Church in Wales Faces Abuse Scandal

Crisis in the Cloisters: Church in Wales Confronts Deepening Abuse Scandal

A profound crisis of confidence is confronting the Church in Wales. Detectives have launched fresh inquiries into past claims of a sexual misconduct nature, concerning a bishop with a criminal conviction and a second one-time cleric. These new investigations compound a sequence of devastating revelations that have exposed systemic safeguarding failures, a culture of concealment, and leadership turmoil at the highest levels. Victims have described an institution that they believe protected predators over the vulnerable. Their powerful testimonies have ignited urgent calls for a full-scale, impartial investigation to address what many see as decades of deeply rooted institutional failings. The institution's very integrity is currently under intense and painful scrutiny.

A Bishop Jailed, A Faith Shattered

Anthony Pierce, once the respected Bishop for the Swansea and Brecon diocese, now stands as a symbol of the Church’s catastrophic moral failures. In March 2025, a judge at Swansea Crown Court handed the 84-year-old a prison term of fifty months. Pierce had confessed to five instances of criminally assaulting a minor. The offenses took place in the period from 1985 to 1990, when Pierce was serving a parish in the Swansea area. The court heard a harrowing victim impact statement describing the "overwhelming sense of embarrassment and shame" that led to long-term struggles, including alcohol dependency and an inability to form relationships. Judge Catherine Richards told Pierce he had profoundly exploited his position of trust.

A Systemic Betrayal

The judge noted that any parent would have rightfully believed their child was safe with a priest. Instead, Pierce engaged in calculated grooming and abuse. After the conviction was secured, the Church in Wales publicly stated it would begin its own disciplinary proceedings. John Lomas, who is the current Bishop for the Swansea and Brecon area, is seeking to have Pierce formally deposed from Holy Orders. The disgraced former bishop will also remain on the sex offenders register for life. The conviction has not drawn a line under the affair. On the contrary, it has thrown a harsh spotlight on how such a man was permitted to ascend to one of the Church's highest offices, raising disturbing questions about the institution's culture and accountability.

Warnings Ignored for Decades

A BBC Wales investigation has unearthed disturbing evidence suggesting Church officials knew about concerns regarding Anthony Pierce as early as 1986. This was thirteen years before his elevation to the bishopric. Alisdair Adams, now 59, bravely waived his anonymity to recount his experience. As an 18-year-old student at the institution that is today Swansea University, he met Pierce, then serving as a priest for a local parish. An invitation to an evening meal at Pierce's residence, supposedly to discuss collaboration, quickly turned sinister. Adams recalls being given large amounts of wine without any food before the room suddenly went dark. It was then, he states, that Pierce physically grabbed him.

A Pattern of Predatory Behaviour

Alisdair Adams departed from Pierce's home right away and relayed what had happened to a minister of the Methodist faith. This conversation led to an interview with the chaplain serving the Anglican campus community. Crucially, another student, Mark Dickey-Collas, was also questioned that same day about his own troubling encounter with Pierce. He described a similar scenario: an invitation to Pierce's home, an offer of alcohol, and an unwanted advance after the room's illumination was cut. The chaplain reportedly communicated these worries to the church leadership, leading to Pierce being forbidden from the university campus and its halls of residence. Yet his career within the Church continued unchecked, a decision that victims and observers find incomprehensible.

From Priest to Predator Bishop

Despite the clear red flags raised in the mid-1980s, Anthony Pierce’s standing within the Welsh ecclesiastical body only grew. He continued in his clerical capacity and later served as a chaplain at Singleton Hospital in Swansea. The institution that had been warned about his conduct then facilitated his rise. In 1995, he became an archdeacon. His clerical career culminated in his appointment as Bishop for the Swansea and Brecon diocese during 1999. In this senior role, he met with dignitaries, including the future King Charles, during a royal visit in 2002. For survivors, Pierce’s promotion from a known risk to a senior leader is the ultimate indictment of a failed system.

The Ultimate Failure of Safeguarding

When Anthony Pierce became the Bishop for Swansea and Brecon, he assumed ultimate responsibility for safeguarding within his diocese. This put the man with a history of alleged abuse in charge of protecting children and vulnerable adults. It is a detail that victims find particularly galling. One woman, using the pseudonym Ruth, has described how Pierce personally failed her when she sought help. She alleges an assault by David Gedge, who led the choir at Brecon Cathedral, during a choir excursion to Ireland. The year was 2001, and she was seventeen. She came forward with the report after a period of two years, hoping to protect other young choristers from suffering the same fate.

