The dean of St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane, Australia, Peter Catt, has announced his retirement after 18 years in the role following backlash over the filming of an OnlyFans documentary inside the cathedral.
Catt appeared in Stan’s reality series Turned On: Dirty Sexy Money, which follows the lives of adult entertainers, including British OnlyFans creator Lily Phillips.
In the sixth episode, Phillips visited the cathedral as she sought to reconnect with her Christian faith. Catt led a religious ceremony for her and invited her to reaffirm her faith.
However, footage also showed members of the congregation, including children, in the background.
Catt said he had given permission for himself to be filmed but had not taken sufficient precautions to ensure other members of the cathedral community were not captured.
“I deeply regret that this happened and unreservedly apologise,” he said.
The production company later blurred or removed the faces of churchgoers who appeared in the programme.
Catt said he met with Brisbane Archbishop Jeremy Greaves over the controversy and decided to retire from his position. He will return from leave before completing his duties as dean on September 27.
Archbishop Greaves has also ordered a review of the cathedral’s filming approval process, acknowledging gaps in the procedures for allowing productions to use church property.