Adelaide, Australia, Nov 30, 2011 / 23:13 pm
An Australian Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth several decades ago has been cleared of any wrongdoing by his diocese.
“There is no substance to the allegations made by Archbishop Hepworth,” Archbishop Philip Wilson of the Diocese of Adelaide said on Nov. 28. His remarks follow a two-month investigation into claims made against local priest Monsignor Ian Dempsey.
Archbishop Hepworth, 67, had alleged that he was sexually abused, beginning in 1960, by three Catholic priests including Msgr. Dempsey.
The diocesan investigation, which found Msgr. Dempsey innocent of the charges, was conducted by a leading Adelaide lawyer Michael Abbott.