Letter of support for bishop accused of bullying

Bishop Anne Dyer is now on sick leave

Scotland's first female bishop who had been accused of bullying has received backing to continue in her Orkney and Aberdeen role.

The Right Reverend Anne Dyer was suspended in 2022 and was due to face a disciplinary tribunal after three complaints were made against her.

However, following a review, the church's independent procurator said earlier this month it was not in the public interest to pursue a tribunal.

Bishop Anne - who has always denied the allegations - had been expected to return to work last week, but it emerged on Friday she was on sick leave. More than 20 members of the Scottish Episcopal Church have now backed her return in a letter in the Church Times.

The Church's procurator, Paul Reid KC, had decided to drop a number of bullying charges against her, despite finding that there was enough evidence to provide a "realistic prospect" of conviction under church law.

Bishop Anne had welcomed the result and said she was looking forward to resuming the full range of her duties in the service of her diocese "in the days and weeks ahead".

Four of the church's Bishops - including the Primus, the Most Reverend Mark Strange - later urged her to reconsider.

In an open letter he asked her to consider "whether she is still the right person to lead the Diocese".

Bishop Anne described the intervention as "ill-considered and inflammatory" and accused her colleagues of threatening her in "an unprofessional and un-Christian manner".

Twenty three clergy and lay members of the Scottish Episcopal Church from Shetland and a priest based in Orkney have now written their own open letter in support of her return.

They described their "deep sorrow" at what they described as a "naive and cruel" and "utterly disgraceful" intervention.

The letter called for "conversation, mediation, and reconciliation".