Woman tells of seduction by priest

CANBERRA - The woman who triggered the crisis that led to the resignation of former Australian Governor-General Dr Peter Hollingworth nearly two years ago has revealed details of her seduction as a 15-year-old by a married priest.

The priest, Donald Shearman, later became one of Australia's most prominent bishops and was shielded from exposure and retribution by Hollingworth during his term as Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane.

Hollingworth resigned after admitting he had "got it wrong" in deciding to let Shearman continue to preach after learning of the abuse of Beth Heinrich as a teenager, and telling the bishop to keep a low profile to avoid damage to the Church and personal financial hardship.

Hollingworth's acting successor as Archbishop of Brisbane, Richard Appleby, revoked Shearman's permission to officiate as a bishop, and he was defrocked last year by a church tribunal.

Heinrich revealed her identity for the first time last night on ABC TV's Australian Story, describing a sophisticated seduction, sexual adventurism and false promises of a future together.

Her account, reportedly supported by hundreds of steamy love letters, also tells of betrayal and expulsion from a church hostel, and, finally, a live-in relationship two decades later.

The pair met in the 1950s when Heinrich, now a 65-year-old nurse, was a teenage boarder at an Anglican hostel at Forbes, in western New South Wales, and Shearman was the young warden and in loco parentis.

Shearman was married at the time, but was apparently dissatisfied. During his seduction he promised to leave his wife and live with Heinrich.

"Whenever his wife was away Padre used to get me to lie naked on their bed with him, or in front of the fire in their lounge," Heinrich said.

Shearman later expelled Heinrich for promiscuity.

In 1977, Heinrich was trapped in a violent marriage and turned to Shearman for help. In 1984 Shearman finally did leave his wife and moved in with Heinrich.