In time, no-one will know Marylands Catholic residential school for boys (which St John of God brothers ran from 1955 to 1984) ever existed.

Marylands survivors have seen to that.

Victory and validation

Obliterating Marylands and establishing Validation is a meaningful victory to the men who survived.

Those who spoke at the ceremony said when they visit Validation Park they'll remember those who didn't make it.

One survivor said this:

"To our survivor community ... I see you, I hear you.

"For too long we've sought acknowledgement and validation for the trauma we suffered. Today we take back control and reclaim this space here, for the strength and resilience of survivors."

For the victims who didn't survive, he said he will remember them and "I will validate them".

Among the survivors at the ceremony was a man abused at another St John of God residential facility in Christchurch - the Hebron Trust.

The Trust operated in Christchurch between 1986 and 1993 as a residential facility for youth in need of safety, shelter and support.

Erasing Marylands from the park and road was a huge relief to him too.

"It's a weight off the shoulders. It's a small step in a long journey and for all of us survivors, as we work towards these little steps, it's extremely important.

"It's never easy talking about something that's so hard, something that's so traumatic" he told the crowd.

He said he was sharing his story because not everyone could, and he wanted to make sure the abuse they suffered was remembered.

Validation and support

Representatives from the Christchurch City Council including mayor Phil Mauger were at the ceremony. The Council has been supportive of the street and park renaming.

Judge Coral Shaw, who chaired the Royal Commission into abuse in care, was there as well.

Shaw said it was important for her to attend the ceremony to pay tribute to the survivors.

"I wouldn't have missed this occasion for anything today because of them" she said.

Shaw and Male Survivors Aotearoa national advocate Ken Clearwater unveiled the Validation Park sign to officially mark the occasion.

History can repeat

One survivor is concerned about the coalition government's plans to reintroduce charter schools.

Marylands was a type of charter school he said. People were hired without government oversight and without the need for qualifications.

"In some ways I see the Government stepping back ... almost having history repeat itself."

Source

• RNZ
• The Press

During its investigation, the Royal Commission will select themes, settings or institutions as case studies of abuse.

It may conduct research and examine relevant matters in public hearings, roundtables, hui and fono.

What happened and why?
In considering the voices and experiences of victims and survivors of abuse in the care of the Catholic Church, the Inquiry will investigate and make findings on what happened and why by examining:

a. The circumstances in which children, young persons and vulnerable adults were in the care of the Catholic Church, including where the Catholic Church provided care on behalf of the State.

b. The nature and extent of abuse of children, young persons and vulnerable adults in the care of the Catholic Church.

c. The impact, including any differential impact, of abuse on victims and survivors, and on their families, whanau, hapu, iwi and communities. This will include consideration of:

• Principles of Tikanga Maori when considering the impacts of abuse on Maori victims and survivors
• Pacific cultural norms and values when considering the impact of abuse on victims and survivors among Pacific People
• The impact of abuse on religious beliefs held by victims and survivors
• Particular impacts related to disability and mental illness, including additional barriers to understanding and recognising abuse, disclosing abuse, accessing specialist wellbeing supports to respond to trauma and receiving redress.

d. Whether individuals experienced abuse in the care of the Catholic Church because of nationality, race, ethnicity, religious belief, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or physical or intellectual disability or mental health status.

e. Any structural, systemic, practical or other factors that caused or contributed to the abuse of children, young persons and vulnerable adults in the care of the Catholic Church.

f. The adequacy of any actions by the Catholic Church to prevent and respond to abuse in its care, including any lessons learned and changes made.

g. The adequacy of the Catholic Church's redress and rehabilitation processes for victims and survivors of abuse in its care.

h. Any applicable domestic and international human rights law.

i. Any applicable principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi/the Treaty of Waitangi.

The Inquiry will assess and make recommendations on:
a. The Catholic Church's current structures and frameworks, any gaps in legislation, canon law, Church policy, rules, standards and practices that require change to prevent and respond to abuse in its care.
b. Any changes required to the Catholic Church's redress, rehabilitation and compensation processes for victims and survivors of abuse in its care.
c. Any other steps the Catholic Church should take to address the harm caused by the abuse in its care.

