The New Zealand Bishops Conference, in a report issued by Te Ropu Tautoko, says it also highlights areas where more work is needed.

Te Ropu Tautoko coordinated the Church's engagement with the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

Te Ropu Tautoko says UK-based GCPS Consulting's assessment examined the implementation and suitability of safeguarding culture standards across the Catholic Church in New Zealand.

Unsafe institutions

The assessment revealed that up to 42 percent of those in faith-based care run by all denominations were abused from 1950 to 1999 - the period the Royal Commission focused on.

"The assumed moral authority and trustworthiness of clergy and religious leaders allowed abusers in faith-based institutions to perpetrate abuse and neglect with impunity" says Royal Commission advisor Arrun Soma.

"Religious beliefs were often used to justify the abuse and neglect and to silence survivors.

"Hierarchical and opaque decision-making processes impeded scrutiny and making complaints", he told the New Zealand Parliament in July this year.

A 2020 briefing from the Catholic Church previously noted abuse accusations against 14 percent of its New Zealand clergy during those decades.

Better safeguarding planned

The President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference, Bishop Steve Lowe, is encouraged by the range of approaches that are working well and acknowledges the areas that need further strengthening.

Critical recommendations for Catholic safeguarding in New Zealand include:

• Increased dialogue with survivors and their representatives
• Regular public reporting on the number of cases reported to Church authorities
• Ensuring documents are more accessible for people from a range of backgrounds
• Seeking to undertake investigations in a more timely manner
• Assessing the Church's allocation of resources on prevention and responding to complaints and concerns
• Ensuring safeguarding is embedded in all roles for those working in the Church

"We are grateful for the dedicated and knowledgeable people we have guiding our safeguarding initiatives, but it is important that we provide them with the appropriate support and promote collaboration and ongoing development for them" Lowe says.

Father Thomas Rouse, President of the Congregational Leaders Conference, stresses the need for increased dialogue with survivors and their representatives.

"The road towards a sense of truth, of justice, of healing is one we must walk with those who have been abused in our settings" he says.

Rouse and Lowe want their organisations to develop an official plan to respond to the Royal Commission's findings.

Source

• Crux Now
• Catholic News Agency
• Errors made in an earlier version of this article have been rectified.

Te Ropu Tautoko, the body established to manage the Church's dealings with the Royal Commission, has initiated an anonymous electronic feedback process that is accessible from anywhere in the world.

This initiative comes as the commission's activities are set to conclude this June, with Tautoko preparing a comprehensive handover report for the Church leaders.

Tautoko is eager to incorporate feedback that represents a diverse range of perspectives on the Catholic Church's engagement with the Royal Commission, and it is looking for input that is crucial in shaping the Church's response.

The survey is designed to be completely anonymous, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their relationship with the Church, can share their views without any fear of reprisal.

Tautoko's report however will be public, offering a glimpse into the Church's introspection and response to the Royal Commission's findings.

As the Royal Commission's deadline approaches, the effectiveness of Tautoko's management of the feedback process and its impact on the Church's approach to addressing past abuses remain under scrutiny.

Ultimately, it remains to be seen whether the Church's actions along with the State and other faith-based organisations will foster healing and trust within the wider community.

Participate in the anonymous feedback.

Sources

• Supplied: NZCBC
• Tautoko

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 of abuse in religious and faith-based settings are not included.

Hipkins said the new scheme would cover both state and religious claimants, but faith-based institutions would for now provide their own claims and redress processes.

"While we are engaging with faith-based institutions, it is currently up to each of them to determine whether to introduce faster payment processes," he said.

"It's worth noting that faith-based institutions can often settle claims more quickly than these agencies."

Dave Mullin (pictured), who leads the Te Ropu Tautoko catholic church group dealing with the Commission and the Crown Response Unit, said they were closely studying the Cabinet paper that detailed Hipkins' announcement.

"We are seeking clarity from government officials on how and when matters of faith-based redress will be incorporated into this process, and we look forward to engaging in the work.

"Meanwhile, the church asks survivors who - due to serious ill-health or age - may not be able to engage with the proposed independent redress system, to approach the Church's National Office for Professional Standards" said Mullin.

However, some survivors say it would be better if the government got involved in the process.

In testimony given earlier in the year to the Royal Commission, a number of church organisations said they offered survivors an apology, an ex gratia payment based on the level of abuse, and the offer of counselling.

Testimony to the Royal Commission showed the response between various religious organisations inside the Catholic Church was not even.

