THE Scottish Episcopal Church’s College of Bishops has urged the clergy and laity to report pastoral and governance concerns internally rather than approach the media.
The seven bishops, who include the Bishop of Aberdeen & Orkney, the Rt Revd Anne Dyer, were responding in a statement, last Friday, to an earlier report from The Times concerning fresh allegations of bullying made against Bishop Dyer. Details of these were reportedly contained in a 122-page dossier being investigated by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
Last year, a review commissioned by the diocese and carried out by Professor Iain Torrance concluded that Bishop Dyer, who is accused of bullying by multiple people, should step back permanently, and warned of “systemic dysfunction” in the diocese (News, 6 March 2021). Instead, mediation was initiated, which remains in process (News, 8 October 2021).
In the OSCR dossier, one former ordinand, Henna Cundill, who seceded to the Church of Scotland, reportedly wrote of the diocesan culture: “I became very concerned in late 2020 when one individual expressed suicidal thoughts. I saw several friends, including other ordinands, paid staff, and clergy being told they were not suitable for their jobs, not ‘healthy’ enough or not trustworthy.”
The Bishops’ statement acknowledges that people in the diocese have “experienced deep distress”, but insists that mediation “can resolve many of the issues that arise in high conflict situations which can be experienced as bullying. . . The internal workings of this mediation process are entirely confidential to the participants.”
The Bishops were aware of the OSCR document, the statement says. “A response from OSCR is awaited, and diocesan officials have already indicated they will be happy to assist with any enquiries. The claims made are wide-ranging and go beyond governance itself. We reiterate that any allegations of misconduct against clergy of the Scottish Episcopal Church can and should be addressed through the church’s Complaints Procedure or Disciplinary Canonical process.”
It continues: “It is very disappointing that such allegations are being made through repeated statements to the media at a time when OSCR is conducting due process. This approach does not allow any of the parties involved to have a fair hearing or for any proper outcomes to be achieved. It also threatens both the successful completion of the mediation and also the integrity of any possible future process.
“We would strongly urge anyone with complaints either to engage with the mediation process or to submit allegations using the established processes of the church.”