A CHURCH review has described the circumstances surrounding the nine-month absence and ultimate retirement of the former Bishop of Monmouth, Rt Rev Richard Pain, as a “tragedy”.

A 100-page report exonerates senior figures in the Monmouth diocese of any blame over what happened, but admits that long ministries of service were cut short, careers damaged and reputations left in ruins as the fall-out rocked the diocese amid reports of a rift among senior church figures.

The review, which took 20 months to complete, reveals claims of a culture of “excessive drinking” and “swearing” among some senior Church in Wales figures, and says concerns had been raised over the Bishop’s “behaviour”.

And it says inquiries set up by the Archbishop of Wales, Rt Rev John Davies, failed to deal with the situation effectively, as rumours of a falling out among top diocesan members made headlines.

Bishop Richard, the former vicar of Monmouth, announced his resignation in 2019 after a long absence from duties, and held his final service that July at Abergavenny’s St Mary’s Priory Church.

The independent review by a church panel, including the former Bishop of Norwich, Rt Revd Graham James, reveals how the Bishop withdrew from duties in 2018 while two separate inquiries took place - one concerning an individual complaint by a church employee, and another looking at concerns raised by senior diocesan figures.

Recommendations were made in the event of the Bishop returning to his ministry, but having previously indicated that he intended to retire, his supporters in the diocese then began a letter campaign called ‘Operation Lovebomb’ to persuade him to stay.

That led to the then Archbishop initiating a process of mediation, followed by newspaper stories saying a huge rift had developed in the diocese between senior church figures.

The report reveals that a disclosure of “inappropriate behaviour to the provincial secretary” was initially made by a church employee, named as ‘Alex’ in the report, at the end of 2017, while at the start of 2018, a fellow Bishop raised concerns with the Archbishop about Bishop Pain’s behaviour during a meeting of the Celtic bishops in Rome.

The then Monmouth diocesan Dean and Archdeacons thought Bishop Pain “had become more erratic and strained”, the report revealed.

Tensions later emerged, with reports that whenever challenged, the Bishop would become angry and insist on his own way.

A reportedly “angry and emotional” meeting agreed in July that year the Bishop would be asked to step back voluntarily while concerns were investigated, and he was warned he would be referred to a disciplinary tribunal if he didn’t do so.

The Archbishop then asked investigators to examine “the state of the relationships between the Bishop and his senior clergy colleagues; the appropriateness of the Bishop’s use of alcohol; and the Bishop’s workload”.

But the panel criticised “the unsatisfactory way” in which the inquiries were set up, with the wider inquiry finding there were no grounds to believe misconduct by anyone had occurred, while also making recommendations “through which the shortcomings in conduct and behaviour which it identified may be addressed should the Bishop of Monmouth return to any role in the Church in Wales”.

A process of mediation was then launched, but the Dean and Archdeacons, who said they had never made a formal complaint, told the inquiry: “The conclusion that there was no case to answer came as a hammer blow, since all the issues to do with Alex seemed to be swept away.

“We felt we were being bounced into mediation without any understanding of how we got to this point. We began to observe that responsibility for the whole situation (and therefore any solution to it) was being shifted on to us.”

Indicating he now hoped to return to his ministry, Bishop Pain told church authorities at the time: “For some months I have suffered from nervous exhaustion and had been advised by the doctors to refrain from work. Thankfully, I am now improving and I hope I may be able to resume my duties soon.”

And the report revealed he was being encouraged to do so by two clerics who launched ’Operation Lovebomb’, messaging churchgoers: “To write a card or letter to (the Bishop), assure him of your prayers, offer him words of encouragement, and say how you are looking forward to him resuming his duties as our much loved Father-in-God.”

That had unfairly “led to an increased suspicion within the diocese focused upon the Dean and Archdeacons”, compounded by paper articles about the situation. “Trust was ebbing away, including in the Archbishop and the process as far as the Dean and Archdeacons were concerned,” the review group said. The negative effect on the diocese until Bishop Richard’s announcement that he was retiring in 2019 was “considerable”, it added, with many clergy posts unfilled.

“Rumours abounded within the diocese, particularly about the role of the Dean and Archdeacons in relation to the Bishop’s retirement,” it said. As matters dragged on, it became “extremely difficult for the Dean and Archdeacons to continue effectively in ministry, and prompted the early retirement of the Dean”.

The review also found “that some of the concerns expressed by the Dean and Archdeacons about the behaviour of the Bishop of Monmouth went much wider. The prevalence of swearing and an excessive intake of alcohol among bishops and senior clergy was commented upon by several witnesses in their evidence to us, and by the Bishop of Monmouth himself in his evidence…”

The panel concluded: “We recognise we are looking at events with the benefit of hindsight, but we do not believe there is a single malign figure on whom all that happened can be blamed.

‘‘Rather, this is a story of people attempting to do the right thing but tying themselves in knots when they fail to revisit poor decisions and avoid risk to the extent that they create more of it.

‘‘That is why this is genuinely a tragedy.”

The review makes 28 recommendations, 13 of which apply to the broader culture and constitution of the Church in Wales.

The panel says “We believe a sea-change in attitudes is needed so that dignity at work and maintaining appropriate boundaries are seen only in positive ways.”

It recommends a full review of the role and powers of the Archbishop of Wales in the constitution, and “a process enabling whoever is appointed Archbishop of Wales to engage in transition to their new role with appropriate and sufficiently senior staffing to support them, so that those in other important senior posts do not have tasks devolving inappropriately upon them in times of difficulty or crisis”.

In a statement, the new Archbishop of Wales, the Most Rev Andrew John, and the chair of the Church in Wales Representative Body, James Turner, jointly said: “We wish to express our sorrow and regret that what could have been an opportunity to attend well to a challenging situation became ruinous and distressing and left numerous people vulnerable and damaged.

“This has not reflected well on the Church in Wales, and for that we apologise unreservedly to all those wounded by our failures.”

The current Bishop of Monmouth, the Rt Revd Cherry Vann, added: “I am pleased that the Monmouth inquiry and review has at last been published.

“I know that this will be a relief to many in the diocese of Monmouth who were left confused and dismayed when their former Bishop, Richard Pain, stood back from his role and eventually retired.

“The report will go a long way to answering their questions and explaining much of what happened and why.

“I am particularly pleased that the report exonerates the current Archdeacon of Newport, Jonathan Williams, and the former Dean, Lister Tonge, and the former Archdeacon of Monmouth, Ambrose Mason.

“I want to pay tribute to them and to the office staff, clergy, and people of the diocese who continued faithfully with the work of Church whilst feeling left bereft and abandoned.”