OTAGO (NEW ZEALAND)
Otago Daily Times via Radio New Zealand
October 12, 2019
By Chris Morris
The handling of historic sexual offending within the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin by then-Bishop John Kavanagh has been referred to the Vatican by New Zealand’s top Catholic.
It was confirmed yesterday Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington, has written to the Vatican to refer the matter to higher authorities.
The move came after Pope Francis, earlier this year, issued new procedures for the handling of sexual abuse and cover-ups, including that bishops be held accountable for past actions.
Dunedin Bishop Michael Dooley, contacted overseas, confirmed the move yesterday, but said the National Office of Professional Standards (NOPS) – part of the Catholic Church in New Zealand – was also involved.
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Confirmation of the Vatican’s involvement came after ODT Insight, in its Marked by the Cross series, revealed significant offending by priests, religious brothers and lay teachers within the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin, much of it dating back decades.
That included the actions of a former Catholic priest, Magnus Murray, whose offending against boys in Dunedin – from the 1950s to the 1970s – was brought to Bishop Kavanagh’s attention in 1972.
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