Different church and faith-based groups, eg Anglican, Brethren, Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses and the Salvation Army, also responded differently from each other.

Abuse survivor Steve Goodlass said the government had failed to honour the intent of the commission's interim payment recommendation.

"It's disturbing because the government has just redefined stuff in there and completely ostracised one group or has discriminated against faith-based survivors," he said.

"Even people in the state systems, they're getting shafted again. Why hold a commission when you're just going to exclude people and ignore key principles? It's just awful," he said.

Unhappy with how the Bishops National Office for Professional Standards (NOPS) has settled abuse cases, survivor group SNAP focussed solely on the Catholic Church's response saying it wants a more immediate reply from the Catholic Church.

It also wants the bishops to set up an independent committee with input from SNAP Aotearoa and its survivor members.

When NOPS was established, it was a body of "second instance", a place where survivors could appeal if they thought a Catholic Church body had not properly handled their case.

It was headed by retired Police Commissioner John Jamieson.

Some years later, under the leadership of former priest and social worker Mr Bill Kilgallon, NOPS became the body of "first instance" for most Catholic religious groups.

NOPS continues to operate as a place of first instance under the current director, former lawyer Virginia Noonan.

Sources

• RNZ
• Supplied

The comment came in a statement from Catholic Bishops and religious leaders on the morning of the first day of the Royal Commission into abuse in faith-based care.

"The bishops and congregational leaders asked to be included in the work of the Royal Commission," says Cardinal John Dew.

"They are committed to working with it, for events of the past to be examined transparently and openly, and to implement the Commission's eventual recommendations. We acknowledge the harm caused to many and express our profound sorrow."

Sister Margaret Anne Mills, president of the religious Congregational Leaders' Conference of Aotearoa New Zealand (CLCANZ), praised the courage of abuse survivors who have come forward to share their experiences.

CLCANZ represents 43 Catholic religious entities on Te Ropu Tautoko, a Catholic Church agency formed to co-ordinate and manage cooperation between the Royal Commission and the Catholic Church.

"We will be listening very carefully to what survivors have to say, reflecting on their evidence and learning from their experiences," Mills says.

The Royal Commission's first faith-based redress hearings began yesterday.

Last week an application supported by the Anglican Church and Salvation Army, the Catholic Church sought non-publication orders about the accused.

The Church says the application was made because there had not been enough time to contact those who would be named, or the families of the deceased.

It also raised concerns of natural justice for those deceased.

At a procedural hearing on that and other applications, which included those accused of abuse and those helping to cover it up, lawyer Sally McKechnie told chair Judge Coral Shaw the church was not seeking to hide evidence.

"It is purely a question of whether the name is publicly used now," she says.

Some of the people would be named publicly for the first time, McKechnie says.

The delay would give their families more time to process the accusations.

In a decision released Thursday, Shaw declined all but one of the Church's applications.

Dr Murray Heasley, spokesman for the Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions and their Supporters, told the NZ Herald they were pleased with the outcome.

The Royal Commission's faith-based redress hearings will hear evidence first of all from abuse survivors who were in care of the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and the Salvation Army.

The Royal Commission says these hearings "will investigate the adequacy of the redress processes of the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and the Salvation Army and what needs to be done to support people who have been abused or neglected in faith-based institutions."

However, these hearings "will not examine the merits of any individual claims, nor resolve disputed factual issues relating to those claims."

Source

• New Zealand Catholic Bishops' Conference
• NZ Herald
• Image: TVNZ

They include the Church's part in faith-based redress for survivors - which will form part of the commission's Inquiry into the historic abuse of children in the state and faith-based care.

Cardinal John Dew, Vice-President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference welcomed the publication of the documents.

"We reaffirm our support for the work of the Royal Commission and our desire to learn from its work, which we are confident will contribute positively to the safeguarding of all people, and strengthening of families, communities and the wider society," Dew said.

The cardinal is also a member of Te Ropu Tautoko - the Church body established to liaise with the Royal Commission.

Catherine Fyfe, chair of Te Ropu Tautoko also welcomed the publication of the documents.

"Te Ropu Tautoko is already working with the commission's staff; and with Catholic dioceses and congregations to ensure timely and comprehensive responses, with transparency and openness," Ms Fyfe said.

"We will do all we can to positively engage in this important process of listening, acknowledging, learning, and reaffirming commitment to safeguarding the vulnerable."

"At the heart of our responses to the Royal Commission is a set of principles based on the belief that every person has innate human dignity.

