Monsignor Ian Dempsey Cleared to Return to Parish Duties

And the people of his Parish will be rejoicing!

The Australian reports: Accused priest back in ministry.

The Catholic Church has cleared priest Ian Dempsey to return to parish duties, despite an ongoing police sex-crimes investigation into allegations he raped former Traditional Anglican Church primate John Hepworth more than 40 years ago.

This comes as the Director of Public Prosecutions, Adam Kimber, considers whether to lay charges against the priest.

Vicar-General Philip Marshall told The Weekend Australian Monsignor Dempsey’s resumption of ministry was justified on the basis of an independent investigation by Michael Abbott QC last year, which found no substance to allegations made by Archbishop Hepworth. “It was now evident that despite the fact the matter was referred to police as long ago as November 2011, it is obvious that any inquiries by police could take some time to be completed,” Father Marshall said.

“His return to ministry, which is founded on his right to the presumption of innocence, does not contravene any of the church’s policies or any civil requirements, therefore there was no reason for him not to resume his parish duties.”

Monsignor Dempsey was named under parliamentary privilege by senator Nick Xenophon last September as one of three alleged perpetrators who raped Archbishop Hepworth over a 10-year period while he was in the Adelaide seminary.

And as one layman commented, speaking of Msgr Ian Dempsey when the accusations were first made:

… a very good and trusted friend of mine is being unjustifiably publicly pilloried and defamed by an opportunistic politician, a sensationalist press and a bishop…

Dark forces are shouting from the roof tops…

That they are.

I have a reputation for honesty and integrity… You did not even bother to find out about any matter relevant to this case except from one source, John Hepworth.

- Monsignor Ian Dempsey

Priest Accused by Archbishop Hepworth – Future Up in the Air

This is so sad. The whole thing.

The priest accused of raping Archbishop John Hepworth 40 years ago remains suspended from duties six months after the allegations were raised.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey, the parish priest at Hallett Cove and Brighton has been unable to return to his work because the police investigation remains open.

An Adelaide priest, speaking to The Advertiser on the condition on anonymity, has criticised the Adelaide Archdiocese’s handling of the incident, saying Monsignor Dempsey, Archbishop Hepworth and the Church had all suffered as a result.

Monsignor Dempsey’s suspension comes despite the fact a church investigation cleared him of the allegations in November last year.

The results of that investigation prompted breakaway Anglican Archbishop Hepworth to raise the matter with police.

The priest said Archbishop Philip Wilson’s failure to act when Archbishop Hepworth first made the allegations more than four years ago set into motion a chain of events that caused damage to all involved.

Monsignor Dempsey was last year named in Federal Parliament as an alleged rapist by Independent Nick Xenophon. “They bungled the entire procedure and as a consequence nobody is the better,” the priest said. “Dempsey claims to be innocent, but he can’t come back to ministry. He remains suspended.

“His reputation could have been salvaged if four years ago they would have followed a procedure.

“When you don’t follow a procedure you are bound to make mistakes and grave errors.” Police have refused to confirm whether there is an ongoing investigation or even if they ever opened an investigation.

Prominent Adelaide businessman Graham Spurling, a parishioner and close friend of Monsignor Dempsey, said he was extremely frustrated that the case had not yet been resolved, leaving Monsignor Dempsey’s future in limbo.

 

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.

 

Archbishop John Hepworth’s Ambiguous Story

The Herald Sun has this opinion:

 

The more Archbishop John Hepworth talks, the more it seems a great wrong has been done. But perhaps not to him.

Hepworth is the primate of the breakaway Traditional Anglican Communion who claims he was raped by an Adelaide Catholic priest, who we will call X.

Since his allegations were made public three weeks ago, much of the media has treated them almost as proven already.

The headlines give the flavour: “One man’s life, and how the church he loved let him down”, “Clergyman’s long road to resolution” and “Abused Archbishop John Hepworth ready to forgive”.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon seemed so sure of Hepworth’s story that he was the first to name the alleged rapist — in the Senate, which means he cannot be sued for defamation.

And that may have been the smartest thing Xenophon did.

I don’t say Hepworth hasn’t been sexually abused. The Catholic Church has already paid compensation for the abuse he suffered from two priests, both now dead, when he was a teenaged seminarian in Adelaide.

But the allegations made against X are different.

