Bangor Cathedral is facing yet more difficulties in an already turbulent year, with conflict erupting between the choir and the cathedral leadership, the Chapter.
The Chapter has decided to halt all choir activity for a month after an incident during worship on Sunday 31 August.
During Holy Communion, the choir sang what the Chapter described as an “entirely inappropriate piece” called the “Canticle of Indignation”.
The choir then staged a walkout of the service while the altar party were performing their ablutions.
The cathedral's leadership said in a statement, "Chapter took the decision to pause all choir activity for an initial period of one month, with immediate effect whilst we review what happened and consider appropriate next steps.
"This pause will also provide an opportunity for dialogue between the Chapter and Choir."
An anonymous member of the congregation, writing for Nation Cymru, defended the choir's actions. They said that the song and walkout were in protest at the Chapter’s decision to apparently threaten choir members with redundancy in response to the cathedral’s financial problems.
The anonymous writer said that the song and walkout drew attention to the issue without disrupting worship.
The Chapter has said that the cathedral’s operational deficit is such that without significant action it will face bankruptcy next year. It anticipates a deficit of £300k by the end of the year, which it said would put "an unsustainable stress on reserves".
"Finance is challenging for the Chapter at present," it said.
"Bangor Cathedral is experiencing a significant shortfall between expenditure and income.
"This has far outstripped any increased income, resulting in a financial deficit that, if unaddressed, will place pressure on our reserves."
The Chapter has reportedly proposed sacking two of the three paid choir singers and reducing the hours of the choir leader Joe Cooper.
The anonymous worshipper stated that such proposals would “mean that the choir will not be able to survive in anything like its current form”.
A petition has been launched saying that the problems are not the fault of the choir and that "there are ways in which they could be solved". It has been signed by over 1,600 people.
The row comes at a difficult time for the cathedral.
In May an independent safeguarding audit was critical of some of the practices and culture at Bangor Cathedral, with claims of weak financial controls, excessive alcohol use, and “blurred” sexual boundaries.
The then Archbishop of Wales, the Most Reverend Andrew John, who also had oversight over Bangor Cathedral, described the report as “sobering” and pledged to take the necessary action to rectify the situation.
A month later, the Archbishop resigned, although he made no mention of the report in his resignation statement.
