WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND)
Archdiocese of Wellington [Wellington, New Zealand]
August 1, 2024
The long-running Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care was made public after being formally tabled in Parliament on 24 July 2024.
The Royal Commission spent six years holding hearings and investigating events from 1950 until the present day.
The final report, weighing 14kg, is almost 3000 pages long.
The final report said abuse was ‘unimaginable’ in state and faith-run institutions, explaining at least 200,000 people have been abused in these care facilities over the decades. The report said as many as 42 per cent of those in faith-based care by all denominations were abused.
The Government will formally apologise for the abuse inflicted in care and faith-based institutions at Parliament on 12 November 2024.
Immediately following the tabling of the report and its release to the public, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference and the Congregational Leaders Conference Aotearoa New Zealand said in a statement they welcomed the final report.
As the bishops and congregational leaders were only able to get copies of the report following its tabling, they will read its 16 volumes thoroughly and consider the contents before they make any further comments.
The bishops’ and congregational leaders’ statement is re-published on this page. The statement is also online at: catholic.org.nz/news/media-releases/royal/