Let’s first remind ourselves that “rape” generally means the victim was forced to have sex against their expressed will, usually because they were too weak to resist. The rapist must also know that the victim was objecting.

It’s a terrible accusation, and X has now had his reputation trashed. Who believes a Catholic priest is innocent when the hostile press brays that he’s a rapist or might be?

Yet even the most basic facts of this case raise grave doubts.

Hepworth says he was at least 24 years old when X allegedly raped him; X was one year older. This is not the stereotype of an older priest intimidating a boy.

Nor is it obvious that X could have overwhelmed Hepworth with his strength. Hepworth is 1.88m tall — or six feet two. X is shorter.

Hepworth doesn’t claim he was drugged or drunk, either…

Hepworth describes his reaction hours later as not one of anger, but guilt…

Couldn’t this suggest that Hepworth’s “no” was a quiet no from his conscience, not a loud one to his “rapist”? Indeed, Hepworth claims he was sexually assaulted by X up to seven more times, yet not once did this tall man forcefully resist. He says he felt “so weakened physically and emotionally” by his past abuse that he just gave in.

To the ABC, Hepworth told a similarly ambiguous story.

ABC: Why were you unable to stop it?

Hepworth: Even though I was six foot two and I was fairly light in those days, but I always thought myself a very small person, very weak person.

I was trying to befriend a few people, priests. I think it was out of a sense of loneliness, also a sense of an effort to belong. And then the experiences of (his past abuse) particularly, of overtures that I couldn’t resist and didn’t know how to, repeated itself a number of times…

Even on his evidence, there seems more reason to doubt Hepworth was raped than there is to believe it.

In fact, X strongly denies any rape, and at his press conference one parishioner called him “a good shepherd” and another, a retired judge, “a good bloke”.

Moreover, Hepworth’s credibility has been challenged in the past.

He concedes he faced a Ballarat court about 30 years ago, charged with misappropriating $1200 — a lot of money back then — from his Anglican parish to pay for his son’s baptism party.

“I pleaded not guilty. The magistrate refused to find any verdict,” Hepworth told the Canberra Times.

“I was trying to stop the marriage breaking up. My then wife wanted a big party and I could not afford it.

“The diocese brought (the charge) because I had wrongly used … (a parish account) and regretted it … I had paid an account intending to pay it back.”

Hepworth was also accused of financial irregularities at Glenelg, an Adelaide parish he administered in 1974, but says his bishop refused to confirm any allegations to an investigator.

Again, he denies any wrongdoing and we must give him the benefit of the doubt.

But who has given that benefit to the priest Hepworth accuses so curiously of raping him?

Even Senator Xenophon insists X is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but just to name him was already to punish him.

As X wrote to Xenophon: “For over 40 years I have served with integrity and honour as a Catholic priest … You irreparably smeared and denigrated my reputation.”

And on what flimsy, flimsy grounds.

The whole piece is here.

And it’s more than a tad nauseating.

Archbishop John Hepworth: The Heated Sexual Abuse Dispute Continues

Catholic Culture has news on the indefatigable ignominy:

A heated dispute continues in Australia about the sexual-abuse charges lodged by Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth.

• Msgr. Ian Dempsey, who was named by Senator Nick Xenophon as one of Hepworth’s molesters, has written to parishioners insisting that he is innocent and reporting that his health has suffered because of the public charges. Those who know him, he wrote, “know I am incapable of perpetrating the false accusations made against me.” Msgr. Dempsey has written to Xenophon as well, complaining that the lawmaker abused his senatorial privilege to make the accusation.
• The Adelaide archdiocese says that Archbishop Hepworth declined to authorize an investigation when he first reported the sexual abuse in 2007. The archbishop’s approval only came—and thus the archdiocesan investigation began—early this year, officials claim. Representatives of the Adelaide archdiocese say that they repeatedly asked Hepworth to approve an inquiry. The Melbourne archdiocese had already begun an investigation, found merit in Hepworth’s charges, and offered a formal apology and financial settlement—leaving questions as to why one archdiocese pursued the matter, while the other claimed to lack the necessary authorization to do so.
• Archbishop Hepworth has announced that if the Adelaide archdiocese does not take action on his charges this week, he will take his complaint to police.
• The Anglican archbishop has made the stunning revelation that since his charges were made public last week, “Nobody from the Church has been in touch with me…not even through a third party.” The failure of Catholic Church officials to speak directly with Archbishop Hepworth is remarkable, particularly in light of the fact that he has been a prominent leader among the Anglicans seeking to enter the Catholic Church.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Accused priest tells of his distress (CathNews)
• Archbishop ‘ignored’ church offer (The Advertiser)
• Adelaide archdiocese, Anglican archbishop continue at odds on abuse complaint (CWN, 9/20)

Priest Denies Any Sex with Traditional Anglican Archbishop

‘You did not even bother to find out about any matter relevant to this case except from one source, John Hepworth.’