Image Credit - BBC

A Victim's Plea for Justice, Unheard

Ruth’s account of her attempts to get help is a chilling illustration of institutional failure. She made her disclosure about choirmaster David Gedge directly to the office of Bishop Pierce, the very person meant to ensure her safety. She insists, however, that no action resulted from her report. The Church in Wales now concedes that it possesses no documented evidence of any measures taken regarding Mr Gedge during 2003. It also confirms that any decision on the matter would have fallen to Pierce himself. As a result, Mr Gedge kept his position working with young people in the cathedral choir for an additional four-year period prior to his retirement. He passed away in 2016, never having faced any formal consequences within the religious body for the alleged assault.

The Ripple Effect of Inaction

For Ruth, the failure to act had devastating consequences. She feels that while the abuse was not directly from Pierce, his inaction enabled her abuser and left him free to potentially harm others. Her case raises the harrowing possibility that other victims’ pleas for justice may have been deliberately silenced or ignored by Pierce, a man perhaps driven by a desire to shield his associates or divert attention from his own dark secrets. Feeling completely failed by the institution, she ultimately took her complaint to the local police force. The inaction from the institution forced her to seek justice through secular authorities, a step she should never have had to take.

Justice Denied Across Borders

Police documents later seen by the BBC's investigative team in Wales show that David Gedge admitted to certain parts of Ruth’s story. He confirmed he had held her hand, that they had gone for a walk, and that he had shared personal matters from his own life with her. He denied, however, that he had assaulted her. Because the alleged incident occurred in Ireland, the case was referred to the Irish Director of Public Prosecutions. The Irish authorities concluded that the claims made by Ruth seemed to have merit, but a successful prosecution was unlikely. Following this, the church leadership at last acted, barring Mr Gedge from all subsequent positions inside the institution from 2012 onwards.

A Culture of Closing Ranks

The testimony of Graham Sawyer, who previously served as a cleric within the Church in Wales, indicates the institutional instinct to suppress allegations was not confined to Pierce's diocese. In 2002, while based in Pontypool, Sawyer developed worries regarding the conduct of Darren Jenkins, who served as both a guide for young people and a lay reader. He observed what he termed "inappropriate touching" that, while not appearing overtly sexual, involved hugging that made him uneasy. As a survivor of sexual abuse himself, Sawyer felt compelled to report his suspicions. His attempts to alert his superiors, however, were met with what he describes as a threat. He was allegedly warned to tread cautiously, with the implication of legal repercussions.

Whistleblower Exiled, Predator Jailed

Faced with institutional hostility and inaction, Graham Sawyer relayed his worries regarding Darren Jenkins to law enforcement. Feeling unsupported and ostracised, he eventually left his position in Pontypool and moved to Australia. His warnings proved to be tragically prescient. In 2006, Darren Jenkins received a prison sentence for the rape of a sixteen-year-old boy, an act he committed on five occasions. For Sawyer, the case is a stark example of a persistent and toxic culture within the Church. He believes the institution’s first response to any problem is to suppress the problem and look the other way. If that tactic fails, he says, they will lash out with fierce intensity.

Image Credit - BBC

A Separate Church, A Similar Problem

The Church in Wales is an organisation that is independent from its English counterpart. Each has its own dedicated safeguarding department, tasked with protecting vulnerable people. However, the recurring scandals suggest a shared cultural DNA when it comes to handling abuse allegations. Graham Sawyer’s campaign for accountability has now reached the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament. He has contacted elected officials to encourage their support for the growing calls for a completely impartial investigation into the systemic failings within the ecclesiastical body in Wales, arguing that internal reviews have proven woefully inadequate.

Turmoil in the Bangor Diocese

The crisis is not limited to historical cases. In June 2025, Andrew John, who held the post of Archbishop for Wales, announced his immediate resignation. His decision followed the release of two damning reports concerning the Bangor diocese, where he also served as bishop. These reports, commissioned by John himself in October 2024, exposed a deeply dysfunctional environment. They detailed a culture where professional and personal lines were indistinct and where "promiscuity was acceptable". The investigation, conducted by the specialist safeguarding body Thirtyone:eight, also highlighted a culture of excessive drinking and "inappropriate language, rude jokes and innuendoes" within the choir at Bangor Cathedral.

