He admitted he had not paid enough attention to the cathedral, but said that was down to his role as archbishop, which meant taking on wider interests.
When asked what his biggest regret was, he said not ensuring there was a structure in place in the cathedral to deal with some of the issues and that he had been part of the problem.
“It pains me that these things happened under my watch and I’ll have to live with that,” he said.
“Bangor is a fantastic diocese.
“The damage done to the diocese, because I didn’t pay enough attention to problems, is a burden I’ll carry.”
He said he thought change would take years, but that the church would have to work together to ensure that change happened.
He said he did not feel he had been mistreated, but added he had been shocked by some of the comments directed towards him on social media.
“It’s been very difficult to see what people are saying on social media.
“I’m a bishop and a leader in the church, these things have happened during my tenure, so it’s only right to give someone else the opportunity to take responsibility for the future.”