He had planned to step down at Easter after bishops in several countries lost confidence in him and opposed his attempts to reunite with Rome.

The Traditional Anglican Communion will also remain fully Anglican.

Hepworth, who claims to be the victim of rape while in a Catholic Seminary 40 years ago, said the move was prompted by "considerable dissension" within the Traditional Anglican Communion.

"Profound doctrinal and moral differences have grown between us," Hepworth told the Australian.

"It is my intention, provided the membership of our college is substantially clarified in the next few months, to tender my resignation as primate at Pentecost."

The TAC House of Bishops, last week, voted to seek Archbishop Hepworth's immediate removal, but the Hepworth said the vote was not binding.

Hepworth's advisor, Cheryl Woodman, said the vote was not sanctioned by the church.

"This is an illegitimate act and seems to be some sort of plot by people seeking power for themselves," Woodman said.

"They have included people who are not members of the college and have not informed the secretariat."

As leader of the TAC, Archbishop Hepworth was the most prominent Anglican leader in the drive to secure a means of corporate entry into the Roman Catholic Church. He said that he remains proud of his role in the process that led to the release of Anglicanorum Coetibus and the establishment of Anglican ordinariates within the Catholic Church.

Source

• The Australian
• ABC News
• Image: The Australian

Bitterly disappointed with the Church investigation, Hepworth said he had no choice but to turn to the police.

He says he feels betrayed by the Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese, whom he first approached four years ago.

"It was never my intention to go beyond the processes of the church," Hepworth said.

"I very much regret that I am having to do that but I have been left with no option but to ask the police to examine the matters that I have put before the church."

Mr Abbott yesterday defended the credibility of his inquiry.

"Archbishop Hepworth chose not to make any written statement; he chose not to put anything in writing; he chose not to give me any list of witnesses to contact; he chose not to participate - full stop," he told The Australian.

"On the evidence that I had, I think my findings are very comprehensive."

A spokeswoman for the archdiocese said the church had encouraged Hepworth to take his allegations to police for the past four years.

Sources

• The Australian
• Herald Sun
• CathNews
• Image: The Australian

The allegation was brought by Traditional Anglican Archbishop, John Hepworth and dates back 40 years to when he was a Catholic seminarian.

The investigation, conducted by Michael Abbott, a prominent Adelaide QC, found there was no undue delay in the way in which the diocese dealt with Hepworth's allegations.

Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, said yesterday, the investigations were very extensive.

The investigation included interviews with 29 witnesses, many of whom were present at the time when the alleged incidents occurred.

"I am satisfied that Mr Abbott examined every aspect of the allegations raised by Archbishop Hepworth", Wilson said.

"Based on the findings made in the report, and the evidence upon which it is based, I intend to accept the findings in full."

Wilson said the sensitive nature of the report means he will not be releasing it.

Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, who in February used Parliamentary privilege and named Monsignor Ian Dempsey as Hepworth's assailant, dismissed the inquiry as a "joke".

Labelling the process as "flawed", Xenophon said "John Hepworth wasn't even interviewed."

"This made the Spanish Inquisition look fair," Xenophon said.

Mr Abbott however disputes Xenophon's comments.

"I have interviewed all the witnesses available to me and I have, through my instructing solicitors, made many requests for Archbishop Hepworth to be interviewed by me."

"I also had complete access to the Archives of the Archdiocese and to the records of the Glenelg Parish," Mr Abbott told the The Advertiser.

"I reached the conclusions I did ... after taking into account all of the evidence which was available to me. On that basis I did not accept the allegations made by Archbishop Hepworth concerning Monsignor Dempsey."

"I note that Monsignor Dempsey was named by Senator Xenophon as the person in respect of whom Archbishop Hepworth has made these allegations."

"I also note that Senator Xenophon conducted no inquiry, interviewed no witnesses and had access to no documents (except Archbishop Hepworth's accounts) before taking the course he did in the Senate."

"In view of the conclusions that I have come to in my report, it is regrettable that Senator Xenophon took the course he did before an investigation had been concluded."

