Former governor-general and Anglican bishop Peter Hollingworth dies aged 91
Former governor-general and Anglican bishop Peter Hollingworth, whose career was marred by child abuse in the church, has died aged 91.
Archbishop of Brisbane Jeremy Greaves confirmed Dr Hollingworth’s death in Melbourne on Tuesday morning.
He said in a statement that the church offered its “condolences to the family.”
“Bishop Hollingworth served as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane for 11 years from 1990 and was a vocal advocate for the poor and underprivileged,” he said.
Born in Adelaide in 1935, Dr Hollingworth moved to Victoria with his family in 1940 and was ordained in 1960.
In 1964, he joined the anti-poverty organization the Brotherhood of St. Laurence and served as its executive director for the 25 years he spent there.
Dr Hollingworth was named Australian of the Year in 1991 and was also recognized with the Order of the British Empire and the Order of Australia.
He was elected the eighth Archbishop of Brisbane in 1989 and was appointed the 23rd governor general of Australia in 2001.
But an Anglican Church subsequent investigation found it had failed to remove pedophile priests Donald Shearman and John Elliot from ministry in Brisbane in the 1990s, even though it knew they were sexually abusing their children.
In May 2003, Dr. Hollingworth resigned due to “ongoing public controversy” over his ability to “maintain the importance, dignity and integrity” of his position.
In 2016, he testified at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, telling one victim-survivor that he was “extremely sorry that the church and I failed to protect you.”
The commission ultimately agreed with Dr. It found Hollingworth made a “serious error of judgment” in allowing John Elliot, who admitted abusing two children, to remain in the ministry.
Dr Hollingworth accepted the findings and apologized.
Reverend Greaves also said in his statement that Dr. He also acknowledged Hollingworth’s controversies, saying the Church acknowledged “with deep regret” the Church’s “past failures.”
“The Anglican Church of Southern Queensland apologizes unreservedly to those who have suffered abuse, distress, isolation and harm through the Church’s failure to respond with honesty and care when it was needed most,” he said.
In 2023 Dr Hollingworth stopped practicing as an Anglican priest.
He is survived by three daughters and four grandchildren. His wife, Ann, died in April 2021.
