BishopAccountability.org
	Accused Priest Tells of His Own Distress By Rebecca Puddy The Australian September 20, 2011 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/accused-priest-tells-of-his-own-distress/story-e6frg6nf-1226141208315 THE priest accused of the sexual abuse of a fellow cleric nearly 50 years ago has revealed damage to his mental and physical health since the Catholic Church began investigating the allegations in February. In a letter handed out to worshippers at his Adelaide seaside parish on Sunday, Ian Dempsey described problems with his health and personal welfare. It is understood Monsignor Dempsey also wrote a personal letter to independent senator Nick Xenophon. In his open letter to his Brighton parishioners, he compares his experience under the church's investigation with injustices suffered by Jesus and Mary MacKillop. "The past year has been very challenging to my emotional and physical health," Monsignor Dempsey's statement said. "Jesus suffered injustice, St Mary of the Cross MacKillop suffered injustice. "I am innocent of these allegations and pray daily the truth will eventually be revealed." Last Tuesday, Senator Xenophon used parliamentary privilege to name Monsignor Dempsey as having allegedly raped former Catholic priest and now breakaway Anglican leader John Hepworth. The Adelaide Catholic archdiocese disputes Archbishop Hepworth's claim that he requested a formal investigation in 2008 and say they began investigating the allegations in February this year. Archbishop Hepworth has issued an ultimatum to the archdiocese to process the allegations under the same system used in Melbourne by the end of this week or he will pursue a police investigation in to his claims. The church yesterday said it had encouraged Archbishop Hepworth to go to the police "for a significant period of time". While Archbishop Hepworth said he had spoken with police on Friday, he said his preference was still to have the allegations dealt with by the church. "I just needed to tell the story of why I ran away from the church," Archbishop Hepworth said. "Nobody from the church has been in touch with me since the story first appeared in The Australian last Saturday, not even through a third party. "I fear that we are passing each other like ships in the night." On Thursday, Monsignor Dempsey announced he was going on planned leave for a month. A spokeswoman for the Adelaide archdiocese said the investigation would not be completed before Monsignor Dempsey returned from holidays. In a speech to the Hawke Centre last night, Premier Mike Rann continued his attack against the "cowardly, personality politics" that prompted Monsignor David Cappo to step down from his role as chairman of the Mental Health Commission one week after he had accepted the job. Last week, Senator Xenophon called for a federal investigation into his appointment after it was revealed Monsignor Cappo was first told of the alleged rape four years ago. Mr Rann said Monsignor Cappo's promotion had served as "an invitation to an execution".
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