Senator Xenophon however said the inquiry should not have progressed until Archbishop Hepworth found the process comfortable enough to participate in.

Hepworth had previously accused the Adelaide diocese of delaying the inquiry.

Last night, Monsignor Dempsey said he was "very much relieved that Mr Abbott has discerned the truth regarding the false accusations".

"From the beginning I have categorically denied the accusations, but even though I know of my own innocence it has been a very trying and difficult period of my life," he said.

Sources

• ABC
• Adelaide Now
• The Age
• Image: SMH

As Xenophon rose to speak in Canberra, two nervous priests were watching him via the internet in Adelaide.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey, a Catholic priest for more than 40 years, had spent his day at a holiday home in a seaside suburb trying to pretend his world was unchanged.

And across town, John Hepworth's gut was churning with a mixture of relief and fear as he listened to Xenophon's speech alone in his lounge room. Although the Archbishop and global leader of the 400,000-strong Traditional Anglican Communion had calmly rationalised his decision to go public with his 40-year-old rape claim he was now struggling to cope with its ramifications.

Weeks later, Xenophon is still coming to terms with the tempest he created that day.

Liberal senator Simon Birmingham accused Xenophon of acting as "police, prosecutor, judge and jury". The then South Australian premier Mike Rann derided Xenophon's decision as "the politics of smear and self-aggrandisement over social justice".

Yet Xenophon's decision was also applauded by many.

So what were the circumstances and moral deliberations that drove Xenophon to act?

Continue reading Senator Xenophon, alleged rape and the use of parliamentary privilege.

Image: Daily Telegraph

Hepworth hit out at reports he was considering dropping his claim, saying there has been no change in the standoff between both parties.

Archbishop Hepworth claims he was raped by the priests over a period of 12 years, starting when he was in the seminary in Adelaide in 1960.

It was reported by Adelaide Now that Hepworth said he would stop pursuing allegations against Monsignor Ian Dempsey if the Adelaide Archdiocese recognised he was raped by two other priests and would ask Archbishop Philip Wilson to adjourn it if his other claims were recognised and the Dempsey accusation accepted "in good faith".

The Adelaide Archdiocese has hired Michael Abbott QC to investigate the claims, but Hepworth has refused to participate.

"There is a stalemate and I'm hopeful that we can find some way to break through," Hepworth said.

"There's no good faith and I'm still trying to find some way forward.

"At this stage their solicitors are continuing to demand that I take part in the Abbott inquiry but we are continuing to state that we can't because we have not been given enough information to have confidence in it and we have objected to Abbott doing it on substantial grounds."

A spokesperson for the Adelaide Archdiocese confirmed the investigation by Mr Abbott was continuing.

Monsignor Dempsey denies the allegations of rape.

Sources

• Adelaide Now
• The Australian

Adelaide Catholic priest Monsignor Ian Dempsey said it was "totally unfair and unjust" of the independent SA senator to use parliamentary privilege to make the allegation.

Senator Xenophon yesterday said he had acted in good faith and without malice in naming Monsignor Dempsey under parliamentary privilege, but added: "I regret the course of events went down this path," he said.

He claimed that the matter might have played out differently had he known Monsignor Dempsey was about to go on a month's annual leave.

"It would have given an opportunity for there to be a satisfactory outcome without the need to name the priest in question," he said.

"I find it bewildering and extraordinary that no one in the Catholic Church decided to advise me the priest in question was about to go on leave."

Senator Xenophon said he named Monsignor Dempsey because the Church had taken too long to address the rape allegations against him that had emerged four years ago.

The Adelaide Catholic Church has said it was not being tardy. It said Archbishop Hepworth had only this year decided to proceed with his claim.

Last night, the ABC reported an affiliate church in the US had condemned Archbishop Hepworth's plans for the denomination to join the Catholic Church and asked him to resign.

An Anglican Church in America spokesman said only 10 per cent of members supported the Traditional Anglican Communion's proposal to join Rome and said there had been a lack of consultation with the wider church.

