Archbishop John Hepworth Denies Move to Drop Abuse Claim

Contrary to a report out yesterday, it would appear as if Archbishop John Hepworth has no intention of dropping his claims against Msgr Ian Dempsey and the Adelaide Catholic Archdiocese. The Australian:

Archbishop John Hepworth has hit out at reports that he was considering dropping his claim of clerical rape against the Catholic Church, saying there has been no change in the standoff between both parties.

The stalemate threatens to derail an investigation into the allegations.

Archbishop Hepworth, now the primate of the Traditional Anglican Communion, alleges he was raped by three priests nearly 50 years ago.

But nearly two months after he revealed in The Weekend Australian his claims of systematic sexual abuse, Archbishop Hepworth said he feared his calls for the church to support a mutually agreeable inquiry had fallen on deaf ears.

Responding to a report in an Adelaide newspaper which said he would consider dropping his claims, Archbishop Hepworth said: “The position between the Catholic Archdiocese and me is unchanged. I have withdrawn nothing.”

The Adelaide Archdiocese has hired prominent Adelaide-based silk Michael Abbott QC to investigate the claims, but Archbishop Hepworth said he had refused to participate.

“There is a stalemate and I’m hopeful that we can find some way to break through,” Archbishop 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.”

The priest who is alleged to have sexually abused Archbishop Hepworth has vigorously denied the accusations.

A spokesman for the Adelaide Archdiocese yesterday confirmed the investigation by Mr Abbott was “well and truly in motion”.

“The only thing we have in progress is the Abbott inquiry which is still happening along,” he said.

Archbishop Hepworth said he had proposed a process of mediation with the Adelaide Archdiocese but was concerned it would not be accepted by the Adelaide Archdiocese’s Archbishop Philip Wilson.

“I have attempted to discover a process of mediation but as yet we have no process,” he said.

“We believe we have put forward a pathway that would work but that appears to not have been acceptable.

“I’m now having to consider what options I’ve got and we’re running out of options other than legal ones.”

Archbishop Hepworth said he had raised his claims with the Adelaide Archdiocese four years ago because he wanted to reconcile with the Catholic Church through the ordinariate, an amnesty offered by Pope Benedict XVI to allow former Anglicans to be unified with the church.

He said part of that required his personal reconciliation with the church.

There is additionally a statement to this effect out on the English Catholic Blog:

Statement by Archbishop Hepworth

It has come to my attention that the Adelaide Advertiser may publish a major article tomorrow that implies that I have offered to withdraw my claims against Monsignor Dempsey.

I continue to work towards a decent outcome from the report I have made to the Catholic Church concerning the sexual abuse that forced me to flee the Church.  I have devoted the last twenty years to the reconciliation of Anglicans and the Catholic Church, and the realisation of that work is now becoming visible in Australia.

The position between the Catholic Archdiocese and me is unchanged.  I have withdrawn nothing.

[Signed]

So, no deal.

 

Eastern Catholic Church (Melkite) to Ordain Married Men to the Priesthood

Orthocath reports:

At his recent enthronement as the Melkite Greek Catholic Bishop in the USA, Bishop Nicholas Samra stated that the Melkite Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church in union with the Pope of Rome) will begin ordaining married men to the priesthood in the USA.

Bishop Nicholas Samra, Bishop of the Melkite Eparchy of Newton, Massachusetts made the comment in a dinner speech following his enthronement on August 23, 2011. The Bishop’s speech, newly published in the Melkite journal Sophia, is the first published public statements by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of their intention to ordain married men to the priesthood for the American Melkite Church.

Bishop Nicholas, the first American-born Bishop to serve the Melkite Church in the USA, noted that “we are on a shoe-string of clergy to serve our Church as priests.” At present, the American Melkite Eparchy, with 35 parishes and approximately 27,000 members  has only “one priest to be ordained next year.” Worldwide, Melkite Catholics number about 1.6 million and are part of the Melkite Partriarchate of Antioch. The Melkite Catholic Church shares similar traditions with the Antiochian Orthodox Church, but entered communion with Rome in 1729.

