THE final report of the Monmouth Review implementation group got here to the Governing Body on Wednesday for commendation. Published in December 2021 (News, 17/24 December 2021), the review investigated the circumstances surrounding the long absence and subsequent retirement, in 2019, of the previous Bishop of Monmouth, the Rt Revd Richard Pain.
The events were described within the report as “not a story of great and deliberate wickedness, but . . . a tragedy” and a “shock to the system”, by which careers were “damaged and reputations left ruinous”. It triggered a reshaping of the culture in each the diocese and on the Bench of Bishops (News, 6 May 2022).
The review set out 28 recommendations for the implementation group. Tim Llewelyn, who chaired the group, said that its members had brought “insight, honesty, and wisdom” to the discussions, “never looking for to veer away from the difficult questions”. The group concluded at its tenth meeting, on 26 February, that, as all 28 recommendations had either been implemented or were clearly in train for implementation, its work was done.
Five of the recommendations related to the bishops, including ensuring their access to properly resourced health and well-being support. A recent induction process and training timetable was now in place, along with a scheme for ministerial development review. More high-quality staff support was in place for the Archbishop. Monthly triage meetings of senior staff now consider people-related casework, including safeguarding-related referrals and any complaints received.
Investigations of complaints brought under the Representative Body’s (RB’s) bullying and harassment policy against an officeholder will now be jointly commissioned by the RB and the Archbishop, with investigations led by an experienced independent one that knows the Church. A guidance document on the workings of the tribunal system makes clear who may invoke the method, and doesn’t depend on the receipt of a proper written grievance.
The review made recommendations in regards to the position, responsibilities, and authority of the Archbishop of Wales, notably, provision for him to make arrangements for appropriate episcopal leadership in a diocese if the bishop is away from their duties for prolonged periods owing to sickness or another cause but isn’t suspended.
Three recommendations related to safeguarding. The emphasis is that safeguarding-practice guidance should emphasise the importance of safeguarding culture and boundary awareness in all facets of church life, “not only in matters referring to children and adults in danger, with the intention to create a protected Church for all”.
Terms of reference for the Bench of Bishops were endorsed by the GB in September 2022 (News, 16 September 2022). The advice that the Bench reflect collectively on the report, and consider the cultural challenges to its life, values, and ethos, and that of the broader Church in Wales, is acknowledged on this final report back to be “a posh and, by nature, a long-term area of labor for which ongoing discussions and reflections will probably be obligatory.”
Implementation of other recommendations will contribute to a culture change, it says. “The style and nature of Bench meetings has modified, with far more time dedicated to retreat-style discussion and reflection where matters corresponding to culture may be explored.”
A Dignity Charter is now in place, with an accompanying training package. The Bench has agreed terms of reference for a small group of archdeacons to contemplate intimately the further embedding of the charter within the life and training within the Church in Wales
Two final recommendations come under the heading of Miscellaneous, and are recorded as having been accomplished. The first was a advice that the Senior Bishop, in consultation with colleagues, “should consider ways by which the events described on this report have impacted on a number of the individuals mentioned in [it] and whether the Church in Wales may find a way to ameliorate the damage done”.
The final one is that the previous Dean of Newport, the previous Archdeacon of Monmouth, and the Archdeacon of Newport see the report in its entirety.
There was no motion on which to vote, however the meeting was invited to make observations. The Archdeacon of the Gwent Valleys, the Ven. Stella Bailey (Monmouth), said that the diocese had worked diligently to vary its own culture: “The diocese of Monmouth within the review isn’t the diocese of Monmouth today. We have real faith in the longer term of God’s Church here, though we live with the symptoms of our difficult past.” She hoped that the recruitment process for future leaders would encourage transparency.
The Bishop of Monmouth, the Rt Revd Cherry Vann, described the ultimate report as a major piece of labor that will go a great distance towards addressing institutional failings. “It is a well known proven fact that the culture in any organisation is ready at the highest,” she said. “The Bench could be very different from the one I joined 4 years ago, particularly over the past 12 to 18 months.
“We have put aside time to hope together, study scripture, and share openly and truthfully with each other. . . We have learned to challenge one another appropriately.” The report recognised that ongoing oversight was still needed: “A necessity for all of us to carry each other to account and be held to account ourselves.
“Are we now in a spot where what happened within the diocese of Monmouth six years ago couldn’t occur again? Are we prepared to challenge each other once we see something which may put us in danger?”
She reflected that only three of the archdeacons in Monmouth were women, there was just one woman dean, and only two out of the seven bishops were women. “We aren’t doing enough for either women or men. At provincial level, we aren’t doing anything,” she said. “Bishops are largely chargeable for the appointment process. While we’ll all the time be on the lookout for the appropriate person, we might all agree that openness and transparency are a crucial a part of the method.”
She commended the report.
