Anthony Pierce, a former bishop of Swansea and Brecon, has admitted to five indecent assaults on a male child under the age of 16 when he was a parish priest in West Cross, Swansea from 1985 to 1990. The Church in Wales said in a statement that the allegations of his crimes emerged in 2023 when the survivor disclosed it to the safeguarding officer. The church immediately passed it on to the police.
The verdict of Pierce’s sentencing is scheduled for 7 March at Swansea Crown Court. He has been released on bail. After the sentence, the Church in Wales Disciplinary Tribunal plans for further action against him. The Church in Wales affirmed that it empathizes with the victim for the abuse they had to go through and added that it will deeply consider appropriate actions to be taken against such behavior.
The news of Pierce’s crime is deeply shocking to the congregants of the church, and the current bishop of Swansea and Brecon, John Lomas, expressed his sympathies to the victims. Lomas added that people have come to a stage where they expect such shocking news as they have heard or read about it on the news or seen it on TV. However, this is different because Pierce was someone that the church knew well and trusted.
The Church in Wales, in its statement, mentioned that some church members were aware of a further accusation against Pierce in 1993. Therefore, an immediate review of how the church handled this matter is necessary, the statement added. The Church in Wales plans and takes serious measures to ensure that there is no place for any abuse in its community. To enable this, they implement strict safeguard procedures and offer training to staff and volunteers
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