Where relevant, the Inquiry may make findings of fault or that relevant standards have been breached, or both.

The Inquiry does not have the power to determine the canonical, civil, criminal or disciplinary liability of any person but may make recommendations that further steps be taken to determine liability.

Source

• abuseincare.org.nz
• Image:

In a recent press release, the Commission said they would like to hear about their experiences of seeking and receiving redress in the form of financial settlement or non-monetary processes (such as an apology, counselling, etc.)

They also asked for suggestions for how claims processes could be improved or made more effective.

The Commission would also like to hear from anyone who may know about a claim of abuse in Faith-based care, or claims related to abuse in the Catholic Church, Anglican Church or Salvation Army, whether as family or whanau of a survivor, a legal representative, a professional, or defendant in any claim.

The Royal Commission Faith-based Redress public hearing will take place from 23 November - 11 December 2020.

It will investigate the adequacy of the redress process of the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and the Salvation Army and what needs to be done to support people who have been abused or neglected in Faith-based institutions.

The Royal Commission acknowledged the disproportionate numbers of Maori in care and wants to hear from Maori about their experiences of the Faith-based claims processes.

It also wants to hear the experiences of Pacific people as well as vulnerable adults, including people with disabilities or mental illness.

The press release provided contact details for people who are interested in providing information to the Royal Commission on redress processes, involving the State or any Faith-based institutions, but would like advice:

• Call 0800 222 727
• Email contact@abuseincare.org.nz.
• Write to the Royal Commission of Inquiry, PO Box 10071, The Terrace, Wellington 6143.

Source

• Scoop.co.nz
• tvnz.co.nz
• Image: stuff.co.nz

Victoria's Premier Daniel Andrews says he thinks it's "very important that those documents be released and that those victims know and understand exactly what was said, what testimony was given, what evidence was given, that's really, really important".

"They were redacted because there were matters on foot, there were matters on trial.

"Those matters are over so now there's no reason to keep that secret and I think victims and their families and the memory of those victims who aren't with us anymore, they are owed that information."

The Royal Commission reports including evidence from Cardinal George Pell could be published if Australia's Federal Attorney-General Christian Porter gets the go-ahead from his department.

Porter says he has asked his department's advice about releasing the unpublished documents relating to Pell's handling of child sexual abuse complaints.

"Now that this response has been received I have sought final advice from my department on the release of the documents and will proceed upon receipt of that advice which I expect as soon as possible," Porter says.

The unanimous High Court decision that acquitted Pell of child sex abuse earlier this month also cleared the way for releasing some of the Royal Commission's unpublished findings.

These relate to Pell's evidence about the way allegations of child sex abuse by a fellow priest were handled in the Catholic diocese of Ballarat.

Pell was questioned about what he may have known about paedophile priest Gerald Ridsdale and the offending of other priests.

He was also questioned closely about the Church's "hardline" approach to sexual abuse cases during his time as archbishop of Sydney.

When Pell was acquittal by Australia's High Court in early April, Porter said he wanted to work with his state counterparts before tabling the unredacted reports in Parliament.

"It does require some liaison between my office and Victorian authorities, investigative and prosecutorial, to make sure that further tabling with less redaction would not prejudice any future investigations of a number of types," he said at the time.

Source

• ABC News
• Image: The Courier

Tuesday's hearing was "procedural".

It is the first step in a very long and complex process.

The inquiry has grown since its inception to become the largest in New Zealand's history.

And it is the broadest of its sort in any comparable country.

It is primarily expected to examine cases of abuse from 1950 to 1999.

Some 100,000 children were in care during that period.

But the Commission also has the discretion to investigate cases from before or after that time.

At the hearing, each of the five commissioners delivered prepared opening statements.

They offered welcome, described the format, the support which will be available, and provided definitions of legal terms.

