Five leading child abuse prevention organisations have written to the Anglican church to criticise its “inadequate” decision on Peter Hollingworth, saying the failure to defrock him undermines the church’s credibility and fails to reflect the harm done to survivors.
Last week the church’s professional standards board declined to recommend defrocking Hollingworth, a former Australian governor general, despite making six findings of misconduct against him. These included failing to remove known paedophiles from the church while he was archbishop of Brisbane in the 1990s.
The board found Hollingworth remained fit for the ministry because he did not pose an unacceptable risk of harm, recommending that he be reprimanded and made to apologise but otherwise allowed to continue his limited priestly duties in the Melbourne dioceses.
The city’s archbishop, Philip Freier, has accepted the board’s recommendations.
Blue Knot Foundation, Beyond Abuse, Safeguarding People Australia, Care Leavers Australasia Network and the Survivors and Mates Support Network on Monday penned a joint letter to the church requesting a review of the decision.
The 14-page letter, also signed by the survivors’ advocate Chrissie Foster and the former Victorian MP Fiona Patten, says the punishment recommended for Hollingworth is inadequate, fails to reflect the seriousness of the offences and is a “total departure from the established precedents in similar cases”.
The groups say the decision does not accord with the church’s ruling against the former archbishop of Perth, Roger Herft, who was removed from holy orders in 2021 over his failure to act on child abuse in Newcastle, New South Wales.
The groups say the decision threatens to “bring scandal upon the church” and fails to acknowledge the harm done to survivors.
“If the Anglican Church in 2023 endorses that it is acceptable conduct for a senior cleric to protect child molesters in the Church, then the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne has a serious credibility problem,” the letter says.
The groups were highly critical of the complaints process, overseen by a body known as Kooyoora, which lasted almost six years, was highly secretive and failed to keep complainants and witnesses informed of hearing dates and changes.
The groups say the process did not consider key complaints or hear from witnesses about other aspects of Hollingworth’s handling of abuse complaints and public statements in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The decision allows Hollingworth to continue to be involved in the ordination of new priests and the consecration of bishops, among other things.
“The Tribunal have ruled that Hollingworth can continue to officiate at the ordination of priests and the consecration of Bishops,” the letter said. “This is a disaster for the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne, that it would endorse [Hollingworth] to be an appropriate person to have any role in the selection and appointment of the next generation of clergy.”
The complex Anglican complaints process does allow an avenue of appeal, via another body known as the professional standards committee. Guardian Australia understands that the decision on whether to review is made largely on legal grounds but that the committee can take into consideration the wishes of complainants.
An appeal must be lodged by the committee within 30 days of the decision.
Hollingworth was approached for a response to the letter.
He has previously acknowledged he made mistakes and apologised. But he said four inquiries had now considered complaints about his conduct and none had recommended he be kicked out of the church.
The complaints process had been long and painful for everyone involved, he said.
“I made mistakes and I cannot undo them,” Hollingworth said. “But I committed no crimes. There is no evidence that there was any abuse because of any decisions I made, or did not make.”
Hollingworth said he thought about his failings almost every day but that his actions were influenced by the advice of church lawyers and insurance companies at the time.
“I had devoted my life to social justice, pastoral care and healing, but I had little experience in dealing with the child abuse issues,” he said. “Like other church leaders, I was unduly influenced by the advice of lawyers and insurance companies.”
Hollingworth is not accused of abuse himself.
