I’m the victim
Accused of bullying, first female bishop insists she’s suffered ‘hate crime’, with police called in
A FEMALE bishop at the centre of bullying allegations claims that she has been a victim of ‘hate crimes’ and ‘repeated’ social media attacks.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has published an independent report by a retired theologian who investigated concerns about the Right Reverend Anne Dyer.
As the Mail revealed last week, the report has recommended that the Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney – Scotland’s first female bishop – should be granted an immediate sabbatical from the role before ‘stepping back permanently’.
Professor Iain Torrance, a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who wrote the report, warned that continuing her tenure could lead to more people feeling ‘diminished and discouraged’.
However, in a letter to the diocese, Bishop Dyer says she has been subjected to ‘bullying’ since taking up the post in 2018. No decision has been made on her future despite the recommendation that she step aside. The bishop, 64, says she has been subjected to ‘repeated attacks’ on social media, and there are those with a ‘different story to tell’ about their experiences in the church.
The bishop said: ‘There is a diversity of views in the diocese, different perspectives and understandings of what is happening among us.
‘In addition, I am also conscious that since this investigation was carried out, I have continued to be subject to repeated attacks on social media, some of which have been described as simple harassment, and others reported to the police as possible hate crimes.
‘Many of us are feeling bruised at present. It is my earnest desire to seek to understand and take responsibility for my contribution to the present distress.’
The investigation includes claims that Bishop Dyer rushed a ‘hasty merger’ between St Andrew’s Cathedral and St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Aberdeen, with the fallout cited by Mr Torrance as a major cause of her ‘loss of credibility’. The report claims she presided over a culture of ‘systemic dysfunction’, fear and bullying, amid concerns over her support for same-sex marriage. She believes there are ‘major errors and omissions’ in the report.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has said ‘certain voices’ within the diocese were not heard in the report process.
Independent mediation has now started as the next phase to help the diocese move forward.