A survivor of physical abuse in Catholic institutions is asking the often-criticised Catholic National Office of Professional Standards (NOPS) to investigate. The survivor, Brendon Bowkett, having witnessed horrific violence and abuse as a child, is calling for urgent reforms in the way the Catholic Church investigates complaints. In 2022 Bowkett left New Zealand and is Read more
Palmerston North bishop John Adams is doubling down on a culture change in the Catholic Church and its efforts to make the Church safe. Adams had commented earlier in response to a letter to the editor published in the Manawatu Standard by Dr Christopher Longhurst, leader of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Read more
A child abuse survivors’ group has told Pope Francis the Catholic Church in New Zealand is mishandling the abuse redress process. They are being retraumatised during the process, Aotearoa-New Zealand’s chapter of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) told Francis in a letter last week. SNAP, a global organisation, went on to accuse Read more
The Catholic Church’s group dealing with the Royal Commission into State and Faith-Based Care say it is studying a Cabinet paper released by Public Services Minister Chris Hipkins. Hipkins has plans to cut a 3000-strong waiting list of claimants of abuse in state care – such as children’s homes – by making “rapid payments”. Survivors Read more
The Vatican has ordered a further investigation into the behaviour of Fr Fivins Chittilappilly. Chittilappilly had been working in New Zealand as an assistant priest in Mercy Parish South Dunedin since January 2020. However, following a complaint of sexual harassment from an adult woman, towards the end of last year, he was stood down from Read more
An independent investigation into the way Dunedin Catholic Bishop John Kavanagh handled sexual abuse complaints has begun. The New Zealand bishops’ conference (NZBC) says these concerns involved a number of victims of abuse in the Dunedin Diocese who had complained that Kavanagh had not properly dealt with their complaints of sexual abuse by priests. The Read more