Canberra, May 8 (Bloomberg) -- Queen Elizabeth II's representative in Australia has denied allegations he raped a woman in the 1960s when was a Anglican priest.

Governor-General Peter Hollingworth, former Archbishop of Brisbane, said the woman, who died in April, had lodged civil court proceedings against him. The claim relates to when Hollingworth was a servant of the Anglican church in Victoria state. The Victorian Supreme Court lifted suppression orders on the case today.

``I did not rape her. I did not sexually assault her,'' Hollingworth said in a statement faxed to Bloomberg News and later read on television. ``I deny absolutely that I have ever raped or in any way sexually assaulted any person.''

The woman claimed Hollingworth assaulted her during a youth camp in Victoria state in 1965 or 1966 when she was 19 or 20.

``I did not hold any of the positions alleged by the woman in question,'' Hollingworth said. ``I can only assume the claims against me must have been made as a result of mistaken identity.''

Hollingworth has been under increasing pressure to resign as Governor-General after an Anglican church report last week said his decisions as Anglican archbishop of Brisbane in relation to child sex abuse were ``untenable.''

The church report found Hollingworth failed to act on child sex abuse claims from an Anglican school in the state of Queensland and said his decision to allow a pedophile to remain a priest was `untenable.'' Hollingworth was Archbishop of Brisbane between 1990 and 2001.

Public Criticism

An AC Nielsen poll this week showed 76 percent of Australians believed Hollingworth should resign as Governor-General.

Anglican bishops, some lawmakers and former federal Liberal Party leader John Hewson have joined the call for his resignation.

``He should resign and I think John Howard is waiting for him to do that,'' Hewson said in an interview with Bloomberg Television today.

Hollingworth's conduct as Governor-General did not ``warrant or support'' a recommendation to the Queen to sack him, Prime Minister Howard told reporters in London yesterday.

Hollingworth didn't mention resignation in his statement.

``As the woman's application remains before the court, and there are still orders in force protecting her identity and documents lodged on her behalf, I will not comment further,'' he said.

Last Updated: May 8, 2003 03:02 EDT