Bangor Cathedral Visitation Report

In October 2024, in response to concerns which had been brought to his attention, the Archbishop of Wales, The Most Revd Andrew John, commissioned a visitation of Bangor Cathedral and a review by Thirtyone:eight, an external body that specialises in safeguarding advice in church settings.

The reporting process is now complete and the following summary reports have now been released publicly, and can be accessed below.

We are grateful to all who contributed to this careful and prayerful process. The reports give details of the next steps which will now be taken.

A statement from the Archbishop of Wales, The Most Reverend Andrew John

In the autumn of last year, I commissioned two exercises in connection with Bangor Cathedral. The first of these was a visitation and the second a safeguarding audit by the independent organisation thirtyone:eight. I asked that those who conducted these exercises on my behalf undertake a thorough review of the quality of life, faith, discipline, behaviour and culture of the Cathedral.

Those who undertook these exercises did so on the condition that any sensitive and personal information which might be disclosed by participants (including safeguarding disclosures) would not be released into the public domain. This was to give confidence to anyone who participated. I am upholding their request for confidentiality and therefore releasing today summary reports prepared by the reviewers and their unabridged recommendations.

It is evident that in recent years great progress has been made at our cathedral. We have seen the fruit of hard work: improved attendance, increased bilingual worship, a raised public profile and an enhanced musical life. These are signs of vitality and growth that we rightly celebrate. But we also know that growth is not just about what is visible–it’s about what is true, just, and safe at the heart of our shared life.

The reviewers identified some concerns which needed to be addressed. Taken together, the reports described areas where we needed to do better to ensure that the cathedral is truly safe, inclusive, well-governed and thriving.

As reported to the reviewers, these concerns were:

• A safeguarding approach that did not meet the standards expected across the Church in Wales.
• Management practices that lacked transparency and rigour, with some appointments made without proper paperwork, inadequate oversight arrangements and concerns raised about exclusion due to favouritism.
• Weak financial controls, unclear reporting lines, and spending decisions that were insufficiently scrutinised.
• Conduct in some areas–relating to alcohol use and sexual behaviour–that did not reflect the professional standards expected in a Christian church.
• The presence of hurtful gossip, both in person and online, which caused pain and division.

I acknowledge that these findings are hard to hear–but they must be faced if we are to move forward with integrity.

Before I outline my response, let me firstly pay tribute to those who participated in the two processes. I have listened carefully to those who came forward and I want to honour their honesty and courage. I also thank those who carried out the visitation and the audit for their conscientious and sensitive work.

The response will be primarily in the hands of two groups. The first is an Implementation Group, chaired by Archdeacon David Parry, which will be responsible for implementing, in full, the recommendations from both reports. I have asked that this work be completed by 4th August, three months from today.

The second group is an Oversight Board chaired by Prof Medwin Hughes. Their role will be to oversee and scrutinise the work of the Implementation Group and to support a new Dean. The recruitment of a new Dean will commence tomorrow. Copies of the terms of reference of the two groups will be made available.

In parallel, I have begun reflecting on what I must learn from this process–not only as a leader, but as a fellow pilgrim. The call to lifelong formation is one we all share, and I remain committed to walking that path with humility. We shall commit ourselves to the work of repair, of rebuilding trust and of creating a healthier culture–together.

While this has been a sobering time, it also offers us opportunity for change. It will mean hard work, but it can also bring healing, and we do not do this alone. As Christians, we know that we are people who need repentance and hope. We know our human flaws–but we also know the grace of a God who shares our humanity, understands our weaknesses and strengthens us to become the Church, he calls us to be.

The Chapter, the Cathedral’s trustee body, met on Monday, a week after two reports were published which had been commissioned by the Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, after several concerns had been brought to his attention.

In response to these concerns, the Archbishop commissioned a Visitation which was conducted by former Archdeacon Mike Komor and former Dean and Archdeacon Chris Potter, together with a safeguarding audit by the independent organisation thirtyone:eight, which specialises in safeguarding advice in church settings. 

Summary reports of both reviews were published on May 4th and are available on the Bangor Cathedral, Diocese of Bangor and Church in Wales websites. 

The reports set out a range of shortcomings and identified a number of necessary improvements. In response, the Archbishop has set up an Implementation Group to ensure that the recommendations are acted upon promptly and decisively. In addition, he has commissioned an externally-chaired Oversight Board to exercise overall supervision of the delivery process against a set timetable.   

The Cathedral Chapter met on Monday to agree the terms of reference of the Implementation Group. These together with the terms of reference for the Oversight Board are now available on the Bangor Cathedral, Diocese of Bangor and Church in Wales websites. Each terms of reference document contains the names of those who will be members of these groups.

At its meeting on Monday, the Cathedral Chapter discussed financial record keeping and procedures. As a result of this discussion, it decided that a Serious Incident Report should be sent to the Charity Commission.   This follows five Serious Incident Reports which were sent to the Charity Commission relating to Bangor Cathedral in 2024. Four of these related to safeguarding: three have been closed. The remaining report remains open as the commissioning and undertaking of the Visitation/safeguarding audit was one of the necessary responses. The Commission has been updated following the publication of the Report Summaries and we will update the Commission further on the implementation of the recommendations.   The fifth report related to a financial matter and was closed in March this year.

A spokesperson for Bangor Cathedral said: “The Cathedral Chapter take their responsibilities for good governance very seriously and have decided that, given information which has come to their attention, the Charity Commission should be sent a Serious Incident Report.  While we cannot provide ongoing commentary on the individual case, we will be working with the Charity Commission to ensure that the issue is resolved as quickly as possible and that any improvements which need to be made in our procedures are put into place without delay.”

The Archbishop of Wales said:

“I am grateful for the work the Chapter is carrying out to take the necessary steps to bring about lasting change. I want to thank those who have agreed to serve on the Implementation Group and the Oversight Board, and to express my appreciation of the support we have received from the Representative Body of the Church in Wales.  

“It is already clear from the steps which have been taken so far that this will be a robust process which will involve detailed changes and which will be accountable to external scrutiny.  All who are involved are committed to regular communication and updates so that the changes can be taken forward in a clear and positive way.”