Peter Hollingworth found guilty of misconduct over handling of abuse claims

Peter Hollingworth will be forced to apologise after an Anglican Church ­tribunal found him guilty of misconduct.

Peter Hollingworth this week faced the Anglican Church in Melbourne’s Professional Standards Board. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Former governor-general Peter Hollingworth will be forced to apologise to some victims after an Anglican Church ­tribunal found him guilty of widespread misconduct that included failing to provide care and support for two abuse victims and permitting a notorious offender to remain in ministry despite knowing he was a risk to children.

The Anglican Professional Standards Board has cleared the way for Dr Hollingworth to perform some clerical duties in Melbourne despite making a series of negative findings that also included allowing another offender to remain in ministry despite knowing he had sexually assaulted a child.

The report was dismissed as a whitewash by advocates and victims amid hopes Dr Hollingworth would be defrocked by the church’s tribunal, but it failed to find him a risk to others.

After a five-year inquiry process, the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has been told that there will be no “unacceptable” risk of harm if 87-year-old Dr Hollingworth were to assist with local parish duties and play a role at services at St Paul’s Cathedral, the faith’s heartland in Victoria.

Dr Hollingworth has been asked to apologise to two victims and will be reprimanded by the national church leadership and his Melbourne leader over his ­decision to keep in mission the late sex abusers John Elliot and Donald Shearman while Dr Hollingworth was archbishop of Brisbane for 11 years from 1989.

The board’s statement confused the name of victim Beth Heinrich with her abuser Donald Shearman, wrongly calling her Beth Shearman.

Ms Heinrich, who was abused by Shearman as a teenager but Dr Hollingworth kept him officiating, said she had no faith in the former governor-general’s word.

“Why would anyone believe anything?’’ she said.

Peter Hollingworth, centre, with Queen Elizabeth II and prime minister John Howard in 2002.

Dr Hollingworth acknowledged that the board had found against him on six matters and had dismissed three other matters, adding that he knew he had erred.

“I made mistakes and I cannot undo them. But I committed no crimes. There is no evidence that there was any abuse because of any decisions I made, or did not make,” he said.

The report stops well short of the anticipated response of defrocking wanted by victims but on a series of key points finds Dr Hollingworth guilty of misconduct.

The board found he had committed misconduct in most of the allegations examined, including that Dr Hollingworth had failed to make proper efforts to care for and support two young people abused by disgraced Anglican teacher Kevin Guy.

The board found Dr Hollingworth had committed misconduct in about late 1993 and in 1998 by permitting pedophile priest Elliot to remain in ministry when he knew the criminal posed a risk to the safety and wellbeing of children.

Dr Hollingworth was found guilty of misconduct for an inaccurate statement over Elliot where it was wrongly claimed ­Elliot had been disciplined by the church, when he hadn’t.

Dr Hollingworth was guilty, it found, of allowing disgraced cleric Shearman to remain officiating despite knowing he had sexually assaulted a child.

The board also criticised Dr Hollingworth for making a statement about Ms Heinrich that he should have known was likely to be distressing.

Lawyer Judy Courtin, who has extensive experience dealing with abuse cases, said the report was a whitewash of Dr Hollingworth’s serial wrongdoings. “How could it be anything else? Absolutely it is a whitewash. A reprimand? What does that entail?’’ she said.

Professor Chris Goddard, a global expert on abuse, said the Hollingworth case was another example of victims suffering secondary abuse due to insults and long delays.

“So often, victims do not get offered a helping hand by the churches but rather shown a closed, threatening fist,’’ he said.

Dr Hollingworth left the governor-general’s position in disgrace after his mishandling of the abuse issue became public. He made the bold observation on Monday that the clampdown on offending may lead to the elimination of abuse in institutions.

“I accept the board’s recommendations and look forward to the matters finally being put to rest. Hardly a day has passed in the past 30 years when I have not reflected on these matters and my failings,’’ he said in a statement.

“I had devoted my life to social justice, pastoral care and healing but I had little experience in dealing with the child abuse issues. Like other church leaders, I was unduly influenced by the advice of lawyers and insurance companies.”

Dr Hollingworth was not an abuser but was exposed for bungling his handling of the crisis when Brisbane archbishop, putting the church ahead of victims.

His critics argue there was enough evidence already on the record that suggested he should have been defrocked, including that against a specialist’s advice he allowed a pedophile priest in 1993 to continue to preach, giving incorrect evidence to a 2002 abuse inquiry and wrongly blaming Ms Heinrich for encouraging the offending.