Church lawyers touchy over scope of abuse inquiry

WELLINGTON: The chairwoman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care says church lawyers and a Catholic bishop pushed back on the scope of the inquiry.

In response, the commission called for submissions on the issue — infuriating a survivors’ group so much it has pulled out, calling this a ‘‘final blow’’ to an ineffectual and retraumatising inquiry.

The Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faithbased Institutions is now advising people not to give evidence, a stance criticised by some other survivors.

The commission says it is ‘‘resolute’’ and won’t change its very wide scope — but the damage has been done, some survivors say.

This comes at a time when the 3yearold inquiry has been forced to undergo a reset because the Government knocked back its bid for more time — and for a total budget of almost half a billion dollars.

The inquiry is gathering more evidence before a hearing into churches including the Catholics, Anglicans, and Salvation Army.

The resistance it has faced was revealed by the chairwoman Judge Coral Shaw to the survivors’ network in a recent closeddoor meeting:

‘‘Tenacious lawyers acting for the churches are constantly bringing up issues and trying to bat them back to us, and starting to second guess,’’ she said.

‘‘I think as the rubber’s hitting the road, as more and more investigations are happening, that they’re starting to get a bit wiggly about this, and so they are pushing back.’’

RNZ repeatedly asked the commission to identify the churches.

Eventually, the commission of inquiry revealed pressure came from lawyers working for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and for a

Catholic bishop ‘‘acting in an individual capacity’’.

The pushback was focused on how wide the inquiry was ranging, and its request for more information about pastoral care where abuse may have happened. This includes during counselling, training or mentoring involving children and young people.

‘‘This is one of the pushbacks,’’ Judge Shaw told the survivors’ network.

‘‘They start to ask questions about the ambit of it.’’

Ultimately, only two submissions were made, and neither called for change in scope, the commission said.

It would push on to seek accountability even if that was at times ‘‘uncomfortable for some institutions’’.

However, this has come too late for network member, Alexandra Murray of Perth, who gave evidence about abuse by nuns at orphanages in this country and in foster homes.

The survivors’ network said the commission should have rejected the church pushback outright.

‘‘It is no longer ethical, and would be morally reprehensible, for us to continue to encourage survivors to engage with this commission and undergo further trauma,’’ the network told members. — RNZ