Children’s Commissioner demands reform after ‘serious failures’ in Church’s handling of paedophile bishop

A review into how the Church handled allegations against Anthony Pierce, the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, revealed a series of “serious failures” over several decades.

Senior clergy knew of sexual abuse concerns against Pierce in the 1990s but did not report them to the police until 2010. Despite this, he was still promoted to Archdeacon in 1995 and then Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in 1999.

Pierce was jailed last year for sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s while serving as a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea. He had previously been found guilty of indecent assault with a child.

Following his conviction, the Church in Wales also took the step of deposing Mr Pierce from holy orders, meaning he is no longer a priest.

Now, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes MBE, has said the case demonstrates “why independent oversight of safeguarding arrangements in faith settings remains essential.”

“Children and survivors must have confidence that their concerns will be acted on robustly and impartially, not minimised or ignored,” she said.

“The report also highlights a clear need for a strong, safe whistleblowing pathway for individuals within institutions to be able to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. I will be raising this again with Welsh Government, and will seek a meeting with the Church in Wales to discuss their response.”

Rocio Cifuentes MBE, Children’s Commissioner for Wales. (Image: Children’s Commissioner for Wales)

The Commissioner is now calling for a requirement for a clear, safe whistleblowing route within faith settings, independent oversight of safeguarding in religious institutions, and stronger national governance, including the consideration of a Child Protection Authority.

She said the current review of safeguarding governance in Wales is an important moment to strengthen protections and ensure gaps like those highlighted in this case are finally addressed.

“Children and adults affected by abuse deserve timely, trauma-informed support and clear routes to raise concerns, which should always be acted upon,” she added, paying tribute to the courage of those who came forward.

The Church in Wales has published the full report on its website and has said it accepts its findings in full, with the Archbishop of Wales describing the review as showing a “catalogue of failures” which can “only be a source of shame for the Church.”

The Most Revd Cherry Vann, Archbishop of Wales, said:

“The welfare of the victims of sexual abuse must always be our paramount concern, and we offer our most heartfelt apologies to those who have been failed by the Church in the past.

“The review shows in painful detail the missed opportunities, the harmful assumptions and the inadequate processes which characterised the Church’s response to these allegations of abuse for far too long. This catalogue of failures can only be a source of shame for the Church and will have caused further trauma to abuse victims and their families.”

The Archbishop added that while safeguarding processes had “improved immeasurably” since the periods covered by the review, there was “no room for complacency.”

The current Bishop of Swansea and Brecon, the Rt Revd John Lomas, also apologised unreservedly for the failings.

He said:

“The trauma experienced by victims of abuse within the Church is made all the worse by the breach of trust they have suffered, and, as this review has shown, by the failings of the Church as an institution.

“While nothing can undo the wrongs of the past, and while we can only apologise unreservedly for the failings this review has brought to light, we hope that this review will go some way towards showing our determination to be clear and robust in ensuring these issues can never happen again.”

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