ADELAIDE (CWN) — Archbishop John Hepworth has denied reports that he is considering dropping his claim of clerical rape against the Catholic Church, saying there has been no change in the standoff between the parties.
Archbishop Hepworth, the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, says he was raped by three priests nearly 50 years ago.
But nearly two months after he revealed his claims of systematic sexual abuse, Archbishop Hepworth said he feared that his calls for the Church to support a mutually agreeable inquiry had fallen on deaf ears.
Responding to an Adelaide newspaper report that said he would might drop his claims, Archbishop Hepworth said the position between the Catholic archdiocese and himself was unchanged.
The archdiocese has hired Adelaide-based silk Michael Abbott QC to investigate the claims, but Archbishop Hepworth said he had refused to take part.
“There’s no good faith and I’m still trying to find some way forward,” he said.
“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.”
The priest who is alleged to have sexually abused Archbishop Hepworth has denied the accusations.
A spokesman for the Adelaide archdiocese confirmed the Abbott investigation was under way.
Archbishop Hepworth said he had proposed a process of mediation with the archdiocese.