Archbishop and Friend to Ask Slipper to Step down As Priest

By Rebecca Puddy
The Australian
April 23, 2012

www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/in-depth/archbishop-and-friend-to-ask-slipper-to-step-down-as-priest/story-fndckad0-1226335699615

EMBATTLED MP Peter Slipper will be asked to stand down from his role as a priest in the Traditional Anglican Communion while allegations he sexually harassed a male adviser and misused taxpayer money are investigated.

Australian leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion John Hepworth said yesterday Mr Slipper, an ordained priest, would be asked to stand down in the wake of the allegations made by James Ashby.

As chancellor of the breakaway TAC, Mr Slipper is the chief legal adviser to Archbishop Hepworth.

The move to suspend Mr Slipper from his church role came yesterday, soon after the Queensland MP stood aside as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

"It is right for anyone accused of serious misconduct in public life, whether in church life or political life, to stand aside until the processes of justice reach a conclusion," Archbishop Hepworth said.

"Ministers of the crown and cardinals of the church have followed this sound principle in recent years in Australia; otherwise, the integrity of our core institutions is eroded, and our expectations of public morality further decay.

"As Peter Slipper's archbishop, I applaud his decision to stand aside as Speaker, and am seeking a similar decision in relation to his public functions in the church."

Archbishop Hepworth said it was not a decision he had taken lightly, but it was appropriate given the gravity of the allegations against the senior MP. "I have agonised over it because we have been friends for a long time and I greatly respect his work both in the church and in the parliament," he said.

"I am a longstanding friend of both Peter and his wife, Inge, about whom I am extremely concerned. I also greatly respect his voting record in parliament on a range of contentious moral issues."

Mr Slipper was ordained a priest of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia, a member church of the Traditional Anglican Communion, in 2008 after serving as a deacon since 2003. While he is a priest, it is understood he is licensed by the church to celebrate only private masses.

Mr Slipper faced calls to stand aside as Speaker by Tony Abbott and Tasmanian independent MP Andrew Wilkie.

Federal Court documents show Mr Ashby has accused Mr Slipper of making "unwelcome sexual advances" and "unwelcome sexual comments".

The Australian Federal Police will also be asked to investigate allegations Mr Slipper misused Cabcharge dockets.

In a statement yesterday, Mr Slipper denied the allegations but said it was appropriate to stand aside as Speaker while the allegations were resolved.

Last year, he backed the move by the Traditional Anglican Communion to join the Catholic Church, but would probably have been forced to choose between his roles in the church and state when the union was complete.