Archbishop of Wales resigns as administrative group finds safeguarding, management issues in Bangor diocese

[Episcopal News Service] The archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev. Andrew John, announced on June 27 his immediate resignation as archbishop and his Aug. 31 resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Bangor.

His announcement came three days after the body that manages the church’s property and financial assets met to discuss issues at Bangor Cathedral.

After its June 24 meeting, the Representative Body of the Church in Wales said it would issue a statement later. Their full statement was posted July 1 on the Church in Wales’ website.

In it, members acknowledged, with regret, that it had heard concerning reports regarding “leadership, safeguarding, management, and conduct in the central structures of Bangor Diocese and at Bangor Cathedral.”

It also called “deeply troubling” what the Representative Body described as “revelations of safeguarding failures, blurred boundaries, inappropriate conduct, weak control environment and lack of transparency in management at Bangor Cathedral.”

John’s resignation statement made no mention of any of the issues raised by the Representative Body’s report. However, in October 2024 he commissioned a review of Bangor Cathedral by an external body that specializes in safeguarding advice in church settings, based on concerns that had been brought to him.

The report of that external body, Thirtyone:eight, found substandard safeguarding practices, lack of transparency in management practices, weak financial controls, and unprofessional conduct around alcohol use and sexual behavior.

The Representative Body’s statement laid out a variety of steps the Diocese of Bangor and Bangor Cathedral must take going forward, including cooperating in full with an independent financial audit of the work of the Diocesan Board of Finance, the Bangor Diocesan Trust and the Cathedral Chapter.

The diocese and cathedral also must, among other steps, address the issues raised by the Thirtyone:eight report and commission an external investigation into the behavior, culture and activities of the cathedral choir.

The Representative Body also said it would look beyond the situation in Bangor to the other five Welsh dioceses by commissioning a safeguarding audit of all the cathedrals in Wales. It also will work with another part of the church’s governance, the Standing Committee of the Governing Body, in commissioning a cultural audit of the Church in Wales.

As the Church in Wales’ longest-serving bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gregory Cameron of the Diocese of St. Asaph will fulfill the duties of archbishop until a new person is elected from among the existing diocesan bishops. The church’s constitution requires that to take place within 60 days of John’s resignation, or by Aug. 26.