Priests accused of doing ‘seven shots of Christ'
Choristers who used to sing at the church said excessive drinking was commonplace as senior figures would look for 'any excuse to bring out the wine'.
Details of the concerning culture at the Bangor Cathedral in Wales emerged just days after Andrew John retired as Archbishop of Wales with immediate effect.
The claims come following two critical reports highlighting safeguarding concerns and misbehaviour at his Bangor diocese which states there was a 'culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred'.
A former chorister told the BBC she was sexually assaulted in 2022 by a man who was training to become a priest.
She said this took place after a Bangor Cathedral Oktoberfest event and that he had been drinking 'considerably too much'.
The woman, who is now in her early 20s, said she reported it and he apologised, but commented that the drinking culture did not change.
She said: 'Several bottles of prosecco would be gone through on a Sunday morning.'
After a cathedral concert on Good Friday in 2023, members of the choir and 'a few of the priests' went for drinks, the chorister claimed.
The woman said: 'It was deemed appropriate to do the seven last shots of Christ.
'Because Christ has seven last words, therefore we sang seven pieces of the seven last words in the concert – and that somehow translated into seven shots of Christ.
'I think I left after the first shot because I was like, 'I don't think this is appropriate.' There's too many people taking shots in dog collars for me to be comfortable.'
Esme Byrd, a lay clerk who would regularly sing with the choir, said the culture around drinking was 'deeply unhealthy'.
The 29-year-old said people at the church were often getting 'catastrophically drunk' and that there was a 'culture of binge drinking'.
She said: 'It seemed to be any excuse to bring out the wine, any excuse to go to the pub.'
Ms Byrd, who worked closely with children at the choir, said she was also concerned about the language used around children and their general wellbeing.
'Always inappropriate'
The church in Wales said 'concerns about a drinking culture' prompted them to investigate and said alcohol was 'not now generally available' after services.
A spokesman for Bangor Cathedral said they did not believe the church was unsafe for children.
The spokesman told the BBC: 'Previous concerns about a drinking culture at the Cathedral contributed to the decision to undertake a Bishop's visitation.
'The implementation group who are addressing the recommendations from the visitation are developing a policy concerning alcohol use. Alcohol is not now generally available after services.
'The inappropriate use of alcohol within and during cathedral-related activities included encouragement by some towards others to consume alcohol.'
Safeguarding measures in place
They said DBS checks are now required along with safeguarding training to comply with UK legislation and the policies in the Church of Wales.
The spokesman said the blessing of beer was occasionally practised in churches – but that 'the abuse of alcohol is always inappropriate'.
There is no suggestion the archbishop has behaved inappropriately.
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