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	G-G Felt Sorry for Disgraced Predecessor Sydney Morning Herald August 31, 2008 http://news.smh.com.au/national/gg-felt-sorry-for-disgraced-predecessor-20080831-467e.html Outgoing Governor-General Michael Jeffery has expressed sympathy for his predecessor, who left office under a cloud after failing to sack a pedophile priest. Major General Jeffery, who leaves office this week after five years in the top job, said he felt sorry for former governor-general and Anglican archbishop Peter Hollingworth. "I'm on the public record frequently saying how saddened I was for Dr Hollingworth and his wife," Major-General Jeffery told Sky News. "The issues of course were complex, things happened, it was a very difficult time." Major-General Jeffery said he liked to think the office of governor-general was now back on an even keel after the controversial events of 2003 which saw him pressed into service. "I feel comfortable in my own skin that the ship of state is on course and people are very nice to us wherever we go," he said. Dr Hollingworth stood down as governor-general after sustained criticism of his handling of child abuse allegations during his time as the Archbishop of Brisbane. The crisis deepened when he was accused of showing a lack of compassion for victims of sexual abuse and peaked when a 57-year-old woman launched a civil case accusing him of sexually assaulting her in the 1960s. He denied ever meeting the woman, who died before the matter reached the courts, but the damage was done and he submitted to calls for his resignation.
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