Peter Hollingworth, former Governor-General, dies aged 91

Retired Anglican bishop and former governor-general Peter Hollingworth, who resigned in 2003 amid controversy over his handling of child abuse in the church, has died, aged 91.

Born in Adelaide in 1935 and raised in Melbourne, Dr Hollingworth was ordained in 1960 after studying theology.

Once described as "Australia's foremost spokesman for social justice", he joined the Brotherhood of St Laurence in 1964, serving 25 years with the Anglican welfare agency, including as executive director.

He was an outspoken critic of national welfare policy, arguing that poverty should be looked at "in terms of the structure of society, rather than the individual case".

Archbishop of Brisbane Jeremy Greaves confirmed to the ABC Dr Hollingworth died in Melbourne this morning.

In 1984, the clergyman famously clashed with former prime minister Bob Hawke after publishing a scathing open letter in which he accused the Labor government of failing to tackle child poverty.

Dr Hollingworth was named 1991 Australian of the Year and was recognised with an Order of the British Empire and an Order of Australia for his contributions to the community welfare sector.

First and only cleric to serve as governor-general

Dr Hollingworth's steady rise through the Anglican hierarchy culminated in 1989 when he was elected the eighth Archbishop of Brisbane, overseeing 100 parishes.

He used his public profile to advocate for Indigenous rights, youth employment and the ordination of women.

After 11 years leading the Brisbane diocese, Dr Hollingworth was appointed the 23rd governor-general of Australia in 2001, the personal choice of then-prime minister John Howard.

He was the first and only cleric to serve in the vice-regal office.

Just six months into his term, Dr Hollingworth came under fire over allegations he failed to act on child sex abuse claims against Anglican clergy during his Brisbane tenure in the 1990s.

An Anglican church inquiry later found he failed to remove late paedophile priests Donald Shearman and John Elliot from the ministry, despite knowing they had sexually assaulted children.

Child abuse scandals

Beth Heinrich was abused as a teenage schoolgirl by Shearman in central-west New South Wales in the 1950s. She asked Dr Hollingworth for help to have the rector removed from the clergy, but he denied her requests, allowing Shearman to continue preaching until his retirement.

In a 2002 interview with the ABC's Australian Story, the then-governor-general suggested Ms Heinrich was the instigator: "My belief is that this was not sex abuse. There was no suggestion of rape or anything like that, quite the contrary. My information is that it was rather the other way round."

What went to air sparked calls for his sacking.

Dr Hollingworth always maintained his remarks were taken out of context. He later wrote to Ms Heinrich: "What happened to you as a girl was wrong and you were in no way responsible for it, I am deeply sorry for the words I used … that suggested otherwise."

In May 2003, Dr Hollingworth resigned as governor-general of Australia, citing the impact of "continuing public controversy" on his ability to "uphold the importance, dignity and integrity" of the high office.

'I have lived with my failures every day since'

In 2016, he testified at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and spoke directly to a victim-survivor, telling them he was "extremely sorry that the church and I failed to protect you."

The commission found Dr Hollingworth made a "serious error of judgement" in allowing John Elliot, who admitted to abusing two boys, to continue in the ministry.

It also ruled the former Archbishop of Brisbane failed to take into account a psychiatrist's advice that Elliot was an "untreatable" paedophile who posed a risk of re-offending.

Dr Hollingworth accepted the findings and apologised, stating: "I made mistakes and I cannot undo them … but I committed no crimes."

He argued he was "ill-equipped" to deal with child abuse and was heavily influenced by the advice of lawyers and insurance companies.

"I say that as a matter of context, not as an excuse," Dr Hollingworth said. "I have lived with my failures every day since."

Holy orders retained

In 2023, the Professional Standards Board of the Anglican Church ruled Dr Hollingworth should not be defrocked, despite finding he committed misconduct.

He faced sustained criticism and calls to relinquish his $357,732 taxpayer-funded vice-regal pension and entitlements.

He was also named in several complaints to the Anglican diocese of Melbourne over his continuing status as a bishop in the church.

In 2023, Dr Hollingworth announced he would cease practising as an Anglican priest and surrender his permission to officiate to "end distress" for survivors, though he retained his holy orders.

He is survived by his three daughters and four grandchildren. His wife Ann died in 2021.