With that at the front of our mind, we enter this process wanting to primarily listen to, learn from, and support those harmed in Catholic institutions."

The New Zealand bishops and congregational leaders sought to have the Church included in the work of the Royal Commission, which when first established was limited to inquiring into abuse in state care.

The NZ Catholic Bishops Conference and the Congregational Leaders' Conference Aotearoa New Zealand set up Te Ropu Tautoko to ensure the Church provides a co-ordinated and co-operative response to the Royal Commission from all the many dioceses, congregations and institutions of the Church.

The Catholic Church has provided care to children, young people and vulnerable adults from the 19th Century, and continues to provide care today.

The care provided has extended from its broadest pastoral obligations, to care within different institutional settings and entities including residential and non-residential care and schools.

The Inquiry will investigate abuse and neglect that occurred from 1950 to 1999, and has the discretion to consider abuse that occurred before 1950, and from 1999 to the present day.

Source

• Supplied: catholic.org.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Mrs Davis was newly appointed following the resignation of Bishop Charles Drennan last month.

The chair of Te Ropu Tautoko, Catherine Fyfe, said she had received the resignation of Mrs Davis and accepted it.

Te Ropu Tautoko coordinates the engagement of the many dioceses, congregations and institutions of the Catholic Church in New Zealand with the Royal Commission.

The bishops and congregational leaders of the Church actively supported the Government's extending the commission's original terms of reference from state-based care to include faith-based institutions.

"Out of respect to survivors of abuse and also to Mrs Davis, I will not comment further on this matter," Catherine Fyfe said.

Davis created controversy last week when her alleged comments to a sexual abuse survivor were made public.

It was reported that a woman who was sexually abused from the age of five by a priest in Northland said Davis justified the abuse to her, by saying the priest was "healing himself" when he had sex.

Abuse survivor Toni Jarvis, who is on the Survivor Advisory Group for the Commission, had said Davis needed "to resign and stand down".

He said the comments totally undermines the abuse the woman suffered and creates a situation where she feels responsible for it.

"[There is] no place on this inquiry for any person who is going to treat a survivor like that," Javis said.

Previously Fyfe had said the abused woman, Anne Hill, had been in contact, and that they had offered their profound apologies.

"We have offered to Anne that the member would like to apologise to her directly, but only if Anne wishes that to occur," Ms Fyfe said in a statement.

RNZ reports that Ms Hill's spokesperson, Murray Heasley, said she did not want Mrs Davis to resign.

"She would have much preferred that Mrs Davis and others have the opportunity to be fully trauma informed and trauma trained to be sensitive to the needs of survivors," he said.

Ms Hill wanted a culture change, Mr Heasley said.

"Her wish is for the culture of the Catholic church to be transformed, from one of ignorance, protection of the perpetrator... to one of openness, transparency," he said.

Source

• Supplied: David McLoughlin
  Communications Adviser, NZ Catholic Bishops
  Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
• rnz.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: tvnz.co.nz

RNZ asked the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, Bishop Patrick Dunn, whether bishops had shown a "lack of moral authority by not publicly repudiating the clauses and whether they had stepped up in the way Pope Francis had instructed."

(In August last year, Pope Francis released A letter to the People of God, which condemned the silencing and shaming of child sex abuse victims by church bodies.)

Dunn replied in an email saying:

"The New Zealand bishops have never in recent memory insisted on confidentiality clauses for abuse survivors.

Regarding the many other agencies of the church in New Zealand, and bearing in mind the importance of an accurate and speedy response from all of us to the Royal Commission, our representative body to give this coordinated response is our agency Te Ropu Tautoko (TRT). I have passed your request to them."

The chair of TRT, Catherine Fyfe told Stuff a waiver is important for survivors who engage with the Royal Commission.

She said TRT had recommended confidentiality waivers be issued, but that groups, which included religious orders exercised autonomy as separate legal entities in civil law and canon law.

She said bishops didn't have the authority to decide for them.

"Each organisation needs to consider the recommendation and feedback to us."

"We are aiming to finalise prior to public hearings," she said.

Fyfe said many, if not most, settlements dioceses and congregations made did not contain confidentiality clauses.

Dr Murray Heasley​​​, a spokesperson for Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions said it was ridiculous for TRT to suggest sixty or more Catholic entities needed to be consulted.

He said some of the Catholic entities referred to had minuscule memberships, and possibly included orders of nuns or monks that were never in a position of caring for children.

"What they're trying to do is put out a phoney, fake diversion."

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• nzherald.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: redbanklegal.com