Anglican Bishop Donald Shearman, who is at the centre of the child sex abuse controversy dogging the Governor-General, has attempted to divest himself of his holy orders.
Anglican Primate Peter Carnley has written to all Anglican bishops in Australia advising them that Bishop Shearman has signed a deed of revocation relinquishing his orders as a deacon, a priest and a bishop.
However, Archbishop of Brisbane Phillip Aspinall said Dr Carnley had obtained legal advice that raised doubts about whether the deed had any effect.
In other developments, Dr Aspinall said 157 new cases of sex abuse had come to his attention since he had replaced Peter Hollingworth as Brisbane's Archbishop in 2001.
Dr Aspinall said that not all cases involved children, and some stretched as far back as the 1930s.
He said five clergymen had had their licences suspended pending investigation during his tenure.
His comments prompted the Queensland Premier, Peter Beattie, to renew his call for a federal royal commission into institutionalised child sex abuse.
Mr Beattie said he was stunned so many new cases had been unearthed.
The Brisbane diocese's inquiry, which gave its report last week, was critical of Dr Hollingworth over his handling of a complaint by a woman claiming that Bishop Shearman sexually interfered with her as a student in the 1950s.
The woman claimed the abuse began when she was 14, progressed to sexual intercourse when she was 15 and ended when the then Reverend Shearman expelled her from a hostel in the NSW town of Forbes.
Dr Hollingworth created a furore last year when he suggested that the teenager had initiated the sex. He had earlier refused the woman's pleas to stop Bishop Shearman from preaching.
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks yesterday called on Dr Hollingworth to resign, saying the furore had damaged the office of governor-general, which had to be free from controversy.
If he did not stand down voluntarily, Prime Minister John Howard ought to request Dr Hollingworth's resignation, Mr Bracks said.
Australian Democrats leader Andrew Bartlett also said the controversy was damaging the office.
"Our greater concern, however, remains the ongoing lack of action on the issue of child sexual abuse in this country," he said.