Something rotten in the diocese of Bangor?

The Bishop of Bangor, Andy John, at  his Enthronement as Archbishop of Wales                             Source: Church in Wales

The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, announced he was retiring 'with immediate effect' on Friday, 27 June, following a 'turbulent period for the Bangor diocese' but did not intend to retire as Bishop of Bangor until 31st August.

Back in 2022 I wrote in Disaster looms closer: 

"This extraordinary behaviour (above) of the newly enthroned archbishop of Wales, Andy John, takes place in the sanctuary in front of the Holy Table where the holy sacrifice of the Mass takes place. Nothing it seems is sacred in the Church in Wales any longer...

"The first prediction of the bishop of Bangor after his enthronement as archbishop of Wales was 'Same-sex Church in Wales marriage hope within five years'. The Holy Grail of the renewed, diverse, and inclusive Church in Wales dominated by its bench of bishops."

From Beyond a joke last year:

The latest 'first' for the Church in Wales is History is made as Church appoints its youngest ever bishop. Emphasising his same sex relationship we are told that in his spare time, 'David enjoys spending time with his fiancé, Marc Penny, and his cat, Gordon'. Not a 'first'. That record goes to the bishop of Monmouth who lives with her same sex partner.

From the BBC's article Church in Wales calls for investigation of diocese: While there is no suggestion the archbishop behaved inappropriately, the church's representative body said there must be a "change in leadership, procedures and governance in the Diocese of Bangor".

The full facts are concealed by the publication only of summaries of 'two critical reports' but the resposibility for this sorry state is the archbishop's resulting from his appointments which appear to have been based on sexuality rather than sprituality to fullfil his stated dream of Same-sex Church in Wales marriage within five years'. 

Andy John appointed an assistant bishop to run the diocese of Bangor while he concentrated on his duties as archbishop. He now has none while Bangor has a bishop and an assistant bishop

As senior diocesan bishop he, presumably, will be resposible for organising the election of the new archbishop.

His meddling looks set to continue along with that of his mentor, Barry Morgan. 

The farce continues.         

Postscripts 

6 July 2025 Exit painful amid church crisis, says ex-archbishop BBC news

10 July2025 Statement on recent media coverage Church in Wales, Provincial News

                    

                    BBC Wales investigates on July 10 2025 BBC iPlayer

11 July 2025  New Dean appointed to Bangor Cathedral Church in Wales

                    From AB archives Theology today

                    Ex-Archbishop was aware of sexual assault allegations BBC News

22 July 2025 Election of the Archbishop of Wales Church in Wales, Provincial News

Drakeford should follow Sturgeon and resign

Queues on the A494 in Deeside (Image: North Wales Live/Hadyn Iball)                                                                                                               Source: Daily Post

  
Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, eagerly jumped on the Scottish gender recognition band wagon suggesting that Wales should have its own self-identification system.

Proposed plans to make it simpler for someone to legally change their gender were subsequently unveiled by the Welsh government despite much criticism of Nicola Sturgeon's stance.

More recently the Welsh government announced that major road building projects in Wales are to be scrapped in a move to 'put environment first'.

That is reminiscent of the First Minister's decision to scrap the M4 relief road around Newport in South Wales leading to "permanent tailbacks on the M4".

Described as a 'Kick in the teeth' for North Wales the latest move has again attracted some well deserved criticism that citizens have been ignored.

The best thing the First Minister of  Wales could do is to once again follow the lead of the Scottish First Minister and resign taking his crackpot obsessions with him.

Postscript [20.02.2023]

Third Menai crossing and Deeside 'Red Route' axed as major road-building plans scrapped in Wales

The M4 in south Wales: A 'joke' of a road that seems destined to remain a problem

How bad must it get for a bishop to resign?

 No economy at the top: "Bishop Mary and Bishop John join the Church's Bench of Bishops"                                                                    Source: Church in Wales

The Vicar of Radyr has announced that she has submitted her resignation as incumbent and Ministry Area Leader to the bishop of Llandaff. 

The Reverend Vicki Burrows said that she could no longer, with integrity, knowing the many things she knows, serve in the diocese where she believed a 'culture of fear' exists. A diocesan survey conducted after her initial exposure 'brought up the same results'. The senior leadership team acknowledged there was room for improvement. See the vicar's statement in this video link  starting at position 1.00.15  

The problem for the vicar and those for whom she is sacrificing her ministry is that the bench ditched integrity as soon as they had their own way on the ordination of women. See Brood of vipers!        

It is not expected that the bishop of Llandaff will consider her position having already been engaged in a long running battle with her side-lined Dean and the new archbishop confirming his impotency in such matters. 

Bishop June also has the precedent of the bishop of St Davids sitting tight until the storm blows over after the Twitter scandal in which she insulted many of her flock. Bishop Joanna is now making more frequent appearances as if she had never blotted her copybook. 

Vicars are expendable it seems while bishops expand their empires despite Recommendation XXV for diocesan reform in the 2012 Harries Review.

Instead we have feminist triumphalism praising their latest 'successes'. Recently the Church in Wales tweeted: Our new bishops, Mary Stallard and John Lomas, join the Bench of bishops. We now have more women bishops than men, which we think is a first in the Anglican Communion @AnglicanNews @ChurchTimes.

This is somewhat ambiguous. Presumably they mean joining the bench for a photograph. According to the constitution the “Bench of Bishops” means the Archbishop and the other Diocesan Bishops but the gloating "We now have more women bishops than men, which we think is a first in the Anglican Communion" implies the prospect of an expectation of feminism influencing the Church in Wales even more.

It has been said that the hat makes the man so perhaps the mitre may be thought to make the women. That could explain the biggest mitre being sported by the assistant bishop. If I remember correctly she saw a woman wearing a mitre on a visit to the USA and was even more convinced that women bishops were right!

Postscript [01.04.2022]

Church Times - Dean’s complaint of bullying by Bishop of Llandaff to be heard at tribunal:

"No date for the tribunal has yet been fixed. A spokeswoman for the Church in Wales confirmed on Tuesday that the tribunal panel was currently being appointed by the president, Mark Powell QC. It can have five members, and must include a diocesan or assistant bishop from another diocese.

"The Church in Wales has appointed Gavin Foster QC — joint registrar in the diocese of Salisbury, a former Crown Prosecutor, and former domestic chaplain to the Bishop of Winchester, Dr Tim Dakin — as Proctor to bring the case. The tribunal has considerable powers, ranging from absolute or conditional discharge, rebuke, or monition, to deposition from Holy Orders."