Bishops to discuss safeguarding allegations ‘following a year’s delay’

Martin Shipton

Church in Wales Bishops have agreed to discuss major allegations concerning abuse in the Diocese of Bangor after being accused of delaying doing so for a year.

Some 20 clerics, academics and longstanding worshippers have written a strongly worded letter to the Church Times, deploring what they see as the failure of the Church to address serious problems relating to safeguarding.

The letter, whose first two signatories are Rev John Prysor-Jones and Very Rev Gordon McPhate, both of whom have strong connections to Bangor Cathedral, states: “You will recall that two of us wrote an open letter to you on May 30 2025.

“A full year after publication, no substantive response has been received to our call for a formal inquiry. In the letter, there was a deliberate challenge to the silence hanging over the events recounted in the diocese and recorded in the Diocese and Cathedral of Bangor. The letter called for a formal inquiry into the Diocese of Bangor and its cathedral since 2011, to be led by an external person of proven ability to find the truth with a theological and pastoral background, assisted by advisers in organisational management, canon law, civil law and criminal law. The inquiry should also investigate the use of non-disclosure agreements.

“The motivation in seeking this inquiry was to give voice to a range of individuals who feel that they have suffered psychological and physical harm, moral injury and spiritual abuse in the Church in Wales. Spiritual abuse is partially defined in the Church in Wales’ Safeguarding Awareness Training as a form of emotional and psychological abuse, characterised by a systematic pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour in a religious context.

“Spiritual abuse can have a deeply damaging impact on those who experience it. Since then, many individuals have refused to let the matter rest and support this letter, including the 20 signatories below. At least a further 10 people also support the letter, but, fearing reprisal, have chosen not to have their names published – a reflection of the culture of intimidation which they perceive to exist within the Church in Wales.”

‘Clear the air’

The letter continues: “We are asserting that an investigation is required to test the evidence and thereby clear the air. It is equally important for the Bishops, as chief pastors, to understand the extent of these pastoral failures and the depth of psychological trauma, to the detriment of mental, physical and spiritual health. For others, moral injury has compounded this harm.

“Deeply held beliefs about right and wrong have been violated. This has left people wrestling with anger, guilt, disillusionment and betrayal affecting their faith and where they now feel able to worship. Paid staff, regular worshippers, volunteers, servers, children, young people and clergy have all been affected. The depth of the harm is evident in the fact that some young people raised in this community now say that they want nothing more to do with the Church.

“We are aware that the stories of some of these harmed individuals are well known to certain serving as well as retired Bishops. They and others need to know that they are being listened to and taken seriously. Their experiences can help to shape the Church’s response. Failure to act on knowledge of harm risks complicity in the very harm that has been done. It deepens the trauma of survivors, entrenches moral injury, erodes trust among ministers and among members, and undermines moral credibility in the wider world.

“We, victims and exiles from Bangor Diocese and Cathedral, are forced to renew the call for an inquiry and to conclude that this suffering is not fully understood and that the priority may have been to preserve reputations and personal loyalties in the hope that the matter might simply fade away.

“Until such an inquiry takes place, the Church in Wales, once experienced as a place of safety, cannot be seen as a safe place.

“The recently published Governance Review of the Diocese of Bangor further contributes to our unease that there may be matters left unresolved. While it provides analysis of leadership, financial decision making processes, and significant governance failures, identifying areas of responsibility, it was not within its remit to hold individuals to account.

“An inquiry must have a clear and specific remit, with the power to access all relevant documentation, to invite those who wish to be heard, to determine who should be called to give evidence, to make findings of fact and to make recommendations. Its process and conclusions should be published in full.

“We call upon the Bishops to respond to this letter in a timely and public manner.”

A spokesperson for the Church in Wales said: “The letter deals with important matters and will be given full consideration at the next meeting of the [Bishops’] Bench, after which we will be in a position to provide a more substantive response.”