Catholic witnesses were heard on Monday 17 October at the ‘responses of faith institutions to abuse and neglect in their care’ hearing of the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care.
The Catholic hearing was part of a block of hearings related to faith organisations held from 13 to 21 October.
Catholic witnesses included several related to St Patrick’s College in Silverstream, in the morning, including Fr Tim Duckworth sm, Provincial of the Society of Mary New Zealand; and in the afternoon Cardinal John Dew, Bishop Steve Lowe, Bishop Emeritus Pat Dunn and Sr Sue France rsm, Congregational Leader, Nga Whaea Atawhai O Aotearoa Sisters of Mercy New Zealand.
The formal statements presented by lawyer Sally McKechnie representing the Bishops and Congregational Leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand were:
Opening Statement #1 in relation to Catholic Education on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Opening Statement #2 in relation to Institutional Responses on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Closing Statement on behalf of the bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand, was delivered by lawyer Sally McKechnie on Thursday 20 October.
Te Rōpū Tautoko, the group coordinating Catholic engagement with the Royal Commission, has a page of details about the hearings on its website at: tautoko.catholic.org.nz/hearing/
With this hearing block, the Royal Commission has finished its scheduled public hearings. It is expected now to present a number of official reports with its findings based on the evidence it has both heard and collected. The Government has set it a final reporting date of 30 June 2023.
The Royal Commission’s website is www.abuseincare.org.nz