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All Catholic bishops in New Zealand must resign, says respected Catholic theologian Dr Christopher Longhurst.
Longhurst’s comments, reported in the widely read publication La Croix International, are strongly critical of the very people from whom he receives his daily bread.
New Zealand’s Catholic bishops employ him to teach at Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College.
He is also the leader of SNAP – the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.
Citing numerous broken promises, inadequate responses and apparent lack of accountability, Longhust (pictured) says “They [the bishops] have brought great shame on the New Zealand Catholic Church”.
He says the bishops are overlooking the recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care and adds that its final report, which shows their lack of accountability and transparency in responding to pervasive abuse, merits serious condemnation.
“Given such a finding, perhaps it would be best for the local Church and New Zealand society if those church leaders, the bishops, tendered their resignations to the pope” he says.
The problem is longstanding and is not just about the current leaders, Longhurst points out.
He says 22 years ago, a bishops’ pastoral letter on abuse said “We give you an assurance of our commitment to confront this problem with openness and transparency”.
Despite this assurance, the Inquiry found the Catholic bishops did not honour this commitment.
“Evidently they are not capable of making the required changes” Longhurst says.
“By such repetitive misbehaviour, they are keeping us all at risk, endangering more children and vulnerable people in the care of New Zealand’s Catholic Church.
“Therefore, they themselves must be changed. They must resign.”
Episcopal accountability
After publication of the Royal Commission’s final report, the Catholic bishops promised “to ensure that the findings and recommendations of this significant Inquiry are not lost or confined to words in a report” Longhurst explains.
Longhurst has accused the bishops and congregational leaders of a lack of transparency.
He says he has had no response from the bishops.
Survivors appeal
Catholic survivors in New Zealand have appealed to Pope Francis three times since 2022 to ask him to hold the bishops to account.
They also asked him to respect his own calls for openness and transparency in dealing with survivors’ complaints.
In addition, they asked Francis to help dismantle what they continue to call the local church’s system of coverup and denial that is harming so many people.
So far they have not had a reply.
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