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Former Archbishop says he is 'close to the edge'
Church of England Newspaper
May 20, 2005
The former Australian Governor-General who resigned after being caught up in the controversy over the cover-up of the clergy child abuse, revealed this that he was suffering depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr Peter Hollingworth, who was Archbishop of Brisbane where allegations of a cover-up were centred, revealed in an interview with the Australian Bulletin magazine that he could understand why some people commit suicide. He said that he had not contemplated it himself, and was now reducing his dosage of anti-depressants, which he had used to cope since his resignation in 2003.
"I am pretty close to the edge. I know about the black dog. I also know that you can't let it get on your back because it will bring you down," he revealed in a remarkably candid interview.
Although Dr Hollingworth resigned, he has denied being involved in the cover-up in Brisbane. In fact, he now believes that his downfall was due to a 'powerful secular culture', which could not tolerate the religious in the public square.
"The child-abuse thing was the trigger, but at the end of the day, there is a deeply virulent, secularist, anti-religious streak out there in Australian society."
The story of the cover-up first surfaced when Hollingworth was appointed Governor-General. A woman, Beth Neinrich, came forward and accused Bishop Donald Shearman of having sex with her when she was a boarder at the Anglican Hostel at Forbes in the 1950s. She said that when she went to Archbishop Hollingworth for help years later he had 'fobbed her off'.
She later had an adult relationship with Bishop Shearman and after that ended approached Brisbane Diocese and revealed her childhood experiences. She said that no action had been taken.
Shearman, now 78, was stripped of his orders over the matter, while Ms Heinrich was awarded compensation.
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