Sex, alcohol and bad language: The Welsh cathedral that showed how not to run a place of worship

Telegraph

4 hours ago

When Rhys Evans then applied to train as a priest, it was John who ensured he was accepted. And then in 2021, when Rhys Evans was hardly out of theological college, John named him Sub-Dean of the Cathedral, in charge – among other things – of its money.
Many voiced concerns at the time that Rhys Evans had a conflict of interest in overseeing both the finances of the cathedral and the diocese. The two had to be separate.
The Charity Commission seems to agree with them. It is now examining allegations that money given to support the diocese was used to buy expensive new seating for the cathedral at an estimated cost of between £200,000 and £400,000.
Some congregation members the Telegraph spoke to say that the sub-dean was not a universally popular figure in the cathedral, though some point to his achievements in boosting congregations at set-piece liturgies, such as the Christmas Eve service. Others who have spoken to the Telegraph describe him as clique-ish, and claim they were excluded from decision-making in what they regarded as 'their cathedral'. Allegedly, their views were ignored and their hard work, usually as volunteers, to keep it running was taken for granted.
Rhys Evans is alleged to have 'hand-picked' members of the choir who went on a trip to Rome in 2023, the Telegraph has been told, leaving behind those who had questioned his judgements. They did not get to enjoy the smart hotels that were preferred to pilgrim hostels nor the taxis that felt more appropriate than shoe-leather for getting around the city.
According to a source in the Bangor Diocese, the final bill for the visit is believed to have come to over £20,000. Taken alongside the prosecco that was regularly served at the most minor event in the cathedral, more sober voices in the congregation were asking increasingly loudly if this was a suitable use of the money put on the plate each week.
It took Archbishop John a long time to hear them but, when he did, he commissioned both a formal 'visitation' (inspection) of the life of the cathedral, and a safeguarding review from an independent agency. These are the two reports that are now being kept secret.
The archbishop seems to have seen through his protégé long before either report landed on his desk. Whatever faith in Rhys Evans he once had had and maintained for over a decade, it was apparently now lost as he put him on gardening leave. Some in the congregation are happy to speculate why it took so long but they provide no evidence.
Rhys Evans – who lists his interests on his X account as 'spirituality, religion, gender and Italian greyhounds' – resigned in December 2024 to take up a job as bursar at Westminster College, a United Reform Church establishment in Cambridge. He left there in May after his probation period.
So, what will happen now the two principals in the drama have exited stage right? In matters financial, the Charity Commission, when it completes its investigation, has substantial powers if it has found evidence of improper behaviour. Some are even asking for police involvement around the allegations of misuse of funds.
Rev Professor McPhate has a wider concern, namely that 'an injustice' may be being done 'to any persons who have been damaged by what went on, and to those who faithfully have given their money to the Church, trusting that it would be used appropriately and wisely'.
There is a risk that Bangor Cathedral's bruised congregation will vote with its feet and leave its community. But he also adds a note of caution about the rumours created by the archbishop's sudden resignation. In his eight years worshipping at the cathedral, he says, 'I have never witnessed any culture of alcohol abuse or sexual promiscuity to which the [safeguarding] report makes reference. If true, the reference must allude to extramural behaviour by specific individuals, of which I know nothing.'
Writer Tim Wyatt, whose The Critical Friend substack covers Anglican affairs, sees in the whole saga a 'resonance' with the departure of Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, in January. Neither leader came out well from independent reports into their conduct (Welby around his links to John Smyth whose abuse of children went unchallenged and unpunished).
Both then tried to hang on despite the findings, presenting themselves implausibly as the solution not the problem. And both finally resigned with little good grace. 'Neither were bad people,' says Wyatt, 'and both made a series of bad decisions and paid heavily for them.'
Is there, then, a problem with the selection process for senior leadership roles in the Church that needs addressing? Rev Dr Mark Clavier, Canon Theologian for the diocese of Swansea and Brecon, believes that this whole episode highlights a worrying trend.
'I've served in ministry for three decades in the US, England and Wales, and I've rarely known clergy and congregations to feel more fatigued than now. That's partly down to the Church's structures and leadership that don't always feel responsive or participatory.'
But he goes further. 'Culture is the common thread between the various crises we've seen. Their frequency – and the way they've sometimes been handled – have reinforced a sense that decision-making is too closed and too centralised, with key choices made by a small circle without enough wider involvement. That's not healthy for any church.'