Anne Dyer

On 9 November 2017, Dyer was selected as the next Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, making her the first woman to have become a bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church.^[9][10] Her selection caused controversy due to her gender, support of same-sex marriage, and that she was not elected by the diocese itself (she was appointed by the house of Bishops after the diocese failed to choose its own bishop).^[11][12][13] Two senior clergy in the diocese resigned their diocesan roles in protest, including Emsley Nimmo, the dean of the Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.^[14] She was consecrated a bishop on 1 March 2018 during a service at St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen.^[15]

In February 2021, Dyer was accused of bullying by a number of clergy, laypeople and church employees in The Times.^[16] Amongst the issues reported in The Times article was that an independent investigation had been commissioned after Dyer dismissed the musical director at her cathedral. The investigation report was highly critical of Dyer, and found that there were “insufficient grounds” for the dismissal.^[17] In March 2021, the College of Bishops commissioned Iain Torrance to lead an Independent Review into "difficulties" in the Diocese following a series of allegations regarding the Bishop.^[18] In August 2021 the College of Bishops announced their intention to defer publication of the report and move to a second stage of reviewing.^[19]

A few days later The Times reported Torrance's findings which had taken evidence from over 100 people.^[20] His report,^[21] which Dyer tried to have changed after completion,^[22] found that there was a culture of bullying and "systematic dysfunction in the diocese", and that there were previous similar problems in Dyer's time at Durham. Professor Torrance stated that: "Without colluding in what I much fear is a repetition of the past, I cannot recommend the continuation of a tenure in which I fear that more people will be made to feel diminished and discouraged." He recommended that Dyer be immediately sent on sabbatical and that she should step down from her position permanently.^[21]

However, the bishops decided, instead, to establish a mediation process.^[23] Dyer has stated that she herself had been a victim of bullying, that the diocese was "not well", and that "The mediation process being offered to our diocese is our treatment".^[24]

On 10 August 2022, Dyer was suspended as bishop after the SEC announced they had received two complaints of bullying.^[25] An Episcopal Synod (meeting of bishops) met on 30 September, voting 3 to 2 to refuse the appeal and continue Dyer's suspension from office. The church stated that "The suspension does not constitute disciplinary action and does not imply any assumption that misconduct has been committed".^[26]

On 8 November 2023, the church announced that the case had been referred to the church's Procurator to decide if the case should be referred to their Clergy Disciplinary Tribunal.^[27] Subsequently, the Procurator resigned "to allow the appointment of a replacement who has no pre-existing connection of any nature to any of the parties or witnesses potentially involved, so as to avoid any suggestion that the process was not being conducted in an independent and impartial manner", to be replaced by a new procurator on 23 January 2024.^[28] A tribunal hearing on three complaints will be held in Edinburgh in September 2024.^[29]

From September 2022, John Armes was the acting Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, while Dyer remains suspended.^[30] Dorsey McConnell, former Bishop of Pittsburgh, took on the role on 1 November 2023.^[31]

In April 2024, it was reported that Dyer was still under suspension and must to face a Clergy Discipline Tribunal over allegations of conduct unbecoming of a cleric.^[32]

However, on 8 October the church dropped all charges against Dyer even though the prosecutor stated that “there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction in respect of each allegation.” He said that the decision was due to some complainants having misgivings about giving testimony and being cross-examined. The dropping of charges meant that Dyer's suspension immediately ended and she could return as Bishop on 24 October.^[33] The dropping of charges caused shock amongst parishioners, one telling the BBC that the decision “is profoundly concerning and makes a mockery of the Church's disciplinary process.” Another commented that the decision “sets a dangerous precedent that, in this case, has had the effect of shielding one of its own senior leaders from further scrutiny at a tribunal.”^[34]

Following the protests, four of the six Bishops (who include Dyer) of the Scottish Episcopal Church wrote a letter and also released a statement to the Church Times calling on Dyer to resign.^[35]

In 2024 allegations were submitted to the Scottish Charity Regulator charging that Dyer oversaw submission of incorrect accounts for the Episcopal Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney.^[36] A dossier of allegations was submitted to the regulator by Simon Arthur, 4th Baron Glenarthur in 2022.^[37] and again in 2024.^[38]

A spokesman for Dyer said that she "emphatically denies these false and malicious allegations ... They appear to be merely the latest salvo in a relentless campaign by a small handful of individuals seeking to force Bishop Anne from office due to their beliefs on issues such as female bishops and same-sex marriage ... It's important to note that several of the allegations pre-date Bishop Anne's appointment to the diocese and that during her tenure the assets of the diocese increased considerably. Accounts for the diocese were prepared by professional accountants following detailed audits, and claims of 'fabricated' meetings are beyond parody".^{[citation needed]}

Dyer identifies with the Open Evangelical tradition of Anglicanism.^[39]

In December 2014, Dyer signed an open letter to the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church that was supportive of same-sex marriage: it concluded with a "wish to make clear our continuing commitment to affirm and support all people in our church, and to recognise and rejoice in all marriages, of whatever sexual orientation, as true signs of the love of God in Christ."^[40] With the SEC voting to allow same-sex marriages, she conducted her first such marriage in October 2017.^[41]

Dyer is married to Roger. Together they had one child, a daughter,^[2] who died, aged 30, in 2021.^[42]