Understand
Bishop Anne Dyer suspended again months before planned retirement
Overview
The Right Reverend Anne Dyer, Scotland's first female bishop and the Scottish Episcopal Church's Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney, has been suspended for a second time following a new, separate complaint concerning an alleged breach of church code over the designation of a temporary cathedral. Bishop Dyer, who previously faced a suspension over bullying allegations from 2022 to 2024, expressed surprise at the new referral and described it as entirely without foundation. Her suspension is an automatic procedural requirement, and her retirement remains scheduled for next February.
Key points
- Bishop Anne Dyer has been suspended again just months before her planned retirement in February.
- The new suspension follows a separate complaint regarding an alleged breach of church code over the designation of a temporary cathedral.
- Bishop Dyer previously faced a suspension from September 2022 to October 2024 over bullying allegations before returning to work.
- The Scottish Episcopal Church stated that suspension is an automatic procedural requirement at this stage and does not imply any finding of fault.
- Bishop Dyer released a statement expressing surprise at the complaint and confidence that the Church Procurator will find it without foundation.