Lawyers for those appearing before the Royal Commission then addressed the Commission.

Sally McKenchie, the lawyer representing the Catholic church, expressed a willingness to work with the Commission.

"We appreciate it will be very difficult for many survivors to come before you, and we acknowledge their bravery and courage and participation.

"And we acknowledge them and the harms that have been done for those who should have been cared for by the church.

"The Catholic Church will come before you, in the spirit of cooperation and transparency."

Last week, the Crown announced it was lifting confidentiality obligations.

Commissioner Judge Coral Shaw said she hoped the churches would also lift obligations so that survivors could speak freely.

On Tuesday, the Salvation Army said it would also lift any confidentiality obligations.

The Catholic and Anglican churches are considering wavering any confidentiality agreements.

Lawyers Sonja Cooper and Annette Sykes also addressed the commission.

The soon to be retiring chair of the commission Sir Anand Satyanand closed the hearing, marking it as an "important step in the Royal Commission's life".

Public hearings begin at the end of October.

Source

• nzherald.co.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• rnz.co.nz
• Image: screenshot. abuseinstatecare.royalcommission.govt.nz

At its first public session in Auckland on Tuesday, members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions pledged to find ways to stop abuse from happening in future. Continue reading

The Royal Commission into the abuse of children in state care denies any "mock" or "pilot" sessions are taking place during the inquiry. Read more

The National Catholic Safeguarding Standards were adopted on May 30.

"These National Catholic Safeguarding Standards draw from the Child Safe Standards outlined during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, but they provide additional criteria relevant to the governance of the Church," Sr. Monica Cavanagh, president of CRA, stated. Read more

It is presently reviewing the clerical and hierarchical models that have failed dioceses and parishes during the ongoing child sex abuse crisis.

Collegial models would see the significant participation of laypeople says Jack de Groot, who is a member of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference and Catholic Religious Australia six-person review committee.

De Groot says this would enable leveraging lay people's expertise and would aim to bring gender parity to the running of the church in a country that has been at the forefront of dealing with child sex abuse.

He thinks it is clear that the current model of church governance does not work.

"There are tensions in finding a governance model, in the Gospel imperative of looking after the poorest of the poor, the most marginalised people in society and how we do this within financial best practice and by offering the best in class in terms of quality and impact," he says.

He notes it all must be done "with accountability and with a view to what is the right thing to do consistently".

"The review is about how do we bring more accountability, more transparency into the process of decision-making - and critically about who participates in that decision-making ," he says.

"We need the best of governance in corporate and government institutions and more," he said. "As we change things, we have to bring people along, but the work has really already begun in areas like safeguarding. People have instituted good practices ... that take safeguarding seriously and diligently."

De Groot says the review is the Church's first major move to implement the recommendations of Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

The Royal Commission criticised the Catholic Church, other religious groups and both state and non-state secular organisations and institutions.

Source

• The Tablet
• Image: YouTube

The Minister for State Services, Chris Hipkins, said setting out the principles was an important step in rebuilding trust between the government and those abused while in state care.

The six principles are:

• Manaakitanga - treating people with humanity, compassion, fairness, respect and responsible caring that upholds the mana of those involved;
• Openness - being honest and sincere, being open to receiving new ideas and willing to consider how we do things currently, and how we have done things in the past;
• Transparency - sharing information, including the reasons behind all actions;
• Learning - active listening and learning from the Royal Commission and survivors, and using that information to change and improve systems;
• Being joined up - agencies work together closely to make sure activities are aligned, engagement with the Royal Commission is coordinated and the resulting actions are collectively owned;
• Meeting our obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi - honouring the Treaty, its principles, meeting our obligations and building a stronger Maori-Crown relationship through the way we operate and behave.

Hipkins said that if the Royal Commission made recommendations as it identifies trends and issues over the next four years, he expects government agencies to start responding to those recommendations as they are made.

"It is thought that at least half of children in state care were Maori," he said.

