New Zealand Catholic bishops have condemned a fake news statement circulated online claiming they had endorsed the New Conservative Party.
They say they are seriously concerned about claims they are urging Catholics to vote for the party.
The bishops have reported the false statement to the Electoral Commission and told all parishes and the New Conservative Party that it is fake news.
The Catholic Bishops of Aotearoa New Zealand have not endorsed and will not endorse any political party said Cardinal John Dew who is Metropolitan Archbishop of Wellington and ice-president of the NZ Catholic Bishops Conference.
“We are in the final stages of preparing our triennial Election Statement for distribution,” said Cardinal Dew.
“Our Election Statement will specifically say that it is not our role as bishops to tell people who to vote for.”
Dew said that all claims in the circulating statement are false.
“I am particularly concerned that this false statement purports to say some of these fabrications were made in the name of an employee of a Church entity who is named in the document. That is truly appalling.
We have been told by a representative of the New Conservative Party that they do not know who is behind the false statement, and we accept that,” Dew said.
The fake news post attacked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for being a “deliberately unmarried mother,” claimed the church did not believe the science on climate change and opposed the UN Global Pact for Migration.
The Catholic Church believes that people have the right to migrate and supports refugee efforts.
Pope Francis has repeatedly called for stronger efforts in the fight against climate change, and the Auckland Diocese formally supported the Zero Carbon Act.
The church has never made any statement on the Prime Minister’s relationship status.
Source
- catholic.org.nz
- stuff.co.nz
- Image: tvnz.co.nz