The Age reports on this apparent injustice:

The Catholic priest accused of raping Archbishop John Hepworth says he’s never had sex of any kind with the breakaway Anglican group leader.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey says it was “totally unfair and unjust” of Independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon to name him under parliamentary privilege as a rapist and to raise the spectre of pedophilia.

The senator says he named Monsignor Dempsey because the church had taken too long to address rape claims raised four years ago. However, he made no reference to underage sex.

In a letter to the senator, Monsignor Dempsey said he had irreparably damaged his good name.

He said the rape allegations were false and were only formally raised earlier this year. He also had no influence over the timing of church investigations.

“I have a reputation for honesty and integrity,” Monsignor Dempsey wrote.

“You did not even bother to find out about any matter relevant to this case except from one source, John Hepworth.

“You never contacted me.

“You have shot the wounded – you who proclaim to be an advocate of those who are hurting in society.”

Monsignor Dempsey, who is recovering from a life-threatening illness, said he had never had sex of any kind, consensual or not, with Archbishop Hepworth.

“Certainly not,” he told ABC radio in Adelaide.

Senator Xenophon had been totally unjust, he said.

“In the Senate … I remember Senator Xenophon said that parents and children attending the church should be aware of my activities, or alleged activities.

“That, I thought, was totally unfair and unjust.”

Senator Xenophon said he never suggested Monsignor Dempsey raped Archbishop Hepworth when he was underage.

“What I have said at all times, both in and out of the Senate chamber, relates to allegations between two adults, and I want to make that absolutely clear,” he told ABC radio.

Archbishop Hepworth, 67, recently said he was the victim of violent rapes by three priests that began in 1960, when he was 15.

Archbishop Hepworth, who is now the primate of the splinter group Traditional Anglican Communion in Adelaide, was an adult when allegedly raped by Monsignor Dempsey.

Archbishop Hepworth has said he broke away from the Catholic Church because of the abuse.

 

Monsignor Ian Dempsey Denies Sexually Abusing Archbishop John Hepworth

The Australian reports:

A Catholic priest has categorically denied raping Adelaide Archbishop of the Traditional Anglican Communion John Hepworth decades ago.

Speaking under parliamentary privilege, independent senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon on Tuesday named the priest as Monsignor Ian Dempsey, a parish priest in the seaside suburb of Brighton.

Monsignor Dempsey made a statement at his Brighton Catholic parish rectory today. He was joined by members of the parish council and the parishioners.

“On legal advice, I can only make a short statement and I won’t be answering any questions,” Monsignor Dempsey said.

“I am aware of John Hepworth’s unsubstantiated allegations against me through an inquiry instigated by the Archbishop.

“I have made it clear in writing to the inquiry that I categorically deny the allegations, which I note are said to relate to events that occured some 45 years ago and have nothing at all to do with underage people.”

He further denied the allegations and said he was going on annual leave from this weekend for one month.

Senator Xenophon had told the Senate there were allegations that Monsignor Dempsey had raped John Hepworth more than 40 years ago.Earlier, Senator Nick Xenophon said he had been swamped with calls, some from victims of abuse, after naming Monsignor Dempsey.

“We’ve been inundated with calls this morning and emails,” he told Macquarie radio.

The Catholic Church needed to ensure transparency, he said.

“It’s very interesting that Cardinal Pell, the Archbishop of Sydney, has actually said today that that the Catholic Churches of Australia need to have a transparent process the public have confidence in and it’s been my concern,” Senator Xenophon said.

“In other cases where there are serious accusations and of course there is a presumption of innocence – priests are stood down administratively so there can be an appropriate investigation.

“That hasn’t happened in this case (for) various reasons given by the churches of Australia, which I think are unsatisfactory.”