"It is vital that their experiences are recognised and respected by Crown agencies."

Hipkins said his expectation was that the principles-based cross-agency approach will help enable this.

He said the concerns of Pacific people and people with disabilities also needed to be addressed.

The Royal Commission will present an interim report in December 2020 and its final report by January 2023.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• abuseinstatecare.royalcommission.govt.nz
• beehive.govt.nz
• Image: abuseinstatecare.royalcommission.govt

Yes.

To disqualify chairman Sir Anand Satyanand simply on the basis of his own faith, rather than any deeds, would be to indulge intolerance.

The church has far too often been a place of abuse and scandalously sustained cover-ups of it. But we are not entitled to assume that corruption is so profound, so inherent, that no Catholic could be relied upon to confront it.

Of course Catholicism or religion aren't the only sort of faith that is relevant here.

It matters hugely that abuse survivors have faith as well - faith that in stepping forward with their so-often harrowing accounts of betrayal and denial, they will be given a decent hearing.

Yet we go too far if we decide that to be able to accept this inquiry is being conducted with integrity, it's best to assume that Sir Anand doesn't have any.

These are painful times when most of the nation is acutely aware of the harm that can be done making generalised assumptions carelessly linking people of any faith to the worst behaviours of those who profess to share that religion, but in truth debase it.

It has emerged that when his Catholicism became an issue Sir Anand, who is a former Governor General and before that a judge, tendered his resignation from the commission.

But Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin didn't accept it. She has a fair point that when he was appointed, the inquiry was to focus only on state care. He was the one who recommended it be widened also to include faith-based institutions.

While this was hardly a bolt-from-the-blue idea that hadn't occurred to anyone else, it was a good, necessary extension.

Martin gets a little point-scorey when she adds, rhetorically, that any atheist on the commission could be said to be compromised too - presumably on the assumption that they would be biased in the other direction and have it in for the churches.

It's perhaps unsurprising that she resisted the fatuous line that since the inquiry also deals with abuses of those under state care, there could hardly be a more compromised chairman than the man who as Governor General personally represented our head of state, the Queen. Continue reading

• Image: Wikipedia

Some have expressed concern about a perceived conflict of interest because of his Catholic faith.

Documents obtained by Stuff show Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin rejected his offer.

Instead, she asked Satyanand for a plan to combat any risk to the integrity of the Royal Commission.

Some child abuse survivors and their advocates are calling for Satyanand's resignation offer to be accepted.

They say his position risks tainting the inquiry's credibility.

On Friday, Martin said she had full confidence in Satyanand and the commission's conflict of interest policy.

"Sir Anand was appointed when the Royal Commission's terms were only about abuse in state care. He conducted the consultation process and recommended to the Government that the inquiry also cover faith-based institutions," she said.

"He thought that his Catholic upbringing and background were well-known, but made a point of raising this matter as he wanted to be transparent."

She said he did "the right thing" raising it, and an atheist chair "would be a potential conflict too".

Satyanand first outlined concerns in a September letter to Martin.

"I ... think it's appropriate to establish that you know I am a practising Catholic by religion. I was brought up in a Catholic household and went to Sacred Heart College in Auckland.

I have kept up associations with that school and have attended a number of its public occasions there through the years."

He was involved in a patron's group which helped raise $9m to rebuild Wellington's St Mary of the Angels church.

Satyanand is a former lawyer, judge and ombudsman. He was the 19th Governor-General of New Zealand, from 2006 to 2011.

After returning to civilian life, Satyanand chaired the Commonwealth Foundation for two two-year terms, ending December 2016.

He led the Commonwealth team observing the national elections of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.

Satyanand also chaired a commission set up by the Anglican church to develop options on the ordination and blessing of people in same-sex relationships.

Source

• stuff.co.nz
• rotaryoceania.zone
• nzherald.co.nz
• Image.

Plenary Councils are rare, with only two held during the past 130 years or so - one in the Philippines and the other in Poland.

