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Some of the ribbons removed from a fence outside Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Onehunga, Auckland have been put back.
They had been tied to the fence on Saturday, 1 June to honour survivors of sexual abuse as part of the launch The Catholic Boys which recounts the abuse experience of three brothers by Fr Frank Green.
The ribbons were removed by some children who had later been at the church.
A spokesperson for the Catholic Church said it seems the children, who knew nothing about what had taken place earlier in the day, saw the ribbons.
They had been upset by the messages on some of the ribbons so they removed them and put them in the rubbish.
Some of the ribbons were retrieved and tied back onto the fence. Other new ribbons have been added.
Last Sunday a letter from Patrick Dunn, the Catholic Bishop of Auckland was read out at the Sunday Masses at Our Lady of the Assumption Church:
“You will have noticed that there are a number of ribbons tied to the fence alongside the church. These have been placed by a family who experienced abuse in the parish many years ago.
“Members of this family and their supporters held a ceremony of healing in the church grounds last weekend.
“It has become a tradition for victims of abuse to place ribbons around the places where abuse occurred, with messages on them calling for justice and love to prevail in all our dealings.
“I would ask you to respect these feelings, and not to remove the ribbons, but to pray instead for all who have experienced abuse of any kind in this parish and elsewhere.”
Source
- Supplied
- stuff.co.nz
- stuff.co.nz
- Image: stuff.co.nz
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