A former Catholic priest, now living in Nelson, has pleaded not guilty to historic sex charges. Peter Joseph Hercock, 71, a former chaplain at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt and administrator at a Nelson school, entered the not guilty pleas through his lawyer in the Nelson District Court on Tuesday. He is charged with Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Clergy Abuse’
Former Catholic priest charged with historic sex offences
Tuesday, June 16th, 2015A former Catholic priest, now living in Nelson, has been charged with historic sex offences, including indecently assaulting young girls and rape. Peter Joseph Hercock, 71, a former chaplain at Sacred Heart College in Lower Hutt and administrator at a Nelson school, appeared in the Nelson District Court last week. He is charged with two Read more
Negotiations in Bernard McGrath case
Friday, May 22nd, 2015A former Hunter Valley Catholic brother extradited from New Zealand to face child sexual abuse charges has had his case adjourned to allow for ongoing negotiations. Bernard Kevin McGrath, 67, is facing 252 child sex offences relating to 35 victims and dating back to the 1970s. McGrath’s case was mentioned briefly in Newcastle Local Court Read more
Archbishop Apuron says allegation a horrible calumny
Friday, December 12th, 2014
Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, archbishop of Agana, Guam, has issued a press statement saying he intends to file a lawsuit for defamation. An allegation has been made by a third party, that about 30 years ago Apuron molested a former high school seminarian. Apuron says that the allegation is “a horrible calumny.” He said because Read more
No indecency conviction for priest
Tuesday, November 11th, 2014Marlborough priest will face internal disciplinary action from the Catholic Church after he was discharged without conviction for committing and indecency against a teenage boy. Alastair Aidan Kay, 71, appeared in the Blenheim District Court on Monday after pleading guilty at an earlier appearance. Judge Bruce Davidson told the court his decision was a close Read more
Vatican abuse commission wants representation from Oceania
Tuesday, July 15th, 2014
The recently established Vatican Commission on safeguarding and care of abuse victims has discussed membership issues, and is looking to add some members especially from those areas that are not represented now, Africa, Asia and Oceania. In an interview on Vatican Radio Fr Hans Zoller said that at its most recent meeting the commission “discussed Read more
Church in PNG to examine implementation of sexual abuse protocol
Friday, May 2nd, 2014
Archbishop Francesco Panfilo says the Catholic Bishops’ conference will be looking at ways it handles cases of sexual abuse. Panfilo is the Archbishop of the Rabaul archdiocese in Papua New Guinea. He speaking after, a now laicised priest, Philip Kelerea, was last month found guilty in the National Court in Kokopo of sexually abusing boys. Read more
UN statement of child abuse: where does NZ Church stand?
Tuesday, February 11th, 2014
In a recent statement the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said “tens of thousands of children worldwide” were abused systemically for years within the Catholic Church. In commenting on the report, the National Director of the Office for Professional Standards, Mr Bill Kilgallon told Radio New Zealand that in New Zealand all Read more
American archbishop apologizes, says he ‘overlooked’ clergy abuse
Tuesday, December 17th, 2013
Archbishop John Nienstedt of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis told parishioners and the media on Sunday that he’s sorry he overlooked issues of abuse among parish priests. He told parishioners and reporters that he was told the issue of clergy sex abuse was taken care of when he became archbishop seven years ago. Read more
Film Festival documentary examines Vatican’s role in cover-up
Friday, July 19th, 2013
One of the documentaries being screened in the New Zealand International Film Festival is billed as a “meticulously composed and damning story of a protest against and a cover-up of sexual abuse by a priest in Milwaukee in the 1960s. Its title, Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, was made by the prolific Oscar-winning film-maker Alex Gibney.” Read more