Lay-people's opinions have been sought regarding the topics to be debated at the Council and they will be able to vote on the Council's recommendations.

A focus question: "What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?" triggered a wave of responses among Australian Catholics and some of the church's senior clerics, Lana Turvey-Collins, facilitator for Plenary Council 2020, says.

When the 10-month "listening and dialogue" process finished earlier this month, the meeting's organisers had more than 20,000 submissions from over 75,000 Australian Catholics.

The Council was announced in 2017, during the five-year Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Some of the inquiry's findings related to the Church's administration and the formation of clergy. They included a recommendation that the seal of confession be removed for abuse cases.

Although the notion of a plenary council meeting was mooted at the Royal Commission, it had been on the horizon for some time, Turvey-Collins says.

"Around the start of the new millennium, the Australian bishops started discussing the possibility of some sort of national gathering."

She says initially the bishops were aiming to take up the challenge St. John Paul II issued in his apostolic letter 'Novo Millennio Ineunte.'"

The letter said the new millennium was the perfect opportunity for every church, nationally and on a diocesan level, to reflect on the faith and determine what pastoral actions to take in order to make Christ known and loved in today's world.

Jack de Groot, CEO of St Vincent de Paul in New South Wales and chairman of the Implementation Advisory Group to Australian bishops and religious on sex abuse, says the plenary council needs lay people's votes.

[It's] "only going to have credibility if laypeople get to vote on its recommendation - and that they have at least half the vote.

"There are still some bishops who have a default setting to the way things were, and that needs to change," he says.

"There are five million baptised Catholics in Australia and 800,000 kids in Catholic schools around the country; they need to be given permission to speak, and they need to get some power with this voice."

Turvey-Collins says final numbers of people attending the council are yet to be determined, but it is expected there will be approximately 300 delegates.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• Image: Jesuits Australia

The clarification came in a "plain English" version of the terms of reference for the royal commission posted on its website on Monday.

The royal commission will examine any situation where the state or a faith-based institution "took responsibility for looking after a person".

That includes abuse that occurred in family homes, on day trips and in other out-of-church settings.

After the Government decided to add abuse in faith-based institutions to the scope of the Royal Commission, victims and survivors and their advocates were concerned about what "in the care of faith-based institutions" included and excluded.

They were concerned it included only abuse that took place within the physical confines of a faith-based institution.

The announcement is being described as a change-in-scope by advocates but the Royal Commission says it is only a clarification of the existing scope.

The clarification has been welcomed by the Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, Michael Dooley.

Dooley said it would help encourage survivors to come forward.

"From my perspective as a bishop it is important that people feel safe to come forward to report abuse and the clarification seems to encourage people to do that," he said.

The official text of the relevant part the Act establishing the royal commission reads:

In the care of faith-based institutions means where a faith-based institution assumed responsibility for the care of an individual, including faith-based schools, and—
(a) for the avoidance of doubt, care provided by faith-based institutions excludes fully private settings, except where the person was also in the care of a faith-based institution:
(b) for the avoidance of doubt, if faith-based institutions provided care on behalf of the State (as described in clause 17.3(b) above), this may be dealt with by the inquiry as part of its work on indirect State care:
(c) as provided in clause 17.3(d) above, care settings may be residential or non-residential and may provide voluntary or non-voluntary care. The inquiry may consider abuse that occurred in the context of care but outside a particular institution's premises:
(d) for the avoidance of doubt, the term ‘faith-based institutions' is not limited to one particular faith, religion, or denomination. An institution or group may qualify as ‘faith-based' if its purpose or activity is connected to a religious or spiritual belief system. The inquiry can consider abuse in faith-based institutions, whether they are formally incorporated or not and however they are described:
(e) for the avoidance of doubt, ‘abuse in faith-based care' means abuse that occurred in New Zealand. (Clause 17.4)

Source

• legislation.govt.nz
• abuseinstatecare.royalcommission.govt.nz
• stuff.co.nz
• odt.co.nz
• Image: abuseinstatecare.royalcommission.govt.nz

The terms causing concern are "faith-based institutions" and "in care".

