ABERDEEN (UNITED KINGDOM)
Premier Christian News [London, England]
May 19, 2024
By Lydia Davies
Scotland’s first female bishop, the Rt Rev Anne Dyer, is poised to face a disciplinary tribunal amidst allegations suggesting her behavior could tarnish the church’s reputation.
Appointed in 2018, Rev Dyer has been accused of actions “unbecoming of a member of the clergy” and likely to “bring the church into disrepute.”
According to The Daily Mail Rev Dyer has previously reported enduring “significant bullying and harassment.”
The process leading to a tribunal was initiated by the church’s procurator, Paul Reid, KC.
After reviewing preliminary findings last November, Reid decided to advance three complaints to a formal hearing. “The alleged canonical offences concern behaviour or conduct unbecoming of a member of the clergy, which brings or is likely to bring the church into disrepute,” the church said in a public statement.
Rev Dyer’s leadership came under scrutiny in 2022 when allegations of bullying emerged, prompting a brief suspension that was quickly lifted after an appeal. Despite her appeal against suspension being rejected later on, she has consistently publically defended herself against what she described as “unsubstantiated and anonymous allegations in the national media.”
A comprehensive review in 2022 by Professor Iain Torrance concluded that Rev Dyer’s conduct left individuals feeling “diminished and discouraged,” recommending she permanently withdraw from her duties.
Amongst the feedback was an anonymous statement expressing how “The church seems intent to protect the hierarchy and its own reputation. I have witnessed my happy, confident and capable spouse be systematically destroyed.”
While Bishop Dyer remains suspended pending the outcome of the tribunal proceedings, she has been given one month to respond to the charges.
The tribunal is set for this September in Edinburgh.
In her absence, the Rt Rev Dorsey McConnell will continue as Acting Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney.