Australian Anglican bishop resigns, cites ‘systemic’ protection for abusers

March 17, 2017

An Australian Anglican bishop has resigned, denouncing the response to the sex-abuse scandal.

Bishop Greg Thompson of Newcastle resigned just as an Australian royal commission was concluding its investigation into sexual abuse by Anglican clerics. Bishop Thompson testified last November that he himself had been molested by an Anglican prelate who is now deceased.

Bishop Thompson, who has been on a leave of absence since delivering his testimony, said that he had reached the decision to resign at the age of 60 for the sake of his health and his family. He said that when he entered the Anglican priesthood he had not expected to encounter the “systemic practices that have enabled the horrendous crimes against children.”

 

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Further information:

• Australian Anglican bishop who testified about child sex abuse quits (AP)