Worshippers urge inquiry on leadership
MORE than 20 members of the congregation at Llandaff Cathedral have called on the recentlyelected Archbishop of Wales to commission an independent inquiry into the Llandaff diocese’s senior leadership.
The move follows allegations about a breakdown in the relationship between the Bishop, Rt Rev June Osborne, and the Dean, the Very Rev Gerwyn Capon.
Last month the Western Mail revealed that the Dean had made a formal complaint of bullying against the Bishop, accusing her of wanting to force him out of his post.
It is understood that while it had reservations about the Dean’s allegations, a Church in Wales preliminary inquiry decided last May that the Bishop has a case to answer.
Dr Capon, who was appointed in 2014 by the current Bishop’s predecessor, Dr Barry Morgan, submitted a 31-page complaint about Bishop Osborne to the Church last year.
In it, he alleged that after Bishop Osborne took up her post in 2017, she quickly made it clear that she had no confidence in him, stating that she believed allegations relating to the running of an organ appeal.
These allegations had been investigated by the then-Archbishop of Wales, Dr Morgan, in conjunction with the Charity Commission shortly before Dr Capon had been appointed Dean. The inquiry’s conclusion was that the allegations were unfounded. Dr Capon subsequently reviewed the allegations and came to the same conclusion.
The Chapter [ruling body] of Llandaff Cathedral published on its website claims the Dean had misspent more than £30,000. The allegations were included in the cathedral’s annual report and financial statements for the year 2020. In fact an earlier inquiry which reported in October 2020 had concluded that the Dean was innocent of such allegations.
In a letter published in the current edition of the Church Times, 23 members of the cathedral’s congregation told how earlier this year they had complained about the lack of information regarding the Dean’s absence from his duties since May 2020.
The issue resulted in a tense meeting, after which members of the congregation formally complained that the signatories of the original letter of complaint had been “contemptuously dismissed with phrases such as ‘keyboard warriors’ and ‘barrack-room lawyers’”.
Bishop Osborne rejected the complaint, stating the serious nature of the complaint required an “equally robust rebuttal”.
In a letter to the Church Times, 23 members of the Llandaff Cathedral congregation state: “We would reply to Bishop Osborne that, in view of all that has come to light in recent weeks about the behaviour of Chapter towards the Dean, and the complete absence of understanding or compassion in any of the correspondence that we have received from them, that not only were the concerns of the signatories of the letters justified, but that the situation in the diocese of Llandaff is far worse than any us of had imagined.
“We are at a loss to understand how it has come to this, and grieve that we are left with no alternative but to draw attention publicly to our experience.”
It added: “We are writing to the newly-elected Archbishop of Wales to ask him to institute a comprehensive, transparent, and fully independent inquiry – ie from outside of the Church in Wales – into the senior leadership of Llandaff diocese since the appointment of Bishop Osborne [in 2017].
“And we call on the Anglican Church to pray for the healing of the Christian community in Llandaff Cathedral, that it may once again be a place where the love of our crucified and risen Lord is lived out in holiness and peace.”
A Church in Wales spokeswoman responded: “The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, has received the letter and is in the process of responding to the signatories.”
The Bishop of Llandaff did not wish to comment.