A No-Confidence Vote

While personal misconduct was not suggested on Archbishop John's part, the findings from the Thirtyone:eight report painted a picture of catastrophic leadership failure. The reports pointed to weak financial controls, a lack of transparency, and unprofessional conduct related to alcohol and sexual behaviour. The church's main trustee group, the Representative Body, met to discuss the "deeply troubling" revelations. They passed a motion declaring no confidence in the leadership of the Bangor diocese and called for fundamental changes in its governance and procedures. This motion effectively made the Archbishop's position untenable.

A Painful Resignation

Andrew John, who had been Archbishop since 2021 and Bishop of Bangor since 2008, initially attempted to amend the no-confidence statement but was unsuccessful. He later described the meeting as a "nightmare" and described the calls for him to step down as "very painful". He acknowledged that things had happened on his watch that he would have to live with. His departure marked the second time in less than a year that a senior Anglican primate in the UK had resigned over safeguarding failures, following Justin Welby's decision to step down from the role of Archbishop for Canterbury near the end of 2024.

The Legacy of IICSA

Formal warnings about systemic weaknesses are not new for the Welsh church body. It was a core participant in the wide-ranging official investigation into child sexual abuse, known as IICSA, which published its final report in 2022. IICSA's investigation identified numerous considerable deficiencies and failings in operations within the Church's safeguarding structures. Key failings included a dire lack of resources for its provincial safeguarding officers, who were found to be "spread too thinly". The inquiry also highlighted chronically poor record-keeping, describing an absence of proper files which hampered any meaningful oversight or investigation of past cases.

A Failure to Learn

IICSA determined that a defined procedure was absent within the Church in Wales for investigating cases where statutory authorities decided not to prosecute. This left a dangerous void where risky individuals could evade internal sanction. Moreover, a consistent policy was absent for managing known offenders who wished to worship in its churches. The report was also critical of the absence of official protocols for sharing information with police and social services in Wales. Professor Sir Malcolm Evans, a panel member for the IICSA, has publicly questioned whether the institution has genuinely integrated the lessons from that landmark inquiry.

Image Credit - BBC

Action After the Fact

Sir Malcolm noted that the IICSA report explicitly identified numerous considerable deficiencies. He draws a contrast between the Welsh situation and its English counterpart, where a wider conversation about the path forward has at least begun. According to his analysis, Wales now needs that same level of deep reflection and, most importantly, decisive action. For its part, the leadership of the Church in Wales has asserted that its handling of the most recent disclosure against Anthony Pierce in 2023 demonstrates that its revised safeguarding procedures, implemented after IICSA, are working. It points to the immediate police referral as evidence of this.

A Cycle of Review and Apology

In response to the current maelstrom of criticism, the leadership of the Welsh church body has offered another apology and committed to further action. It has pledged to commission an outside audit of safeguarding for all Welsh cathedrals. Crucially, it has also promised an extensive examination of the organization's culture. A spokesperson affirmed the institution's stance that any form of misconduct, abuse, or cover-up is unacceptable. The leadership insists it is determined to address the identified issues and improve practices so that the public can once again trust that the institution provides a safe space.

Calls for True Independence

For many victims and campaigners, these internal promises ring hollow. They have heard similar apologies and pledges for reform before. The very fact that Pierce's promotion occurred despite early warnings, and that the IICSA findings highlighted problems that are still evident today, fuels deep scepticism. The consistent call from survivors is for a genuinely independent inquiry, one that is entirely outside the Church's control. Only a body with statutory powers, they argue, can compel the disclosure of documents, force witnesses to testify under oath, and get to the bottom of the cultural rot that has allowed abuse to fester for so long.

A Future in the Balance

The coming months will be critical for the ecclesiastical body in Wales. It faces a police investigation that could uncover yet more disturbing cases. It must contend with the Charity Commission, which has launched its own probe concerning the governance of charities linked to the Bangor diocese. Most significantly, it must answer to a growing chorus of angry and betrayed voices from both inside and outside its walls. The institution's future viability and moral authority depend entirely on its ability to move beyond apologies and internal reviews, and to submit itself to a process of transparent, independent, and unflinching scrutiny. The shadows in the sanctuary must finally be brought into the light.