from Anglican Futures
“Every failure teaches a man something, if he will learn.” So, says Charles Dicken’s character, Daniel Doyce.
The Church in Wales has been beset by problems for many years.
In 2008, the Bishop of St David’s stepped down after leaving his wife amid speculation about “a scandalous” relationship with a married member of his staff.
In 2021, after the Rt Revd Richard Pain resigned, an Independent Review into the Diocese of Monmouth found, “a culture of entitlement” and that several witnesses commented on,“[T]he prevalence of swearing and an excessive intake of alcohol among bishops and senior clergy.”
In 2022, a Church in Wales disciplinary committee found that the Bishop of Llandaff, the Rt Revd June Osborne, had a case to answer after allegations of “bullying and harassment” and “a culture of fear” were brought by the Dean of the cathedral. He later resigned after the Archbishop of Wales, the Rt Revd Andrew John, ruled out any kind of independent enquiry.
And this year, the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon (1999-2008), Rt Revd Anthony Pierce, was jailed for abusing a young boy and two independent reports, “uncovered allegations related to bullying, promiscuity, excessive alcohol consumption, financial irregularity and safeguarding failures at Bangor Cathedral in recent years.”
In response, the Church in Wales’ Representative Body accepted that there had been, “…safeguarding failures, blurred boundaries, inappropriate conduct, weak control environment and lack of transparency in management…”.