The New Zealand Catholic Church has announced it is considering introducing guidelines to control the filming and photographing of children on church grounds.
Similar guidelines already exist overseas. In Ireland there is a total ban on all photographs during religious services in the Dublin archdiocese, including weddings, first communions, confirmations and baptisms.
Other churches in New Zealand, such as the Pentecostal church Arise, which has a big youth following, also have strict rules in place that ban the photographing of children.
Bill Kilgallon, director of the Catholic Church’s national office of professional standards, said there were two reasons for developing the guidelines: to protect children from potential abusers, and to stop disruption to church services. Read more