Additional complaints of misconduct filed against Scottish Episcopal bishop Anne Dyer

Additional complaints of misconduct have been filed against Anne Dyer, the first female bishop of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The news follows previous complaints alleging that Dyer had bullied various clergy within the denomination.

The most recent complaint, one of at least six filed in the past 12 months, was made by Isaac Poobalan, rector of St Andrew’s Cathedral in Aberdeen.

Poobalan, whose congregation initially resisted Dyer’s appointment, is reported to have urged church members to support Dyer.

Despite Poobalan’s efforts, Dyer recently announced the closure of the Cathedral due to claimed structural issues. As part of the announcement, Dyer stated that a nearby church would become the Cathedral, and that she, not Poobalan, would serve as its provost.

At a subsequent meeting, Poobalan alleges that Dyer adopted a loud and angry tone toward him. Dyer later suspended him.

The church subsequently overturned the suspension following adverse publicity and a formal grievance procedure, but Dyer continues to ignore calls for Poobalan’s reinstatement.

Church officials substantiated claims of bullying made in the previous complaints, but declined to take formal action, claiming that doing so would result in additional trauma.

Others in the church, including lay preachers, have complained that Dyer has retaliated against them for complaining about her behavior.

Anglican Watch notes that, while the allegations against Dyer have not been well-handled, the situation compares favorably with similar situations in the Episcopal Church. In the latter, the intake officer for bishops, Barb Kempf, routinely makes unauthorized findings of fact to protect bishops from scrutiny, concluding, “there is no violation.”

Such conclusions are expressly outside Kempf’s authority under Episcopal church canons.