A Cardiff vicar has been banned from leading services for two years, after a Church in Wales tribunal found he had claimed payments for planting a new church which never materialised.
Ryan Forey, 35, claimed £300 a month for church services which were not conducted, and £500 a month for his wife as a “clergy spouse allowance” from October 2020 to February 2024.
Forey has also apologised for setting up an app which breached the security of children in church, by allowing users to see the names of children in the congregation, including those who were in the care system.
In 2020, Forey was ordained and moved from London to Citizen Church in Cathays. He was described as a “talented and charismatic” speaker.
The payments were allegedly to establish a breakaway church, called ‘Be Church’. However, the tribunal found that it did not have the approval of the Church in Wales.
Forey described the breakaway church plan as an "action born out of hurt, vulnerability, and a crisis of faith in his future in the Anglican Communion".
The tribunal heard that the payments Forey made to himself and his wife came out of a “genuine, albeit misguided belief” that they were legitimate, based on practice he had witnessed in previous churches.
It found that Forey struggled with “an absence of appropriate structured support” at Citizen Church, with little supervision or guidance.
A formal monition warning has been ordered, meaning Forey will have to undergo training for two years before taking on any further church roles.
In a statement shared to his personal Instagram, Forey said: “This has been a painful season, but I have learned a great deal through it.”
“During this season I have been reflecting on the journey of Joseph who after a lapse in judgement found himself in a pit and a prison in preparation for his next position. ‘God intended it for good.’”
It comes after a turbulent year for the Church in Wales, which saw Archbishop Andrew John resign in wake of failings at Bangor Cathedral.