Police continue to investigate ex-bishop who was jailed for sexual offences

Police are continuing to investigate a former bishop who was jailed earlier this year for sexually abusing a boy.

Anthony Pierce, 84, who was bishop of Swansea and Brecon between 1999 and 2008, was jailed in March for the offences.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault on a male child under the age of 16 committed while he was a parish priest in Swansea in the 1980s.

South Wales Police confirmed investigations were continuing into Pierce who is now serving a 49-month prison sentence.

“The investigation into Anthony Pierce, which resulted in his conviction and sentencing earlier this year, remains live,” a police spokesman said.

“As it’s an active sexual offence investigation, it would be inappropriate for me to offer any further information at this time.”

Historic sexual abuse

It emerged after Pierce was jailed that a

Meanwhile, the BBC reported officers were also investigating an unnamed former vicar over allegations of historic sexual abuse.

It is the latest controversy to hit the Church in Wales after the Archbishop of Wales retired last month after safeguarding concerns at his north Wales diocese of Bangor were highlighted.

It follows a safeguarding review at Bangor Cathedral, which identified “a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred” and “promiscuity was acceptable”.

There is no suggestion the archbishop behaved inappropriately.

A summary of a report shared on the Church in Wales’ website said there were also reports of “inappropriate language, rude jokes and innuendoes in the choir that left some feeling unsafe and marginalised”.

Mr John became Bishop of Bangor in 2008 and was elected Archbishop of Wales in December 2021.

‘Deepest concern’

In a statement, the Church in Wales said the issues which had been raised – both historic and more recent – are a source of “deepest concern” for the church.

“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,” a spokesman said.

“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.”

Determination

The Church said the “swift and decisive action” taken in the case of Pierce would “go some way to demonstrating the determination to address these issues”.

“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 were proactively placed in the public domain,” the spokesman said.

“The far-reaching statement made by the representative body of the Church in Wales, last month, is further evidence of the resolve with which these issues are being addressed.”