An Anglican bishop is confronted with the prison after he has been guilty of 'deeply shocking' sex offenses against a young boy who has been silent for more than 30 years.
Anthony Pierce, 84, the retired bishop of Swansea and Brecon, gave five charges of indecent abuse on the boy under the age of 16.
The allegations were reported to the church in Wales in 2023 when the victim, now of middle age, told the security of officers what happened to him.
Pierce was released on Friday on Bautdocht at Swansea Crown Court and will return to be convicted next month.
The church in Wales apologized to the victim and said that Pierce could be stripped of holy orders by a disciplinary tribunal.
A statement to the Church Times said: 'The church in Wales is shocked about the offenses that were revealed in this case and pronounced his deepest sympathy with the victim for the abuse they have suffered.
'It is a cause of the most in -depth shame that a priest in the church in Wales should have been convicted of such shocking crimes.
“Our prayers are at the survivor and with all the victims of abuse, whose welfare must always be central to our work.”
Anthony Pierce, 84, (right) the retired bishop of Swansea and Brecon, gave five accusations of indecent abuse on the boy under the age of 16. Displayed here with Prince William in 2002
St Mary's Church, Swansea, where Pierce was a curate. The church in Wales has now admitted that some of its members were aware of another statement against Rev Pierce
The church in Wales has now admitted that some of its members were aware of another statement against Rev Pierce but kept silent.
That alleged violation happened in 1993, but was only reported to the police in 2010 and Pierce was never charged.
The church in Wales Safeguarding Committee has given an independent external assessment in the assignment to handle the second statement.
It is after the Archbishop of Canterbury has taken dramatic dismissal by admitting that he felt 'shame' about the way in which victims of the most productive child abuse of the church were abandoned.
Justin Welby said he stopped after a damn report discovered that his failure to act meant that 'disgusting' serial abuser John Smyth was never brought to court.
Dr. Welby had initially tried to hold, but was effectively forced to fall on his sword after senior colleagues had registered with criticism and more than 12,000 people signed a petition. Keir Starmer had also explicitly refused to support him.
York's Archbishop said that the dismissal was the 'right and honorable thing to do', while MPs were on it that there was a duty for leaders of institutions to 'report' to report and to follow rigorously '.
Like, the bishop of Liverpool was forced earlier last month to resign after two women had made accusations of sexual misconduct against him.
Bishop John Perumbalath today wrote to clergymen in his diocese to say that he will immediately take a step back from the ministry to prevent him from becoming a 'distraction'.
In a letter that the 58-year-old was seen, the 58-year-old wrote: 'After I had requested the permission of his Majesty the King, I made the decision today to retire from the active ministry in the Church of England .
Rev John Lomas, (above), the current bishop of Swansea and Brecon, described it as a 'poor crime' and a 'coarse betrayal of trust'.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has resigned. Shown: March 2024
Pierce collaborated with the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams when he was Archbishop of Wales.
He was bishop of Swansea and Brecon from 1999 to 2008 when he retired at the age of 67.
Swansea Crown Court heard the offenses happened to the young boy, while from 1985 to 1990 he was the parish priest in West Cross, Swansea.
Rev John Lomas, the current bishop of Swansea and Brecon, described it as a 'poor crime' and a 'coarse betrayal of trust'.
In a letter to the diocese, he said: 'We may be out of the stage of expressing shock when we discover that a person in a position of trust has used that position to sexually abuse a vulnerable person.
'It feels the moment you can hardly read, hear or view the news without learning the last incident.
'But I know that this specific case will be deeply shocking for so many of you. This is not a person you have read or have seen on TV.
“Tony Pierce was your parish priest, your arch deacon, your bishop.”
Bishop Lomas said that the diocese was full of people baptized, confirmed or arranged by Pierce that would be affected by the 'terrible circumstances' of his crimes.
He continued: 'Although we hope that the outcome of the criminal proceedings can offer some comfort to the victim in this case, it cannot of course not undo the damage caused by such a poor crime and such a coarse betrayal of trust.
“We have to start with recognition and repentance. In this case I can only express my sincere grief and my deepest apologies to the victim, who so bravely came forward to share his story with the church in Wales Safeguarding team and then the police.
'I am sorry that you were so abandoned by your priest and therefore by the church. I'm sorry it took so long before you see a form of justice. '
Bishop Lomas said that the church reported the violations to the police as soon as it was announced to the Church Security Team in 2023.
He said: 'As we now deal with the consequences of this case, we must continue with the same openness and honesty.
“That is why the church in Wales announced today that, after internal investigations caused by the disclosure of 2023, we know that a different disclosure was made in 1993 with regard to the behavior of Anthony Pierce.
'The representative body has now quickly moved to set up a full independent external assessment of this case that will be published.
'Some of you can be asked to contribute to this review, and I hope and expect that you will give it full cooperation and the greatest priority.
“This case will also be referred to the disciplinary tribunal of the church in Wales.
“I want you to know that, in contact with the Archbishop, and without fulfilling the deliberations of the tribunal, I will ask the tribunal to drop Anthony Pierce out of holy orders.”
Bishop Lomas urged priests and practices in the diocese to revise their security policy to “ensure that such events could no longer happen.”
Pierce, who lives in Brecon, was sent back on bail and will be convicted on March 7.
