Church fails in secrecy bid
Accused clear to be named as abuse hearing begins
The Catholic Church has lost its bid to keep the identities of perpetrators and those accused of covering up abuse secret at the upcoming Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry hearing.
Beginning on Monday in Auckland, the commission will hear from survivors of historical abuse in the care of those institutions, and the redress processes that followed.
The Catholic Church, supported by the Anglican Church and Salvation Army, said it sought non-publication orders because it had not been given enough time to contact those who would be named, and the families of those now dead.
Lawyer Sally McKenzie told chair Judge Coral Shaw the church was not seeking to hide evidence.
“It is purely a question of whether the name is publicly used now,” she said.
Some people would be named publicly for the first time, and they wanted to give their families time to process the accusations, she said.
Judge Shaw declined all of the Catholic applications, bar one.
An interim restriction order was granted for one person for 14 days, which would be reviewed.
Judge Shaw also allowed for one of the witnesses to be heard in private, as per their request.
She also prohibited religious clothing or uniform at the hearing.
Reasons for the decisions will be released at a later date.
Dr Murray Heasley, a spokesman for the Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions and their Supporters, said any other outcome would have been “outrageous”.
“Some survivors have been waiting 65 years for their chance to be heard, and this request to conceal names associated with horrific sexual abuse caused them enormous alarm.”
Churches had agreed last year to be open and transparent and victim and survivor-focused throughout the process, Heasley said.
“This application made a nonsense
of that, it is the same old global playbook of secrecy and cover-ups.”
Catholic Church representative Catherine Fyfe said it had sought the interim non-publication orders because there could be traumatic consequences for family members who might not know those people would be named, and only hear it through media.
“The Church did not seek any wide-ranging non-publication orders at the hearings.
“The Church asked to be included in the Royal Commission. It fully supports the inquiry and it is actively co-operating with the commission.
“We strongly encourage survivors to contact the commission to share their experiences of abuse.
“The bishops and congregational leaders of the Catholic Church will be listening.”
The commission is investigating the abuse and neglect that happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in care from 1950 to 1999, along with the processes of redress that followed for survivors.
Over September and October it heard about abuse in state institutions, and from November 30 it is to hear from survivors of abuse in faith-based care.