathedral Chapter, I would like to apologise for the distress and anger generated by the Dean’s decision to allow St John’s Cathedral to be used as a backdrop for a reality television program currently streaming on STAN.”
The Archbishop said he was “shocked by the content, nature, and intent of the program,” which he said “does not align with the faith and values of this Diocese.”
Greaves said the program had been presented to the Dean very differently from the finished product.
“Pitched as a documentary program that would explore faith, intention, and life’s complexities, through the experience of an individual who had previously been excluded from faith communities because of past involvement in sex work, the series is nothing more than click-bait, reality TV content that shamelessly attempts to validate the porn-industry.”
He added:
“I unreservedly condemn any attempt to validate an industry that exploits women and girls and contributes to degrading and unhealthy messaging around sex and sexuality.”
According to Greaves, conversations with cathedral staff indicated that “the program’s producers misled the Dean.”
The Archbishop also acknowledged that the Diocese had failed to conduct adequate due diligence before allowing the filming.
“Despite being misled by the program’s producers, it is clear to me that there are a number of gaps in our policies and procedures concerning approvals for filming in any of our churches or other properties.”
Greaves said the Diocese had contacted the producers and requested that “all vision, images and content featuring people other than The Very Rev’d Dr Peter Catt (Dean of Brisbane) be immediately removed,” including footage showing children inside the cathedral.
“This is a situation which should never have happened,” Greaves said.
He announced an immediate review of the Diocese’s policies and procedures to ensure “thorough due diligence” before third parties are granted access to church sites.
The apology marks a stark repudiation of the production by the Diocese, which now says one of Brisbane’s most prominent Christian sites was used in a program whose portrayal of the sex industry directly conflicts with its stated values.