Blitz Bureau
THE Archbishop of Wales has announced his retirement from the role with immediate effect, reported BBC. In a statement, Andrew John confirmed he would also step down as Bishop of Bangor on August 31. His sudden retirement follows a turbulent period for his Bangor diocese, after the publication of the summaries of two reports into failures last month. The summaries mentioned “a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred” and excessive alcohol consumption as well as governance and safeguarding weaknesses at Bangor Cathedral.
There is no suggestion the archbishop has behaved inappropriately. The full reports have not been published, but an implementation group and oversight board were formed by the Church to make improvements and implement recommendations, said the news agency.
After calls were made in some quarters for the archbishop to resign, he offered his “most heartfelt apology to any members of the cathedral community who have been hurt or who feel I have let them down”. Two priests within Bangor Cathedral have also called publicly for an independent inquiry into the cathedral and diocese.
