Transcript

LINDA MOTTRAM: Another controversy is dogging part of the Australian religious establishment.

It's a claim of nepotism, and it�s�� been levelled at the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Peter Jensen.

The trigger is the appointment of his wife to a key women's ministry position, which follows Dr Jensen's recent nomination of his brother Phillip for the role of Dean of Sydney, while his son is also a Chaplain at the Sydney Cathedral school.

Philippa McDonald reports.

PHILIPPA McDONALD: On Friday, Sydney's Anglican Archbishop presided at a special ceremony to appoint his wife to a newly created women's ministry. It's the first time in the church's history that an Archbishop has conducted such a ritual on his wife, and it's left many in the church wondering why such a move was necessary.

The Anglican Archbishop, Dr Peter Jensen.

ARCHBISHOP PETER JENSEN: My wife is already involved in a huge amount of women's ministry. This is the formation of a new team headed up by a new Archdeacon. It's an honorary position but it enables her to part of that team and therefore to be in touch with, and for them to be in touch with what she's doing, because she's doing so much women's ministry, it would be ridiculous for them not to know what she's involved in.

PHILIPPA McDONALD: What do you say to your critics who say there are scores of highly skilled women in the diocese and surely a more appropriate choice could have been made?

ARCHBISHOP PETER JENSEN: Well of course, they're right, there are scores of talented women in the diocese, this just happens to be one, namely Christine, my wife, who has the special position that she is in of having a ministry to clergy wives and others and who's very appropriate for this team.

So, I don't think my critics understand what's going on.

PHILIPPA McDONALD: What do you say to critics who might say, your wife will be doing your bidding?

ARCHBISHOP PETER JENSEN: Well, they would be people who don't know the slightest thing about us, because it is obvious that Christine is vey much a lady in her own right. She and I, of course, work together but she is fully trained, spent three years at Moore College and Deaconess House and as I say, has an extensive ministry in her own right.

PHILIPPA McDONALD: Do you think you've opened yourself to allegations of nepotism given that you've nominated your brother, Phillip to be the Dean of Sydney, you've got your son as Chaplain of the St Andrews School?

ARCHBISHOP PETER JENSEN: Well, not if you know what nepotism means, which means providing ecclesiastical preferrment for money and so forth and so on.

My son, Michael was appointed Chaplain long before I became Archbishop and my brother Phillip is involved in a very extensive and important ministry now and it is, I'm just very glad that he's been prepared to leave that ministry to come to this other one, and he is undoubtedly the right person for the job.

You see, we mustn't allow the fact that people have the same surname to prevent them from doing the job that we believe is right and I'm very grateful that he's prepared to do that.

This is really a storm in a teacup.

LINDA MOTTRAM: The Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Dr Peter Jensen speaking to Philippa McDonald.