Cloudy, warm, occasional glimpses of sky when I woke up at seven. Instead of dozing off again, I listened to the news and 'Sunday' religious magazine programme, which inevitably reported on the announcement Friday last, of the resignation of Andy John Archbishop of Wales 'with immediate effect'. Not exactly a surprise, sad to say. This last few months Bangor diocese and Cathedral have been in the spotlight for the wrong reasons, leading to a Provincial enquiry and a probe by the Charity Commissioners into financial irregularities in Cathedral management. Nothing to do with Bishop Andy himself but with misbehaviour by diocesan employees, acting in ways that betray trust placed in them as church office holders. What they did wrong for this to happen is one thing, but alongside it is the failure of oversight, if not denial of misbehaviour in face of concern expressed, not only in the media but also the Cathedral and diocese.
Eight months ago the Archbishop of Canterbury resigned in similar circumstance for failing to deal with serious safeguarding issues in relation to complaints from church members subjected to sexual abuse by those entrusted with pastoral care in the church, both clerical and lay. His staff team could have done a lot better in raising concerns and nagging him until he acted. It's difficult enough when a person is constantly in the media spotlight, tackling a host of problems and challenges simultaneously. The demands of high public office are huge, and the church isn't best equipped to deal with them, like industry and commerce.
By resigning, Bishop Justin admitted failure on behalf of the entire organised CofE. The Church in Wales is much smaller in comparison, with six dioceses and six hundred clergy, not forty two with 20,000. The same demands and distractions of public office still apply to the Archbishop of Wales, overseeing not just his own diocese of Bangor but supervising the affairs of the Province and leading his fellow bishops. Trust and confidence at every level of governance is essential. Before his resignation was announced, a meeting of the Church in Wales' Representative Body, its charitable trustees, with whom accountability for church governance and financial affairs rests, passed a vote of no confidence in him. A decisive resigning issue.
Given the whiff of scandal and mounting criticism of Diocesan leadership over the months past, this has been a long drawn out affair, but still, at the root of it all is the betrayal of trust on the part of those he appointed to run the diocese. At least by letting this affair play out to its inevitable conclusion, the Church in Wales is left with an instructive case study of the consequences of a bishop not giving top priority to the role of Chief Pastor, and reminding his staff to ensure he stays faithful to this sacred commission.
I decided to worship at St German's this morning so I walked down to Cowbridge Road East and took a 17 bus to the city centre, then picked up an eastbound bus to take me within easy reach of the church. It's amazing to see the extent of redevelopment of run-down areas of Tredegarville and Adamsdown which has taken place over the past two decades, with student accommodation and offices along the route I walked. It was lovely to be welcomed back by members of the congregation, enjoy familiar a liturgy expression and a thoughtful sermon by Fr Jarel, who reflected on the diversity of expressions of faith and discipleship represented by the Apostles Peter and Paul, and reminded us that no matter what effort we make as Christ's disciples, we're all prone to weakness and failure, but in the end God's grace surpasses all our failings.
It took two buses to get as far as Cowbridge Road after church, then I walked home from there. I took the precaution of preparing and part cooking lunch last night, as I knew how hungry I'd be, arriving home at a quarter to two. After eating, I spent an hour and a half writing, then fell asleep in the chair for over an hour before going out for a walk. The cloud cover had dispersed. There was no wind, and the evening sunshine at 23C was glorious. After supper, with nothing else to do, I watched another episode of 'The Sommerdahl Murders'. At least the crime investigation was complex, with a surprise twist in it at the very end. Its portrayal of a social environment in which sex with whoever you please is normal as long as they agree was insightful observing that it doesn't dispense with guilt or shame if a person feels they have something to hide.
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