Encouraging vocations among his American flock is one of Bishop Nicholas’ goals:

We are grateful for our ancestors — priests and laity and bishops who came from the Middle East and brought us to where we are presently. But now we have come of age and we need priests from among our people in this American Melkite Catholic Church.

Bishops at the Enthronement of Melkite Bishop Nicholas Samra in Newton, Massachusetts

Towards the end of his speech, Bishop Nicholas spoke of the need to both study and implement the training of married men to the priesthood in the Melkite Greek Catholic Church so that “hopefully soon we can see the growth of properly formed married clergy”:

God calls men and women to religious vocations. And I believe he also calls married men to the priesthood…

Read on here.

 

Revealed: Illegal Muslim Burial on Temple Mount

Jerusalem Muslims continue to conduct illegal burials along the walls of the Temple Mount, group reveals.

Israel National News:

Despite calls to protect the holy site, Jerusalem Muslims continue to bury their dead along the walls of the Temple Mount, according to a report in Maariv. The most recent funerals were revealed by the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities.

The burials took place despite a government promise, made in response to a Supreme Court appeal, to prevent a takeover of the important area.

The land in question part of a national park area in which burial is prohibited. The burials are not only illegal, but prevent archaeologists from accessing places with tremendous historic value, experts say.

Representatives from the Committee to Prevent Destruction slammed Jerusalem police for allowing funerals to continue. “The police continue their policy of buying quiet at any price, of avoiding fulfilling their duty,” a spokesman said.

Police “are ready to sacrifice our archaeological property, as long as they won’t be forced to do their mission,” he added.

A total of several dozen people have been buried along the Temple Mount walls in recent years. In addition, local Arabs have created fake graves in the area in order to establish a Muslim presence.

HT

 

Be Prepared

Given the Psalm Today…

Australian Anglican Ordinariate Developments

Australia Incognita:

Things appear to be moving forward at last on the Australian Anglican Ordinariate front, with Adelaide Now reporting that some 31 Traditional Anglican Communion priests were “recently approved for ordination back into the Catholic Church after high-level meetings at the Vatican”.

I’m taking that to mean that their reception as Catholics and ordination as Catholic priests has been given approval – and perhaps even a definite timeline – following discussions at the recent Ad Limina visit to Rome.

Let’s hope for an announcement on this shortly…

The Hepworth Case

The actual media report is largely about some rather puzzling developments in the case of Archbishop Hepworth.

A few days ago came the news that Archbishop Hepworth had entered a process of mediation with the Adelaide Archdiocese, mediated by Fr John Fleming (NB, to access the story, search for ‘Talks pave way back for rape priest ‘in the Australian via Google – you can bypass the Oz’s paywall for up to five stories that way).

That struck me as a rather curious choice given that Fr Fleming is himself in the position of Msgr Dempsey, the subject of public allegations of abuse (and he arguably suffered serious consequences as a result, losing his job as President of Campion College, notwithstanding his intact reputation as a defender of orthodoxy. Though he has since been returned to ministry). But there are some key differences in the two cases as well, not least being that in Fr Fleming’s case, the accusations were not made under parliamentary privilege and the resulting defamation case he launched in response is still ongoing as far as I can gather.

In any case, Adelaide Now reports that AB Hepworth has offered to drop the case against Msgr Dempsey.

What he wants in return, according to the Advertiser report is for the diocese to accept the Melbourne Report that he was abused in the seminary, and that this is what caused him to leave the church; help to resolve his situation with the Vatican; and an acknowledgement that his accusations against Msgr Dempsey were made “in good faith”.

But given that the accusations are now in the public domain, they surely need to be adjudicated on and decided one way or another in fairness to Msgr Dempsey?

The story also suggests that he has no faith in the diocesan process that has been set up to look into the case because he has not been told the terms of reference or ground rules. If this is the case, it is yet another sad indictment on what has been a pretty sorry process.

One way or another, it is all very strange…

Very strange indeed!