The ABC said the church told Archbishop Hepworth in a letter it was no longer possible for him to continue in his current role.

Under the Towards Healing process dealing with abuse claims against the clergy in the Catholic Church, a diocese cannot take action until it is authorised by the complainant. However, the Melbourne archdiocese had already begun an investigation and has offered a formal apology and a financial settlement.

Msgr. Ian Dempsey, publicly named by Senator Xenophon, has denied the charges against him in a letter written to parishoners. He claims he is innocent and that he has suffered ill-health because of the publicity. He has also written to Senator Xenophon accusing him of abusing his position as a senator in publicly accusing him.

The Senate was told last week by Senator Nick Xenophon that Archbishop Hepworth allegedly was raped more than 40 years ago by priest and former Adelaide archdiocese vicar-general Monsignor Ian Dempsey.

Senator Xenophon commenting that six months had passed since the investigation was authorised said, "Whichever way they (the archdiocese) put it they failed to treat serious allegations with the urgency they required".

Archbishop Hepworth says that since the charges of abuse were made public by Senator Xenophon last week, "Nobody from the Church has been in touch with me…not even through a third party."

Archbishop Hepworth has issued an ultimatum to the archdiocese to process the allegations under the same system used in Melbourne by the end of this week or he will pursue a police investigation in to his claims.

The church yesterday said it had encouraged Archbishop Hepworth to go to the police "for a significant period of time".

While Archbishop Hepworth said he had spoken with police on Friday, he said his preference was still to have the allegations dealt with by the church.

"I just needed to tell the story of why I ran away from the church," Archbishop Hepworth said.

Image: Adelaide Now

One of the letters was from Msgr Dempsey and the other from civil libertarian Terry O'Gorman who is urging an investigation into the naming of the priest, describing it as an abuse of privilege.

He has told The Advertiser he believed in a "thorough and fair process".

"As a member of the Senate I should be subject to the scrutiny of the Senate along with every other member," he said.

Senator Hogg can decide whether an inquiry should be established by the privileges committee.

The committee can also consider a request for a person who has been named in Parliament to have a right of reply, where their response is included in Hansard.

Monsignor Dempsey has comprehensively rejected the allegation of rape. He said in a letter to Senator Xenophon responding to the claim "I am innocent of these allegations which you used parliamentary privilege to name me".

"For over forty years I have served with integrity and honour as a Catholic priest ... you irreparably smeared and denigrated my reputation."

Archbishop John Hepworth, the leader of a breakaway Anglican group seeking union with the Catholic Church, alleged that Monsignor Dempsey raped him more than 40 years ago when the two were young priests in their twenties.

He went public in the past fortnight with his claims, alleging that the Adelaide archdiocese of the Catholic Church failed to swiftly resolve the case. In the Senate last Tuesday night, Senator Xenophon named Monsignor Dempsey and criticised the Adelaide archdiocese of the Catholic Church in its handling of the allegations.

Full Article and image: Adelaide Now

Xenophon dismissed the presumption of innocence in Parliament, saying in his opinion the Adelaide Archdiocese had taken too long to resolve the case, and it did not heed his ultimatum to stand down the priest while the investigation took place.

Xenophon said he felt duty-bound to name the priest, and told an almost empty parliament that "Sexual abuse flourishes because people keep secrets."

No charges

Dempsey has not been charged by the Police nor currently part of a police investigation, reports The Age.

On the ABC's Wednesday AM program, Father Brian Lucas is the general secretary of the Australian Bishops Conference told Tony Eastly the allegations Hepworth made have no relationship to anything involving children.

Lucas also revealed to Eastly that Hepworth has not laid a complaint with the police, which he said was proper place for the matter to be raised.

Archdiocese responds

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Adelaide archdiocese registered its disappointment at Senator Xenophon's action.

"We are appalled that Senator Xenophon has tonight, under cover of parliamentary privilege, released the name of the priest despite being made fully aware of the extremely sensitive and highly complex background to this 50-year-old matter."

