THE election process for the Bishop of Bangor, which had been scheduled to begin next week, is not going to proceed in the meanwhile, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Cherry Vann, has announced in revised proposals circulated on Thursday.
The Electoral College had been scheduled to fulfill in Llandudno from 25 to 27 November to appoint the successor to the Bishop of Bangor, the Rt Revd Andrew John. He retired as Bishop of Bangor at the tip of August, having retired with immediate effect as Archbishop of Wales in late June, after reports of shortcomings at Bangor Cathedral which included “weak financial control” and “inappropriate behaviours” (News, 4 July).
An commercial for the emptiness had given a closing date for expressions of interest as noon on Friday 3 October, and a gathering of the school had been announced, to begin on or before 29 October. Recent colleges had asked that several preliminary steps be taken before such a gathering, including a public commercial within the Church Times, additional screening, and preliminary safeguarding screening of potential nominees.
The Archbishop reported in her letter to the Church in Wales that members of the electoral college had met twice in online meetings, and that diocesan and provincial profile documents had been produced. Several names had been recommend, and every had been contacted to ask them to permit their names to be considered. Some had confirmed that, and the electors had considered the knowledge that that they had provided.
She expressed her gratitude for that, but wrote: “However, rigorously considering the challenges facing the diocese at the moment (none of which were clearly identified within the diocesan profile) the school didn’t feel in a position to progress with the shortlisting of candidates.
“The college also decided there was insufficient time to repeat the promoting process and to permit time for references to be taken up and safeguarding checks undertaken before the tip of November, when the Electoral College was because of meet for the election. The college subsequently reported this to the standing committee of the Governing Body (GB) for guidance on next steps.
“My own view is that whilst we could explore other ways forward, the immediate need is for an experienced Bishop to be invited, on an interim basis, to return to Bangor for a period of 1 to 2 years, providing leadership and stability and dealing with you to strengthen leadership, finance, governance and management.
“Those who were on the diocesan conference may have heard that there are some tough financial and organisational challenges to face.”
The Governing Body would wish to hold a motion that formally authorised that plan of action: a gathering at which there could be further discussion with the electors, and a take a look at potential candidates. That meeting is scheduled for 25 November.
In a letter to members of the Governing Body outlining the changes, Archbishop Vann wrote: “The diocese of Bangor needs the entire family of the Church in Wales to support it because it navigates a time of change.”
