Explained: The Bangor Cathedral scandal

A complicated scandal engulfing St Deiniol’s Cathedral in Bangor, north Wales has emerged, with the latest reports indicating that six serious incidents related to the cathedral have been reported to the Charity Commission since 2024. 

How did the story begin? 

In 2021 the Dean of Bangor Cathedral moved on, leaving a vacancy at the top of the institution.

As an interim solution, the Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Andrew John (who is also the Bishop of Bangor), appointed Rev Sion Rhys Evans as sub dean to take on the leadership while a permanent dean was found.  

This appointment was unusual for two reasons. Firstly, Rhys Evans had only been ordained a few years earlier and was at the time serving as a part-time unpaid curate. To be catapulted to leading the most significant church in the Diocese of Bangor was an astonishing promotion.

But even more unusual was the fact that Rhys Evans was the diocesan secretary – effectively the chief executive of the Diocese of Bangor and ultimately running, with Archbishop John, the diocese’s funds and administration. Many observers questioned how Rhys Evans could devote enough time to both roles simultaneously and if his dual responsibilities amounted to a conflict of interest (the cathedral and diocese are legally independent if deeply interconnected charities).  

When did we first hear about any problems? 

In February 2024 Rhys Evans abruptly stood back from both jobs. There was little if any explanation for this, but Rhys Evans remained mysteriously off work for most of the year until quietly leaving the Church in Wales entirely in December.  

Early in 2025, the story got even murkier when leaks to the press revealed two investigations into the cathedral had been ordered by Archbishop John, one internal diocesan probe and another led by the independent Christian safeguarding agency Thirtyone:eight.  

These reviews were not publicised by the cathedral or diocese. However, leaked letters from Archbishop John to clergy in the diocese revealed that “serious and urgent” safeguarding concerns had triggered the investigations, including a statutory “serious incident referral” to the Charity Commission.  

What did the investigations find? 

The two reports were completed by the end of 2024, but not published until earlier this month.

Even then, only a redacted summary of each was made public, which mostly included only the recommendations and not any detail of what they found.

Safeguarding agency Thirtyone:eight’s report concluded the cathedral lacked robust safeguarding measures and junior staff and children engaged in the community there were at risk of bullying or abuse.

They also found examples of bad language, excessive alcohol consumption, sexual promiscuity and “blurred boundaries”, and vitriol passed around on WhatsApp.

The diocesan review said that the next Dean of Bangor must not job-share the role with any other post and said an acting dean should be appointed immediately in the interim to steady the ship at the currently leaderless cathedral. The other recommendations hinted at failures in accountability from the cathedral chapter, which acts as the board of trustees, and also at a culture of “unkind and inappropriate” messages being sent by and to cathedral staff.  

Remarkably, it seems the cathedral was not up to date on basic safeguarding procedures such as DBS checks for volunteers or risk assessments for their toddler group and choirs.  

What has the Church in Wales said about it all? 

Archbishop John said the findings were “hard to hear” but pledged to root out bad behaviour and build a healthier, more Christian culture at the flagship church of his own diocese. He also set up a group to oversee the changes and implement all the recommendations, as well as recruiting a new dean.  

However, within just a few days of the summary reports being published the Church was forced to issue an update after more leaks to the media from disgruntled staff and volunteers who felt the bigger issues were still not coming to light.

In a second statement it emerged that a total of six serious incident reports had been made to the Charity Commission by the cathedral in just the last 18 months alone. The most recent one, related to financial record-keeping, was made in the last week. The others largely related to safeguarding and had mostly been resolved by the regulator.  

The leaks have carried on coming, however, with reports in the Welsh media that under Rhys Evans’ tenure there was irregular spending. Reportedly more than £400,000 was spent on new furnishings for the cathedral without proper sign-off, and the money itself came not from the cathedral’s own accounts but diocesan funds.  

There were also concerns raised about £20,000 spent on overseas trips by Rhys Evans and other cathedral staff, also paid for by the diocese. The Church in Wales has said this was a mistake, the cathedral had now reimbursed the diocese for these trips, and all other spending concerns had now been reconciled. But they did also confirm the Charity Commission had once again been in touch to offer some “advice”.  

Will this scandal suck in Archbishop John? 

The archbishop has been firm in trying to distance himself from the mess at his diocese’s cathedral, arguing that he ordered in the two investigations when he learned of concerns. He also said that the next phase of implementing changes to procedures and culture would be “robust process… which will be accountable to external scrutiny”. “All who are involved are committed to regular communication and updates so that the changes can be taken forward in a clear and positive way,” he concluded.  

However, a growing number of critics within the Church in Wales have insisted their archbishop must bear some responsibility for the scandal. Rhys Evans was effectively Archbishop John’s protégé, as he guided him through training and ordained him after hiring him as his diocesan secretary. And it was Archbishop John’s decision to appoint Rhys Evans to the unprecedented jobshare as acting dean of the cathedral so early in his ordained ministry as well.  

There has also been disquiet at the lack of transparency, with no explanation offered when Rhys Evans was suspended or when he departed from the diocese. There is a feeling among many observers that information has been dragged out of the diocese by leaks and media coverage, rather than being proactively shared.  

The archbishop, who has been Bishop of Bangor since 2008 and took over as head of the Church in Wales in 2021, has insisted he is also on a learning journey over the affair. “I have begun reflecting on what I must learn from this process – not only as a leader, but as a fellow pilgrim,” he said. “The call to lifelong formation is one we all share, and I remain committed to walking that path with humility.” 

What will the consequences be? 

The murky scandal in Bangor has come at a terrible time for the Church in Wales, as it has just had to admit one of its retired bishops has been convicted of five counts of indecent assault on a child. Anthony Pierce, who served as Bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1999 to 2008, pleaded guilty in February and was jailed for more than four years.  

The Church has also revealed some members of its hierarchy were told something about Pierce’s offending as far back as the 1990s. However, this information was not passed on to the police until 2010. In response, yet another independent investigation has been set up to look into this failure and report back swiftly.  

In the light of this, for the Church’s own archbishop to be embroiled in another scandal, which touches on everything from safeguarding and financial corruption to allegedly un-Christlike interpersonal behaviour by senior clergy, is a blow to its credibility and reputation across Wales.