TAC Priest Accused of Sexual Harassment

UPDATE: Archbishop John Hepworth to ask Fr Peter Slipper to step down here.

It is the Hon Fr Peter Slipper, who is also Federal Speaker in Australia.

The Australian has the sordid details:

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott was today joined by Independent Andrew Wilkie in calling for Peter Slipper to step aside as Speaker of the House of Representatives while allegations of sexual harassment are before the court.

Mr Slipper today denied claims published in The Daily Telegraph that he sexually harassed a male staffer and misused Cabcharge dockets.

The claims against Mr Slipper, made in court documents obtained by the newspaper, allege he recruited 33-year-old James Ashby for the sole purpose of pursuing a sexual relationship with him.

The application filed to the Federal Court says Mr Slipper, who occupies Australia’s highest parliamentary office, allegedly made unwelcome advances toward Mr Ashby and sent him explicit text messages making his sexual intentions clear…

But more to the point – for us as members of the TAC - Psallite Sapienter:

… with Slipper, who deserted his own Liberal National Party to gain the Speakership, thus shoring up the Government’s numbers – and who I read to-day in the newspapers is about to be prosecuted for harassing and propositioning a young male staffer with lewd messages and massages and worse.

Slipper, readers may recall, is a member and indeed an ordained priest of the Australian branch of the Traditional Anglican Communion – ordained, one assumes, by John Hepworth, who has recently resigned as head thereof, but, so far as I understand, is Archbishop of their Australian church.  As Hepworth has made public allegations of appalling sexual abuse inflicted upon himself by Catholic priests living and dead, it would seem that Hepworth – if he is still in charge of Slipper and other members of his flock – has a duty to instigate his own investigation into these accusations

Who will sink Slipper?

 

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