The confusion emerged after the Government announced the Royal Commission will look into both state and faith-based institutions.

On Tuesday commission spokeswoman told the Otago Daily Times (ODT) she could not answer questions about the scope, except to say the new terms of reference would be reviewed by it and its lawyers.

The ODT says the terms of reference specifically excluded private settings for abuse involving faith-based institutions.

The bishop of Dunedin, Michael Dooley, said that if that was so, the inquiry needed to go further.

All parishioners were in the pastoral care of their priest, so any abused by clergy needed to be heard, he believed.

And while most commentators have focused on the inclusion of "care of faith-based institutions", Dr Stephen Winter has pointed out there is a range of other changes.

The senior lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Auckland suggests the expanded remit of the Royal Commission potentially includes any situation in which the state had responsibility for a young or vulnerable person.

He says that while the inclusion of faith-based care is a significant change, but "equally important is the inclusion of all state and private schools, early childhood centres and police custody."

"To give a sense of what this means, there are around 2530 schools, 5585 early childhood centres and 330 police stations in New Zealand."

"... and that is to say nothing of people in care in hospitals, prisons, health camps and so on."

Winter points other changes made increase the scope and complexity of the inquiry:

• The draft terms referred to children and young people, whereas now, anyone who is in care for reasons relating to disability is included
• There is specific permission to consider experiences beyond previously announced 1900 to 1999 time period
• A powerful role for the Treaty of Waitangi also adds to the Commission's complexity.

Some Maori abused in state care say they will be silenced in the government inquiry now that it includes those abused in faith-based institutions.

However, Murray Heasley of Ngati Raukawa, spokesperson for The Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions, said extending the inquiry scope would strengthen voices not diminish them.

The press release from the prime minister's press also states that as well as being able to look into physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, and neglect, the Inquiry will also be able to look into inadequate care or improper treatment that resulted in serious physical or mental harm to the person.

The inquiry has been renamed and is now called Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-Based Institutions

Read the press release

Source

• newsroom.co.nz
• radionz.co.nz
• odt.co.nz
• odt.co.nz
• Image: nzherald.co.nz

On Monday the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced the scope of the inquiry will include faith-based institutions.

It will be called the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-Based Institutions.

The Catholic Church sought to be included in the Royal Commission.

Bishop Patrick Dunn, President of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, says "The view we expressed during the consultation was that it would be wrong if some individuals were excluded from the Inquiry simply because their path of referral to an institution was different from someone else's.

"We reaffirm our support and our desire to learn from this national undertaking which we are confident will contribute positively to the strengthening and safeguarding of our families, communities and society."

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference - Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa (NZCBC) - and the Congregational Leaders' Conference Aotearoa New Zealand (CLCANZ) have appointed a new group to ensure that the Catholic Church provides a co-ordinated and co-operative response to the Commission from all the many dioceses, congregations and institutions of the Church in this country.

The new group is called Te Ropu Tautoko.

Chair of the Te Ropu Tautoko support group, Catherine Fyfe, said "The way that lessons are learned for today and the future is to examine, understand, acknowledge and address what has occurred.

"We will collectively work towards healing. To do that, we will support the Royal Commission with the information they need.

"We will review the Terms of Reference and look forward to working with the Commission as it progresses the next steps in this process."

Source

• Supplied: Amanda Gregan Communications Advisor - NZ Catholic Bishops/Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
• radionz.co.nz
• Image: thespinoff.co.nz

Fyfe is a layperson with extensive experience in human resource management and organisational development.

The New Zealand Catholic bishops and the heads of all religious congregations have called for the terms of reference for the Commission to be as broad as possible to ensure the Church is included.

But the Government has yet to confirm the Terms of Reference for the Commission or explain how it will operate.

The group is called Te Ropu Tautoko. It represents all the dioceses, congregations and institutions of the Catholic Church in New Zealand.

