Catholic Church singled out in New Zealand abuse report

New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care made sharp criticisms of the Catholic Church in its final report.

The report, published last week, included a summary of its findings on abuse in religious care institutions. It said that Catholic leaders “have failed adequately to acknowledge the nature and extent of abuse and neglect within the Church or accept responsibility for the harm done”.

Its overall findings, described by the inquiry’s chair as “an unthinkable national catastrophe”, concluded that at least 200,000 children and vulnerable adults were abused in care institutions run by the state and religious groups between 1950 and 2019.

The section specifying the failings of different Christian denominations dedicated more space to the Catholic Church than to any other, both noting its larger role in care institutions and criticising its failures of accountability.

“Despite the scale of abuse and neglect within the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand, the inquiry is unaware of any consideration by the church of the systemic causes of this,” it said, and continued: “The church leadership has made minimal and inadequate attempts to understand the fundamental and broader systemic factors that have influenced abuse.”

The report said that “the interpretation of abuse through a religious lens led to inappropriate responses to reports and a failure to safeguard against ongoing abuse”. It identified factors including ideas of sin, attitudes to sexuality and “clericalism” as leading to abuse in religious settings.

In a statement, Bishop Steve Lowe of Auckland, the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops’ Conference, and Fr Thomas Rouse SSC, president of the Congregation Leaders Conference of Aotearoa New Zealand, acknowledged that Church leaders had “a special role to play” in implementing the report’s recommendations, but said government and society was also responsible.

“There are things that all of us can and must do to eliminate abuse of any kind in whatever context we live and work in,” they said. “We hope this report and the work that flows from it will result in a better society and a safer environment for all people.”

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