When Beth Heinrich sits before the pulpit of St John’s Anglican Cathedral in Brisbane later this month, she will not be looking for closure.
She will be hoping to chart a path for other survivors.
Heinrich has waged a high-profile, decades-long campaign for justice over her treatment, both by her abuser, Anglican priest Donald Shearman, and the handling of her case by the then Brisbane archbishop Peter Hollingworth, who went on to become Australia’s 23rd governor general.
Hollingworth was found to have failed to act to remove Shearman from the church, despite becoming aware of his abuse. While governor general, Hollingworth appeared on ABC television in 2002 and suggested that Heinrich, 14, had instigated a sexual relationship with Shearman, a married priest.
“When I finally recovered from the psychological shock from the disdainful way I was treated in 95 and 96 … I became so angry,” Heinrich says. “I thought they’re not going to treat me like this. I’m going to keep at them.”
On 22 March, at an Evensong service, the most senior Anglican official in Queensland, Archbishop Jeremy Greaves, will offer Heinrich an apology.
Notes for the service, seen by Guardian Australia, reveal the archbishop will “deliver an apology to Beth Heinrich for failures made by former Archbishop Peter Hollingworth in the handing [sic] of her abuser, deposed bishop Donald Shearman, who is now deceased”.
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Heinrich has received apologies from less senior church officials in the past.
But she hopes this act, coming from an archbishop, might inspire other survivors to fight for justice.
“I just hope the publicity will be a benefit to others, give them the courage to do something about it,” she says.
Hollingworth was approached for a response.
He has previously acknowledged he made mistakes and apologised.
“I made mistakes and I cannot undo them,” Hollingworth said previously. “But I committed no crimes. There is no evidence that there was any abuse because of any decisions I made, or did not make.”
Hollingworth said he thought about his failings almost every day but that his actions were influenced by the advice of church lawyers and insurance companies at the time.
“I had devoted my life to social justice, pastoral care and healing, but I had little experience in dealing with the child abuse issues,” he said. “Like other church leaders, I was unduly influenced by the advice of lawyers and insurance companies.”
Hollingworth is not accused of abuse himself.
Hollingworth was the Anglican archbishop of Brisbane for 11 years from 1989 and served as governor general from 2001 to 2003. He resigned from the office after his handling of sexual abuse allegations prompted repeated criticism, including over his comments about Heinrich during the 2002 ABC interview.
In 2023, he was the subject of serious misconduct findings delivered by a delayed and much-criticised internal church process.
Hollingworth was found to have engaged in misconduct by failing to remove Shearman and another abuser from the church’s ranks while Brisbane archbishop in the 1990s. The church also reprimanded him for his insensitive comments about Heinrich.
Despite the serious findings, the church’s professional standards board recommended Hollingworth be allowed to continue in his priestly duties in Victoria, saying he posed no unacceptable risk of harm.
But Hollingworth later announced he would voluntarily return his permission to officiate, which allowed him to continue to conduct services at his local parish and officiate marriages, funerals and baptisms.
He acknowledged his continuing presence in the church was a “cause of pain to survivors”.
“I want to end distress to them, and division within the church,” he said in a statement.
Greaves’ office did not respond to a request for comment.
• In Australia, children, young adults, parents and teachers can contact the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or Bravehearts on 1800 272 831, and adult survivors can contact Blue Knot Foundation on 1300 657 380. Other sources of help can be found at Child Helplines International
