A review into how the Church in Wales handled allegations against Anthony Pierce – the former Bishop of Swansea and Brecon – has revealed a series of serious failures over several decades. Senior clergy knew of sexual abuse concerns in the 1990s but did not report them to police until 2010.
Pierce, who served as Bishop from 1999 to 2008, was jailed last year for sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s while serving as a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea. The new review found that despite earlier safeguarding concerns being known at the highest levels of the Church, Pierce was still promoted to senior roles.
Speaking after the publication of the report, Children’s Commissioner for Wales Rocio Cifuentes MBE said the findings “confirm missed opportunities and concerns that were not properly dealt with,” adding that the case demonstrates “why independent oversight of safeguarding arrangements in faith settings remains essential.”
Rocio Cifuentes MBE, Children’s Commissioner for Wales, said:
“Children and survivors must have confidence that their concerns will be acted on robustly and impartially, not minimised or ignored. The report also highlights a clear need for a strong, safe whistleblowing pathway for individuals within institutions to be able to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences. I will be raising this again with Welsh Government, and will seek a meeting with the Church in Wales to discuss their response.”
The Children’s Commissioner is now calling on Welsh Government and faith institutions to introduce a series of concrete reforms she believes would strengthen safeguarding for children in Wales, including:
· A requirement for a clear, safe whistleblowing route within faith settings;
· Independent oversight of safeguarding in religious institutions – ending the current self-policing model;
· Stronger national governance, including consideration of a Child Protection Authority to close long-standing oversight gaps.
The Children’s Commissioner believes that the current review of safeguarding governance in Wales is an important moment to strengthen protections and ensure gaps like those highlighted in this case are finally addressed. She also acknowledged the courage of those who came forward, saying that “children and adults affected by abuse deserve timely, trauma-informed support and clear routes
to raise concerns, which should always be acted upon.” Their experiences, she said, “should guide the improvements that follow.”