Their representative bodies - the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference - Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa (NZCBC) and the Congregational Leaders' Conference Aotearoa New Zealand (CLCANZ) have appointed the following to be members of Te Ropu Tautoko:

• Bishop Charles Drennan from the Diocese of Palmerston North
• Sr Katrina Fabish from the Sisters of Mercy
• Deacon Danny Karatea-Goddard from the NZCBC Secretariat
• Fr David Kennerley from the Society of Mary
• Br David McDonald from the Marist Brothers
• Sr Jane O'Carroll from the Marist Sisters

"Our aim is quite simple - to support the Royal Commission, " said Fyfe in a statement released on 23 October.

"This group collectively represents senior leadership of the Church and more members may be added when we have greater clarity around the needs and expertise required to support the Royal Commission.

"In creating the Tautoko, the NZCBC and the CLCANZ recognise that our pilgrim Church, like the Government, is seeking a collective approach to understanding, reviewing and addressing the learnings of the past."

Fyfe said the way lessons are learned today and for the future is by examining, understanding, acknowledging and addressing what has occurred.

"We will collectively work towards healing. To do that, we must support the Royal Commission with the information they need."

Te Ropu Tautoko terms of reference states:

"We participate in the processes of the Commission as a wounded whanau. Because of, not in spite of, our own brokenness in regard to abuse, we offer our lessons.

"These [lessons] come from a place of deep humility. All we have to offer is our own experiences and the call to justice, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, Hehu Karaiti."

Source

• Communications Advisor NZ Catholic Bishops/Te Huinga o nga Pihopa Katorika o Aotearoa
• Image: nzbar.org.nz

Sonja Cooper, who represents some of those abused while in state care in New Zealand, said she's disappointed about the slow progress on an inquiry.

She said New Zealand doesn't even have terms of reference for its own inquiry, despite consultation finishing at the end of April.

Cooper said the process has been completely stalled, which she suspected was a finance issue.

"I worry about the political will to actually get this done," she said.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care was announced by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Minister of Internal Affairs Tracey Martin in February 2018.

"The Government has been giving serious consideration to Sir Anand's recommendation following that consultation and to the inquiry's final shape," said Martin in the latest update on the Royal Commission's website posted at the beginning of October.

"There is substantial work in establishing a Royal Commission and finalising things such as scope, cost, operational set-up and membership.

"The largest is determining the final terms of reference, which involves looking at a range of technical and legal matters."

Martin said there are also a number of budget issues to work through.

These include understanding how the Royal Commission plans to undertake the inquiry, the structure of the secretariat and other functions such as IT and property that will support it.

"Establishing an inquiry of this magnitude is similar to setting up a small government agency," the Minister said.

The Ministerial working group is expected to meet in the next month to consider a range of matters before it goes to cabinet for final decisions.

Source

• radionz.co.nz
• beehive.govt.nz
• royalcommission.govt.nz
• Image: thespinoff.co.nz

The Bishops and representation from Catholic Religious orders wrote to Prime Minister Ardern, Minister Martin and Sir Anand Satyanand in March this year.

That letter explicitly sought the broadening of the draft Terms of Reference to include Church institutions and was made available publicly and reported in the media.

A further submission was then made as part of the formal consultation undertaken by the Commission.

The Catholic submission advocated for the principles of equity of access and justice and argued for the terms of reference to be broadened in order to be "victim and survivor-focused" and "ensure lessons are learned for the future."

The submission said it would be wrong if some were excluded from the process simply because their path of referral to an institution was different from someone else's.

The bishops have said that a response with victims of abuse by priests and religious is not however dependent upon the Commission and so, where there are people whose circumstances place them outside of the final terms of reference, there will be a pastoral response.

Listening to individuals who have been harmed is critical in ensuring the Church's response will be thorough, effective and compassionate, and forms part of our experience for developing safeguarding for today and into the future.

Source

• Supplied: Ko te Huinga Pihopa o te Hahi Katorika o Aotearoa/The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
• Image: thespinoff.co.nz