THE decision by the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Revd Andy John, to appoint the Bangor diocesan secretary as sub-dean of Bangor Cathedral has been implicitly criticised within the Visitation report he commissioned last 12 months (News, 28 February).
The report also identifies a variety of areas of concern across the working culture on the cathedral, including the private conduct of certain individuals and management practices “that lacked transparency and vigour”.
The first advice of the Visitation report — a summary of which was published on Saturday evening — is that “any future appointment to the role of Dean or Sub-Dean must be exclusive of other responsibilities”.
Bangor Cathedral has been and not using a Dean for the reason that Ven. Kathy Jones left, in 2021. That 12 months, Canon Siôn Rhys-Evans was appointed Sub-Dean and Canon Treasurer by Archbishop John. He had been ordained as deacon two years earlier, in June 2019 and remained in post as diocesan secretary of Bangor, a position he took up in 2013. On 29 December 2024, an announcement on the diocese of Bangor’s website said: “Canon Siôn Rhys-Evans is leaving his roles as Diocesan Secretary and Sub-Dean.”
No further clarification was provided on the time, and the four-and-a-half pages of the Visitation report now published — three pages of background information followed by an inventory of recommendations — provides limited elucidation. On Saturday, Archbishop John said that participants had taken part on the condition of confidentiality. But the Visitation had found “management practices that lacked transparency and rigour, with some appointments made without proper paperwork, inadequate oversight arrangements and concerns raised about exclusion resulting from favouritism,” he said.
The Visitation found that there had been “weak financial controls, unclear reporting lines, and spending decisions that were insufficiently scrutinised”; and “conduct in some areas — referring to alcohol use and sexual behaviour — that didn’t reflect the skilled standards expected in a Christian church”. The report also identified “the presence of hurtful gossip, each in person and online, which caused pain and division” and “a safeguarding approach that didn’t meet the standards expected across the Church in Wales”.
The Visitation was commissioned in October 2024 by Archbishop John, who informed the Bangor Cathedral Chapter that “very serious and urgent” safeguarding concerns had been raised. The advice within the report that “urgent consideration” be given to appointing a senior cleric to “regular the ship until such time because the Sub Dean returns or a successor arrives” indicates that it was concluded some months ago, given confirmation of Canon Rhys-Evans’ departure in December.
The Visitors emphasise of their report that they weren’t conducting an investigation and didn’t seek to confirm what they were told.
In addition to the Visitation, Archbishop John commissioned a safeguarding audit, carried out by the charity ThirtyOne:Eight in November, in response to safeguarding concerns having been raised concerning the cathedral with the Provincial Safeguarding Team (PST). The charity emphasises that the audit — which considered the period during which Canon Rhys-Evans was in post — “didn’t include a fact-finding exercise where the strength of evidence was tested in relation to complaints made against specific individuals”.
It recommends that priority be given to establishing an alcohol policy on the cathedral, following reports of “excessive consumption” and “inappropriate behaviours”. There is a necessity, it says, to “avoid any pressure to adapt to drinking unwanted alcohol”. The charity heard reports of “inappropriate language” getting used in front of younger members of the choir, including “rude jokes and innuendoes within the choir that left some feeling unsafe and marginalised”. Accounts indicated “a culture through which sexual boundaries seemed blurred, and to some of their view promiscuity was acceptable”. The reviewers also heard of homophobic comments that “don’t appear to have been responded or challenged rigorously enough”.
The reviewers write that they were “repeatedly informed of a insecurity in those with authority, each within the Cathedral and in the broader senior Church in Wales leadership”. The reviewers heard of an “unhappy working environment” and concluded that lots of those working for the cathedral did so “in silos with little evidence of a typical focus and shared vision/mission”. There “didn’t to some look like any safeguards put in place when some individuals’ behaviours reportedly became unacceptable, and this began to affect others”.
An absence of contracts for paid roles or tenancy agreements, and an absence of codes of conduct, “caused a potentially unsafe environment for those not knowing what their employment status is and this in turn may make them vulnerable to coercion and control by those in authority.” The lack of a recognised or promoted formal complaints process had left individuals “feeling there isn’t a protection for those raising concerns”. There was a “fear of consequence and repercussions”.
In a summary of “strengths”, the reviewers said that they’d heard of “significant positive changes” inside the Cathedral within the last two years, including a commitment to the Welsh language. There was “largely positive” feedback from parents and choristers, lots of whom “struggled to know that there may be any safeguarding concerns”. Those with mental health problems and autistic people spoke positively concerning the choir. The culture was found to be “difficult but not broken with many working within the background for the greater good of others”.
In his statement on Saturday, Archbishop John, who’s resulting from address the cathedral congregation on Sunday, said that he had asked for all recommendations to be implemented inside three months, with the work led by the Archdeacon of Bangor, the Ven. David Parry, who has been chairing Chapter meetings within the absence of a dean. This shall be monitored by an Oversight Board, chaired by Professor Medwin Hughes, who chairs the Representative Body of the Church in Wales. Recruitment of a recent Dean will begin on Sunday.
“I actually have begun reflecting on what I have to learn from this process — not only as a pacesetter, but as a fellow pilgrim,” Archbishop John said. “The call to lifelong formation is one all of us 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 making a healthier culture — together.”
The report follows a string of Cathedral visitations within the Church of England in recent times, including Chelmsford (News, 12 May, 2023), Truro (News, 3 February 2023) and Sheffield (News, 22 March 2021).