Asked what he thought of Bishop Christopher Saunders labelling his naming of the priest a stunt, he said that was “objectionable” and that this was a serious matter.

He called for the people who had contacted him about their experiences of sexual abuse to go to the police.

But some coalition senators have criticised the move.

Liberal Simon Birmingham said parliamentary privilege should be used “cautiously, judiciously, sparingly”.

“It’s not the role of politicians to play police, prosecutor, judge and jury,” he told reporters.

Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce said using parliamentary privilege circumvented rights and liberties.

“We’ve got to make sure that everybody has got a certain presumption of innocence until proven otherwise,” he said.

“If you have got the story wrong, then you’ve done an incredible injustice to the person.”

A senior Catholic figure has defended the church’s handling of the matter.

The general secretary of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Brian Lucas, said Senator Xenophon had failed to make clear the allegations did not involve children.

They related to a claim involving two priests in their late 20s some 40 or so years ago, Father Lucas said.

The church had made the right call in not standing down the priest.

“For someone to stand down … on the basis of no perceived risk to children doesn’t seem at all necessary,” he said.

Father Lucas said Archbishop Hepworth should have gone to authorities with his claims.

Archbishop Hepworth, 67, revealed at the weekend he was the victim of violent rapes at the hands of two priests and a trainee priest beginning in 1960, when he was 15.

Claims against dead priests Ronald Pickering and John Stockdale were settled in Melbourne.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey’s statement can be watched on video here.

What a mess!

Archbishop Philip Wilson on Archbishop Hepworth’s Abuse Allegations

The Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, has released a statement on the allegation that Monsignor Ian Dempsey raped the now TAC Primate, Archbishop John Hepworth over forty years ago:

STATEMENT BY ARCHBISHOP PHILIP WILSON
REGARDING THE ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE MADE BY ARCHBISHOP JOHN HEPWORTH

14 SEPTEMBER 2011

I wish to begin my statement by reaffirming my longstanding commitment to dealing with allegations of abuse within the Church with the utmost seriousness and with proper process.

My years as a bishop of the Church have been marked by my determination to always deal with allegations of abuse with compassion, justice and fairness, being highly sensitive to the needs of victims and applying all the rules of natural justice for those accused.

I stand on my record as a bishop in the way I have responded to issues of abuse in the Church.

Regarding Archbishop Hepworth, let me say that from the moment he came to present his allegations of abuse to the Church he has been responded to with the utmost care and sensitivity.

Monsignor Cappo who acts on my behalf has met with Archbishop Hepworth on multiple occasions since 2007. In fact at least 8 meetings have been held, all of lengthy duration.

Monsignor Cappo gave me a full briefing of each meeting, immediately following his interviews with Archbishop Hepworth.

On my behalf Monsignor Cappo urged Archbishop Hepworth, at the end of each meeting, to give his permission to proceed with an investigation in the allegations. On each occasion Archbishop Hepworth declined, indicating that he was not in a proper emotional state to deal with an investigation.

Sensitive as we must be to the needs of complainants, we adhered to his request. He was also informed that if he was alleging any form of abuse, including rape, that this is a criminal allegation and he should go to the police.

He has consistently declined to do so but I add that we have not been critical of him about this. We understand only too well the difficulty associated with making these types of decisions.

It was not until we received a letter from him in late February 2011 that Archbishop Hepworth indicated that he was ready for a process to commence and he thereby gave permission for an investigation to proceed.

I then authorized an investigation to commence immediately and diocesan solicitors (who were already involved) have assisted in that process.

This process is well under way and we are currently waiting to speak with the priest accused, to obtain his detailed response to the allegations. He has already categorically denied the allegations.

To claim that the Archdiocese of Adelaide has not responded properly to this allegation or has delayed or mishandled this complaint by Archbishop Hepworth is totally wrong and I completely reject that assertion as without foundation.

On the contrary, we have shown Archbishop Hepworth every courtesy, sensitivity and care in the process. I am fully supportive of the manner in which Monsignor Cappo has given priority to this matter and the sensitive way in which he has dealt with it.

In fact, he would often talk to me about the need to initiate further contact with Archbishop Hepworth to ensure that a proper dialogue was occurring with him and he has shown great compassion for Archbishop Hepworth. Archbishop Hepworth himself has acknowledged as much on multiple occasions.

