Statement on recent media coverage
Responding to the programme BBC Wales investigates on July 10 2025, and related news reports, a spokesperson for the Church in Wales said:
The issues which have been raised, both historic and more recent, are a source of the deepest concern for the Church in Wales. There is no place in the Church for abuse, misconduct or concealment, and we are determined that the issues identified will be fully addressed, and practices improved so that all church members, and the wider society, can have confidence that the church is, as it should be, a safe and supportive environment for all.
Where we have fallen short of those standards, whether in the past or the present, we are profoundly sorry and apologise to anyone who has suffered or been let down by those failings.
It is important to note that the issues raised in these questions relate to a period of more than 40 years. During that time, the process of handling safeguarding concerns within the Church in Wales has undergone continual review and improvement, so that current procedures are far more independent, professional and robust than in previous decades.
That is not to say that the system cannot be improved further, and everyone working in this hugely important area is committed to continuous improvement in the light of current best practice.
We hope that the fact that the swift and decisive action taken by the Church in the case of Anthony Pierce, since the most recent report of his offending came to light in 2023, will go some way to demonstrating the determination to address these issues. Details of those actions can be viewed here and here.
In that case, and in the more recent case of issues at Bangor cathedral, formal reviews were commissioned when concerns were reported, and, in the interests of transparency, the results (summarised due to confidentiality obligations) were proactively placed in the public domain. Details can be viewed here.
The far-reaching statement made by the Representative Body of the Church in Wales on June 24th is further evidence of the resolve with which these issues are being addressed.
In that meeting, the Representative Body – the charitable trustee body responsible for stewarding assets and distributing funding to the diocese and cathedral – called for and required compliance with a wide range of fundamental reforms including in the fields of financial management, safeguarding, HR and whistleblowing.
In addition, the Representative Body will commission an external Provincial Safeguarding Audit of all the Cathedrals in Wales to assure itself that appropriate procedures and protocols relating to safeguarding are being followed diligently. It will also commission, in partnership with the Standing Committee of the Governing Body, an external cultural audit of the Church in Wales.
These measures, which can be viewed in full here, demonstrate that our commitment to supporting the mission and ministry of the Church in Wales will always be guided by our duty to protect the vulnerable.