Survivor Beth Heinrich will receive an apology from the most senior Anglican official in Queensland, Archbishop Jeremy Greaves, at an Evensong service at St John's Cathedral in Brisbane on 22 March. The apology addresses failures by former Archbishop Peter Hollingworth in handling the case of Heinrich's abuser, deposed bishop Donald Shearman.
Heinrich, who was abused as a girl by Shearman, has campaigned for decades for justice. She criticised Hollingworth for failing to remove Shearman from the church despite knowing of the abuse, and for suggesting in a 2002 TV interview that the then-14-year-old Heinrich had instigated the relationship.
Heinrich has received apologies from lower-ranking church officials before, but hopes this archbishop's apology will inspire other survivors to seek justice. 'I just hope the publicity will be a benefit to others, give them the courage to do something about it,' she said.
Hollingworth, who served as Brisbane archbishop from 1989 to 2000 and later as Australia's governor general, has previously acknowledged mistakes but denied committing crimes. In 2023, a church process found him guilty of misconduct for failing to remove Shearman and another abuser, and for insensitive comments about Heinrich. He later voluntarily surrendered his permission to officiate, citing a desire to end distress to survivors.