In terms of the process, I would expect that in the next 2-3 months all the interviewing of people would have taken place.

However, this is subject only to our being furnished with a list of other persons who we have asked Archbishop Hepworth to inform us might be in a position to assist with our investigations. To date we have not received such a list from him.

It is my intention to then have Mr Michael Abbott QC to become involved in the process and assess all the evidence and documentation and to give me his opinion in law, of the allegation and the response by the priest concerned.

The question has been asked as to why I have not stood the priest aside from his ministry during this investigation. My answer is very clear. Priests are normally stood aside from their ministry when accusations of child sexual abuse are made or where there is otherwise any risk posed by that priest’s continued ministry.

In such cases this decision is clear and made as a matter of course. In this case, however, we are not talking about child sexual abuse. Despite the unfortunate suggestions made to the contrary in the past few days, the allegations refer to when Archbishop Hepworth was in his 20s.

That is over forty years ago. And considering the presumption of innocence and the good standing of the priest under investigation, I would not stand a priest down in these circumstances.

I have obtained advice about this, and in trying to balance the interests of all parties concerned, having regard to how old the allegations are, I have concluded it is not necessary for the priest to be stood down.

I am deeply distressed that Senator Xenophon has named the priest in Parliament.

There was no need for him to do so, especially when this would appear not to have been Archbishop Hepworth’s wish. There have never been any suggestion of danger to people in the parish having the priest present, and the investigation is well underway.

The damage to the priest’s reputation is obvious and severe and – in my opinion – this serves to undermine the presumption of innocence which all of us are entitled to enjoy.

Aside from that the distress to the parish is enormous. What has happened is unfair and unjust.

I was shocked that the Senator was not even prepared to sit down and talk to our legal advisers about the matter when the invitation was extended to him. Aside from anything else, I think it is also important to remember that these matters cannot but have had a significant impact on Archbishop Hepworth himself.

However, my concern now is to ensure the investigation continues, that it remains transparent and independent and that it is brought to a speedy conclusion in a normal and appropriate way.

That is what occurred to date and I pray that the events of the past few days will not interfere with that process.

Archbishop Hepworth has also spoken to Monsignor Cappo at length about the Traditional Anglican Communion and possibilities for its future relationship with the Catholic Church.

I have been resolute in taking those issues to the appropriate authorities in Rome and those discussions are ongoing.

I am very mindful of Archbishop Hepworth’s desire to reconcile with the Catholic Church.

From my perspective, from Monsignor Cappo’s perspective and in accordance with our legal advice, we have given Archbishop Hepworth’s allegations priority.

I was very relieved when Archbishop Hepworth finally able to consider he was ready to agree to the process beginning in February of this year.

I again repeat, to accuse me and the Archdiocese of not handling this matter with priority and proper process is wrong and I reject such comments.

I conclude by saying that I would have preferred that there was no need for me to speak today about such personal and complex matters, but in the light of all of the mis-statement surrounding the issue, I considered fairness to those involved in the process required me to make these things clear.

Having said this, I trust it is now clear why I would not be in any position to make any further statement concerning the issue until the investigation is completed. Thank you.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey Accused of Raping TAC Primate Archbishop John Hepworth

Monsignor Ian Dempsey

The Age calls it as it currently stands:

A former head Catholic chaplain of the navy,  Ian Dempsey,  was named in the  Senate last night as having allegedly raped a fellow seminarian 50 years  ago.

The naming by independent senator Nick Xenophon  came after the Catholic  Church yesterday rejected the senator’s ultimatum that he would name Monsignor  Dempsey unless he was stood down  from his current post as parish priest in  Brighton, Adelaide.

Monsignor Dempsey, 68, was made an Officer of the Order of Australia  in  recognition of his services as director-general of the navy’s chaplaincy. He has  also served as  vicar-general to the Adelaide archdiocese.

Monsignor Ian Dempsey and the Parish he works in is here.

The Telegraph also covers the sordid news here.

You may also want to read: ‘Catholic Church covered up sexual abuse, says this Archbishop’ here.

An abysmal state of affairs I’m afraid.

UPDATE I:   The Archbishop of Adelaide, Philip Wilson, has released a media statement regarding the above which can be read here.

UPDATE II:  Monsignor Ian Dempsey denies the abuse allegations here.