Priests at a cathedral described as having a “culture of binge drinking” have been accused of playing a “seven last shots of Christ” game after a Good Friday service.
Former choir singers at Bangor Cathedral have claimed there “seemed to be any excuse to bring out the wine” at the church, which has been embroiled in controversy in recent weeks.
The accusations follow a safeguarding review at Bangor Cathedral, which raised complaints about alcohol use and sexual behaviour.
The Archbishop of Wales, Andrew John, announced his retirement after the critical report of his diocese.
There is no suggestion that the archbishop behaved inappropriately. The Church in Wales told the BBC that in light of the report, there must be a “change in leadership, procedures and governance in the diocese of Bangor”.
A former singer at the church anonymously told the BBC that she had been sexually assaulted there in 2022 by a man training to become a priest.
The Church in Wales told the BBC she was one of two people who complained about the man’s behaviour.
The incident was reported and the man’s priest training was not taken forward.
The woman said the man had “considerably too much to drink” in the lead up to the assault.
She said: “I’d already warned people that night he’s drinking a lot more than everyone else. So these warning signs were ignored and that led to that assault.”
Though she received an apology, she said the drinking culture did not change.
“Several bottles of prosecco would be gone through on a Sunday morning,” she added.
“Any sort of external event or big internal event there was prosecco or wine.”
She also recalled an inappropriate drinking game played by members of the choir and priests after a cathedral concert on Good Friday in 2023.
“A few of the priests came out with the choir,” she said. “It was deemed appropriate to do the seven last shots of Christ.”
“Because Christ has seven last words, therefore we sang seven pieces of the seven last words in the concert – and that somehow translated into seven shots of Christ,” she added.
“I think I left after the first shot because I was like ‘I don’t think this is appropriate’. There’s too many people taking shots in dog collars for me to be comfortable.”
A former lay clerk at the cathedral also shared their experiences of the “culture of binge drinking”.
Esmé Byrd, 29, told the BBC that some people would get “really catastrophically drunk” and also shared concerns around a lack of safeguarding training.
A spokesperson for The Church in Wales told the BBC that they did not believe Bangor Cathedral to be unsafe for children, but that improvements to policy were required.
They said “the abuse of alcohol is always inappropriate”, adding: “Previous concerns about a drinking culture at the Cathedral contributed to the decision to undertake a Bishop’s visitation.
“The Implementation Group who are addressing the recommendations from the visitation are developing a policy concerning alcohol use. Alcohol is not now generally available after services.
“The inappropriate use of alcohol within and during cathedral-related activities included encouragement by some towards others to consume alcohol.
“This inappropriate behaviour is addressed in the actions which are required following the visitation process.
“DBS checks are required and safeguarding training delivered in line with UK legislation, and the Church in Wales policies.”
The Independent has contacted Bangor Cathedral and The Church in Wales.
