Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney Sgìre-easbaig Obar Dheathain agus Arcaibh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Ecclesiastical province | Scotland |
| Subdivisions | Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Chaplaincies, The Isles |
| Headquarters | Marischal College, Aberdeen |
| Statistics | |
| Congregations | 37 |
| Information | |
| Denomination | Scottish Episcopal Church |
| Cathedral | St Andrew's Cathedral, Aberdeen |
| Current leadership | |
| Bishop | Anne Dyer, Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney |
| Dean | Vacant |
| Map | |
 Map showing Aberdeen & Orkney within Scotland | |
| Website | |
| aberdeen.anglican.org | |
The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups. It shares with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Aberdeen a Christian heritage that can be traced back to Norman times, and incorporates the ancient Diocese of Orkney, founded in 1035.
The diocese is considered the most conservative of the dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church, and was the only diocese to reject a change in the church's teaching to allow same-sex marriage in 2017.[1]
The first female bishop of the SEC, Anne Dyer, was appointed to the diocese in November 2017 and consecrated and enthroned on 3 March 2018. Her gender, support of same-sex marriage, and the fact that she was not elected by the diocese itself (she was appointed by the College of Bishops in accordance with the SEC canonical process when a diocese fails to meet the requirements to elect its own bishop), caused some controversy,[1][2][3] and two senior clergy, the Dean (Emsley Nimmo) and another member of the Cathedral Chapter, resigned their diocesan roles in protest.[4] After further resignations by other clergy, the Westhill Community Church voted to leave the SEC in January 2019.[5] Dorsey McConnell, former Bishop of Pittsburgh, took on the role of acting bishop on 1 November 2023, while Dyer remains suspended.[6]
The diocese has a strong companion link with the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal bishop outside the British Isles, was consecrated in 1784 by Robert Kilgour, Bishop of Aberdeen, and John Skinner, coadjutor bishop. Clarence Coleridge, suffragan bishop of Connecticut, was consecrated by a Bishop of Aberdeen in 1981; he was elected 13th diocesan bishop of Connecticut in 1993.
- ^ a b Farley, Harry (5 January 2018). "Scottish Episcopal Church clergy rebel after 'divisive' appointment of bishop to conservative diocese". Christian Today. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ Farley, Harry (27 November 2017). "Splits emerge among Scottish Anglicans after gay marriage vote". Christian Today. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ Davies, Madeleine (5 January 2018). "Aberdeen & Orkney letter questions new Bishop". Church Times. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Resignations Follow Aberdeen & Orkney Appointment". Scottish Anglican. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Aberdeen congregation votes to secede from the Scottish Episcopal Church". Anglican News. 18 January 2019.
- ^ "The College of Bishops appoints Bishop Dorsey McConnell as new Acting Bishop in Aberdeen and Orkney". Scottish Episcopal Church. Retrieved 12 October 2023.