The Church in Wales is facing mounting pressure to publish in full two internal reports into safeguarding and governance failures at Bangor Cathedral, after only brief summaries were released to the public.
The call for transparency follows the unexpected resignation of Most Rev Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales, who last week stepped down from his national role immediately and confirmed he will retire as Bishop of Bangor by the end of August.
The published summaries describe “a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred", along with concerns about excessive alcohol use and structural failings in leadership and safeguarding at the cathedral, as reported by the BBC.
Labour MP Ruth Jones, who co-chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Safeguarding in Faith Communities, said partial disclosure is not enough: “We need to see what the reports actually say, not just the summaries.”
Although there is no suggestion of personal misconduct by Most Rev John, he issued a public apology before his resignation, saying he was “deeply sorry” to anyone in the cathedral community who felt hurt or let down.
The Church in Wales has defended its decision not to publish the full documents, citing confidentiality agreements with contributors.
A spokesperson said the Church is “in dialogue with the parties involved” and is working through an implementation group and oversight board to address the concerns.
Plaid Cymru Senedd member Sian Gwenllian, who represents the Bangor area, is demanding an independent, public review of the cathedral’s recent history, saying: “We now urgently require a fully independent, public review, not a closed-door process, to examine what went wrong,” adding that “only with openness and an honest reckoning can public trust be restored.”
The Church has offered to meet with Gwenllian to discuss her concerns, but critics warn that without the full release of findings, trust in church leadership may continue to erode.
Premier Christian News has contacted Most Rev John's press office for comment following his retirement and were told he will not be making additional statements.