"The fact that the senator has taken this action is a matter of grave concern to us and the consequences, in our view, will have an impact on not merely the person accused, but also on Archbishop Hepworth himself. It is grossly unjust and unfair for these matters to be aired in public when our investigation is not yet complete and when the priest concerned has categorically denied the allegation."

"If the priest had been formally charged, which he has not, his name would be suppressed until proof of guilt had been established; and yet this decades-old matter has not even been the subject of a police report. We now have to consider the implications and potential consequences of Senator Xenophon's statement to parliament."

Moving with utmost care and sensitivity

Adelaide archbishop Philip Wilson said the archdiocese had only received approval from Archbishop Hepworth to proceed with the investigation in February.

Since it received the complaint the diocese has been proceeding with "utmost care and sensitivity", the archbishop said.

Wilson said, Vicar General for the archdiocese, Monsignor Cappo had met Archbishop Hepworth at least eight times since 2007.

"On my behalf, Monsignor Cappo urged Archbishop Hepworth, at the end of each meeting, to give his permission to proceed with an investigation into the allegations," Wilson said.

"On each occasion Archbishop Hepworth declined, indicating that he was not in a proper emotional state to deal with an investigation."

Hepworth denies this, saying from the first meeting he had with Monsignor Cappo he gave the Monsignor the 'green light' to proceed.

No stand down

At the fore-front of the investigation, Traditional Anglican Communion Archbishop, John Hepworth, said he wanted to see Dempsey stood down rather than named in the Federal Parliament.

In response Archbishop Wilson said the alleged incident related to a period dating back almost 50 years and was between adults. "It did not involve children" he said.

Fronting the media earlier in the week, Dempsey categorically denied raping Hepworth.

A legal opinion obtained by the archdiocese said any decision to suspend Dempsey would be unjustifiable as a matter of Canon and civil law.

Constitutional lawyer and Vice-Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, Greg Craven said "Parliamentary privilege should not be used as a substitue for trial and conviction."

Craven is of the view that by trying to force conviction, Senator Xenaphon may have stalled it.

Sources

• The Australian
• The Age
• Adelaide Now
• ABC News
• ABC News - AM Interview - MP3
• Image: Adelaide Now

Over the weekend, the Australian revealed that Fr John Hepworth fled the Catholic priesthood in 1972 after enduring sexual abuse from two priests and a fellow seminarian for twelve years.

After leaving, Hepworth went to Britain and drove trucks for Boots chemists.

He became an Anglican and was ordained priest, rising to be World primate of the breakaway Traditional Anglican Communion.

Archbishop Hepworth, keen to be reconciled with the Holy See, is upset at the amount of time it is taking the Adelaide diocese to investigate his allegations, which he says he lodged in 2008.

In reply, the diocese said in a statement. "At the specific request of Archbishop Hepworth, the church took no steps to progress the matter until he decided he was ready to formalise his complaints."

"That decision was only made by Archbishop Hepworth in February 2011 and ever since that time the matter has progressed in an orderly way.

"If there has been any delay, therefore, it is because Archbishop Hepworth specifically chose not to deal with the matter until then."

"The Archdiocese of Adelaide is not critical of why it has taken so long for Archbishop Hepworth to make up his mind about these matters. However, it is wrong to suggest that any delay has been other than at the request of Archbishop Hepworth himself."

Hepworth told the Australian that two of his abusers are dead, but the other is a senior Catholic priest running a parish in South Australia.

Contacted by The Weekend Australian, the priest he could not discuss confidential matters.

In its statement the diocese says the investigation revealed it has retained Michael Abbott QC to examine the evidence, the priest involved in the complaint categorically denies the allegations.

The statement says the investigation is in its final stages.

Hepworth is the bishop for the Traditional Anglican Communion, a 400,000 member Anglican breakaway group seeking reconciliation with the Vatican.

Sources

• Adelaide Now
• The Australian
• The Australian
• Image: Adelaide Now