PALMERSTON (NEW ZEALAND)
The Post [Wellington, New Zealand]
October 1, 2024
By George Heagney
An advocate group for abuse victims says the Catholic Church is failing to follow its own rules to stand down priests accused of wrongdoing.
Assurances were made by Palmerston North Bishop John Adams to the Manawatū Standard, in the wake of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report in July, that priests accused of abuse would be removed from duty.
But the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests Aotearoa claims the bishop’s remarks are a direct contradiction of how the church handled two recent complaints.
The group’s leader Christopher Longhurst said two priests, who the Standard has chosen not to identify, had allegations of historical sexual misconduct made about them but neither were stood down.
A complaint was made in 2016 about a priest for an incident in Palmerston North in 1986 and a second priest was named in a complaint made in May last year alleging abuse by priests in Wellington in 1977.
A police spokesperson said the 1986 incident was not being investigated, but an investigation into the 1977 matter was ongoing.
Longhurst, who was the victim of the 1986 incident, said he was being interviewed to enter the seminary when a priest sexualised the conversation and started masturbating while talking to him.
Longhurst said he filed a police complaint in 2016 and a complaint with the church’s National Office for Professional Standards in 2017, and neither resulted in the priest being stood down.
He said the case was investigated by the professional standards body and not upheld because the investigator did not speak to key witnesses such as members of his family.
He had appealed this decision and said the church was now stalling its investigation.
For the 1977 incident, two of the priests named in the initial complaint were John Dew and the late Noel Donoghue.
Dew, who was Archbishop of Wellington from 2005 until his retirement in 2023, has strenuously denied the allegations and police closed an investigation into the claims without taking any action. The church earlier this year said Dew stood aside from public church duties while the investigation took place.
Another priest was named in the initial complaint and Longhurst said they were not stood down.
Longhurst said the church was apologising publicly about claims of abuse but was not upholding complaints behind closed doors.
He said Adams’ comments on stand downs were contrary to the Catholic Church’s practice, and echoed failings within the church identified in the Abuse In Care report.
The report found church leaders had not been accountable or transparent about the nature and extent of abuse and neglect by its members, which affected its ability to provide a proper system to prevent further harm.
It stated the church was at fault for things including inadequate responses to complaints of abuse and neglect; prioritising forgiveness over safeguarding and accountability; and prioritising the church’s reputation over safety.
A spokesperson for the church did not answer questions about the investigations or why the two accused priests had not been stood down. But Adams provided a statement, standing by his comments in July.
“When complaints are raised, a thorough risk assessment is carried out immediately with all the available information,” he said.
“Where a risk to the community is identified, a person would be required to stand down, in line with our current safeguarding protocols, while more information is gathered and, where appropriate and necessary, an investigation is conducted.”