The Charity Commission has launched a regulatory compliance case into two Church in Wales charities linked to the Diocese and Cathedral of Bangor, where Archbishop Andy John serves as bishop.
It follows serious safeguarding and governance concerns, including reports of inappropriate sexual behaviour and financial irregularities under former sub-dean Sion Rhys Evans.
Evans resigned after spending ten months on gardening leave, as reported by Nation Cymru.
In a public statement, Archbishop John acknowledged failings, admitting: “I wish to apologise for errors of judgement I have made that have caused anxiety and hurt… I repent and offer no excuses.”
The case will examine safeguarding, financial controls and conflict-of-interest management within the Bangor Diocesan Trust and The Dean and Chapter of Bangor Cathedral.
A spokesperson for the Charity Commission said: “We have opened a regulatory compliance case to assess a number of concerns that have been raised related to Bangor Cathedral and Diocese, including matters reported directly to us by the charities.
“We are actively examining these matters with the charities' trustees to determine our next steps.
“As regulator, if we find evidence of wrongdoing we take robust action using the powers available to us.”
David Parry, archdeacon of Bangor Cathedral, said in a statement: “It is less than eight weeks since we received and published the independent reports into Bangor Cathedral. In that time however most of the recommendations have already been implemented, thanks to frequent meetings of a local task group and the Cathedral Chapter.
“Safeguarding, financial controls and managing conflicts of interest are all included in this work. An external Oversight Board will continue to monitor progress for at least 12 months after a new Dean is appointed.”