By David Jean and Catherine Hockley
Adelaide Now
September 14, 2011
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/act-on-claims-or-ill-go-public-xenophon/story-e6frea83-1226135177100
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| Monsignor Ian Dempsey makes a statement to the media with members of his Brighton Parish yesterday. Picture: Kelly Barnes |
THE priest named in Federal Parliament as an alleged rapist has rejected the claims, as the state's Catholic church refuted the accusations.
Archbishop Philip Wilson said that Archbishop John Hepworth had only given the "green light" in February this year to proceed with an investigation into allegations he was raped by Monsignor Ian Dempsey more than 40 years ago.
He said Monsignor David Cappo had urged Archbishop Hepworth on eight separate occasions to allow an investigation to proceed.
But Archbishop Hepworth rejected this yesterday, saying he had given Monsignor Cappo the "green light from word go".
Senator Nick Xenophon used parliamentary privilege in the Senate on Tuesday night to name Monsignor Dempsey as the priest alleged to have raped Archbishop Hepworth.
Senator Xenophon last night said his office had been inundated with messages backing his decision and claims the church had mishandled other sex assault cases.
Archbishop Hepworth a local political commentator, former Catholic priest and leader of a breakaway Anglican offshoot first raised the allegations in a meeting with then Vicar-General of the Adelaide Archdiocese, Monsignor David Cappo, in 2007.
In a dark day for the church:
MONSIGNOR Dempsey faced the media at his Brighton Parish surrounded by his parishioners to deny he raped Archbishop Hepworth more than 40 years ago.
ARCHBISHOP Wilson said the church had not stood down Monsignor Dempsey for the duration of the investigation because the allegation didn't involve child sexual assault.
CARDINAL George Pell, the Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, said "the public needs to be assured that the matter is being handled appropriately".
Reading from a lengthy written statement, Archbishop Wilson said the church had acted with "utmost care and sensitivity" since Archbishop Hepworth raised the allegations.
He said Monsignor Cappo had met Archbishop Hepworth at least eight times since 2007.
"On my behalf, Monsignor Cappo urged Archbishop Hepworth, at the end of each meeting, to give his permission to proceed with an investigation into the allegations," he said.
"On each occasion Archbishop Hepworth declined, indicating that he was not in a proper emotional state to deal with an investigation."
Archbishop Hepworth last night rejected this, telling The Advertiser he had given Monsignor Cappo the "green light from word go".
"We were not looking to stop the process, we simply couldn't find the process that Adelaide was running," he said.
"When I asked David Cappo at the last meeting only a few weeks back what process they were running he said it was preliminary."
Archbishop Hepworth claims he was raped by three priests over a period of 12 years, starting when he was in the seminary in Adelaide in 1960.
Two of the priests have since died, and Archbishop Hepworth received compensation from the Melbourne Archdiocese for his abuse by one of these priests.
He said he went public about the Adelaide case because he felt it had yet to be appropriately investigated.
Senator Xenophon named Monsignor Dempsey under parliamentary privilege in the Senate on Tuesday night, after the church refused to stand him down until its investigation was complete.
Monsignor Dempsey yesterday denied he had raped Archbishop Hepworth.
"I've made it clear in writing to the inquiry that I categorically deny the allegations, which I note, are said to have occurred some 45 years ago and have nothing to do with underage people," he read out in a prepared statement.
Archbishop Wilson said he was "deeply distressed" that the priest had been named in parliament.
"Despite the unfortunate suggestions made to the contrary in the past few days, the allegations refer to when Archbishop Hepworth was in his 20s," he said.
"That is over 40 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."
Archbishop Wilson revealed he had enlisted the services of prominent lawyer Mr Michael Abbott QC to "assess all the evidence and documentation and to give me his opinion in law, of the allegation and the response by the priest concerned".
Cardinal Pell, an arch conservative within the church, appeared to undermine his Adelaide colleagues saying "the public needs to be assured that the mat- ter is being handled appro- priately".
It's understood that Cardinal Pell is close to Archbishop Hepworth, who himself plays a senior role in a breakaway Anglican group seeking to become attached to the Roman Catholic Church.
It's also known that Cardinal Pell has opposite views to both Archbishop Wilson and Monsignor Cappo, who are both regarded as moderates.
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