The Archbishop of Wales issued the message below to the diocese of Bangor on 20 February 2026. I wrote about the proposal to appoint an interim bishop here and here.
Interim Bishop of Bangor: Message from the Archbishop of Wales
Dear friends,
Today, we have held interviews of an Interim Bishop of Bangor. I am very grateful for all those, from the diocese and the province, who have been involved in this discernment process.
Any process of discernment has to be open to an outcome that it is not right to proceed in the way we hoped. This is what has happened on this occasion and so we will not be proceeding with the appointment of an interim bishop.
Instead, I am going to ask the Governing Body’s Standing Committee to recommence the electoral college process.
The diocese remains in my prayers.
Archbishop Cherry
An utter fiasco! Why were the rules changed to permit the appointment of an interim bishop without a suitable candidate having been identified? This does not reflect well on Cherry Vann’s leadership.
I’m not commenting on the situation in that diocese but, as a general point, the worst recruitment fiascos I’ve ever seen have started by identifying the preferred candidate then reverse engineered the rules. So I think not having done that reflects rather better on the Archbishop than you do.
What you seem to suggest is not a selection process at all but for Archbishop Cherry to be an autocrat and impose her will on everyone else. That wouldn’t be a good foundation for the healing and reconciliation that Bangor urgently needs. A good manager, a manager who isn’t a dictator tries own solution and if that solution doesn’t work tries something else.
I can’t agree. Having ‘suitable’ candidates identified before the recruitment process begins smacks of a stitch-up.
I can see both perspectives here.
But, with the benefit of hindsight, I find myself wondering whether this question was asked:
‘If we are going to change the rules and seek to appoint an interim bishop, what sense do we have of the likelihood of this proving impossible, and the likely consequences of that being the case.’
Normally a preferred candidate should not be identified before a recruitment process begins, but this was not a normal situation. The electoral college did not agree on a candidate, and the governing body changed the rules to permit the appointment of an experienced bishop on an interim basis. This was on the basis that an immediate appointment was required. Realistically there cannot be many plausible candidates for this – an experienced (presumably recently retired) bishop who would be willing to relocate to North Wales for 1-2 years to clear up the mess left by the previous bishop. Accordingly at least… Read more »
It looks like exploring the possibility of an interim bishop has only added about three months to the process. Had it worked, the diocese would presumably have certainty now. If the electoral college couldn’t make an appointment last time, there is no guarantee that anyone will come forward this time. Having had a bit of time pass is not unhelpful if there were suitable candidates who weren’t in a position to move last time, but might be available for a future date. Presumably the nightmare scenario for Archbishop Cherry would be a situation where no qualified person was willing to… Read more »
Sadly I’m not at all surprised all credible contenders have given it a wide berth, especially as the ‘retired’ Archbishop is still resident and active in the Diocese, and the person at the heart of the scandals there has as yet not been subject to thorough investigation or received any sanction of any kind. I say sadly as there are so many good clergy and laity in the Diocese who are just quietly trying to get on with doing what they can on their patch. They deserve far better than the egotistical mediocrities they’ve been saddled with in leadership for… Read more »
If the CinW is in such a calamitous position as other contributors say a long interregnum is just another manifestation of that decline. The Archbishop can do any ordinations that crop up and retired bishops can be prevailed upon to do the odd confirmation service in the cathedral from time to time. Not ideal certainly but with a ‘can do’ attitude I’m sure that they will muddle through.
What an utterly awful assessment of this announcement. One can only imagine how difficult the whole situation has been for the people within the diocese. Unprecedented hardly comes close to the events surrounding the appointments and culture that was created in the diocese, not only but principally focused on the cathedral of, that resulted in the retirement of the archbishop. Trying to find a way forward with so many people battered and bruised as a consequence of the poor choices made by the diocese leaders must have been hugely difficult. Trust will have surely evaporated. The idea a system that… Read more »