Four of the six diocesan bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church, including the Primus, have urged the Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, the Rt Revd Anne Dyer, to consider whether she is the right person to lead the diocese, in light of the response to her reinstatement.
On Thursday afternoon, the Primus, the Most Revd Mark Strange, and the Bishops of Edinburgh, Brechin, and Argyll & The Isles released a statement to the Church Times saying that they had urged Bishop Dyer to “consider whether she is still the right person to lead the diocese”.
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A spokesman for Bishop Dyer told the Church Times that it was a “matter of profound regret” that the bishops had “sought to improperly pressurise her to step down at this time and in this way”.
Bishop Dyer was first suspended more than two years ago, and had been due to face a disciplinary tribunal on allegations including bullying and abuse of her position (News, 12 August 2022).
Last week, however, the SEC’s Procurator, Paul Reid KC, said that the proceedings had been dropped. Bishop Dyer said that she was looking forward to resuming her duties “in the days and weeks ahead” (News, 9 October).
Mr Reid said that, although there was “sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction”, he did not consider it to be in the public interest to continue with a trial.
In their letter on Thursday, the bishops write: “We had hoped that the conclusion of the process would lead eventually to reconciliation and healing in the diocese. The responses and reactions we have witnessed since then suggest otherwise and it is clear that deep divisions will remain, both within the diocese itself and more widely.”
They write that they have “sought a conversation” with Bishop Dyer “about the best way forward for her and her diocese at this crucial moment”, but that they have been told by Bishop Dyer’s lawyers that, because she is currently on holiday, “for practical reasons she cannot engage fully in this conversation.”
The bishops write: “We have, nevertheless, set out clearly our concerns to her and on her return from holiday we shall table these as part of an urgent conversation in the College of Bishops.”
Bishop Dyer’s spokesman confirmed that she was abroad for a “short holiday”, and criticised the intervention by the bishops, describing it as “wrong and unfair”.
“Many across the Church will be dismayed at this intervention, coming as it does after the proceedings against Bishop Anne were dismissed and when the focus needed to be on Church unity.
“Some of Bishop Anne’s colleagues have now apparently decided to undermine the integrity of the Church proceedings, the decision of the Procurator and the decision of the Tribunal,” he said, and indicated that a “fuller statement” would be issued in the future.
Bishop Strange, who is also the Bishop of Moray, Ross & Caithness, co-signed the bishops’ statement, with the Bishop of Edinburgh, Dr John Armes, the Bishop of Brechin, the Rt Revd Andrew Swift, and the Bishop of Argyll & The Isles, the Rt Revd David Railton.
“We are making this statement as individual bishops who serve the Scottish Episcopal Church in light of concerns raised with us over the past week,” they wrote.
There are currently six bishops in the SEC, as the see of Glasgow & Galloway is vacant. The only bishop, other than Bishop Dyer, who did not sign the letter was the Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld & Dunblane, the Rt Revd Ian Paton, who has been serving as Acting Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney.
