The former Archbishop of Wales has expressed regret over a “drinking culture” within his diocese after reports surfaced that priests and choir members took part in a “seven last shots of Christ” game at a pub following a Good Friday concert. Andrew John, who retired suddenly late last month, said the revelations were “a shock” and described the behavior as saddening and inappropriate.
John announced his immediate retirement on June 27, days after the Representative Body of the Church in Wales met in Cardiff and called for a change in leadership, procedures and governance in the Diocese of Bangor, according to Church Times.
Former choristers described a pattern of excessive alcohol use tied to religious events at Bangor Cathedral, including drinking during Sunday services and after concerts.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
One woman, identified as Jessica, said that following a Good Friday performance in 2023 based on the “Seven Last Words of Christ,” choir members and some priests went to a pub and began taking a round of seven shots to match the theme. She said she left after the first shot, explaining, “There’s too many people taking shots in dog collars for me to be comfortable,” according to the BBC.
Jessica also said she was sexually assaulted in 2022 by a man training to become a priest, following a cathedral Oktoberfest event where he had been drinking heavily. She reported the incident and received an apology, but said the culture did not change.
“Several bottles of prosecco would be gone through on a Sunday morning,” she was quoted as saying. The man in question did not continue his priest training after two people came forward with complaints about his behavior.
Lay clerk Esmé Byrd, who sang regularly with the cathedral choir for six months until January 2023, said the drinking culture was “deeply unhealthy.”
Byrd told BBC Wales Investigates that some people at the cathedral were getting “catastrophically drunk” and there was a near-constant presence of alcohol around services and events. She also raised concerns about sexual jokes made in front of children and the lack of safeguarding training or proper vetting for those working with minors.
In response, the Church in Wales acknowledged that prior concerns about alcohol abuse contributed to its decision to conduct a Bishop’s visitation at Bangor Cathedral. A spokesperson said the implementation group is now developing a policy on alcohol use and that alcohol is “not now generally available” after services, reported The Telegraph.
The spokesperson stated that inappropriate alcohol use within cathedral-related activities had included pressure to drink and that such behavior is being addressed in follow-up actions. Safeguarding protocols now require criminal background checks and mandatory training in line with national legislation.
In his interview with BBC Radio Cymru, John said, “The idea that they went out after important services, that they went out until late saddens me. It gives a bad impression of the diocese.”
He added that he had been unaware of the drinking culture until it was publicly reported, and while he accepted responsibility for failing to address systemic issues, he said he had made efforts to improve matters before stepping down.
“I don’t think I had a chance to explain the changes we’ve made, and how complicated things are, but, having heard from them, I don’t want to be a problem for them either,” he said. “It pains me that these things happened under my watch, and I’ll have to live with that.”
John’s resignation came after two critical reports described Bangor Cathedral as a place where “sexual boundaries seemed blurred,” financial oversight was weak, and decision-making lacked proper scrutiny. The reports also described harmful gossip and online abuse, and called for structural reforms.
Six serious incident reports tied to charities in the diocese have been submitted to the Charity Commission, which has since launched an investigation, The Times reported.
