NEW ZEALAND
Stuff
BEN HEATHER
17/09/2013
The Catholic Church has accepted five fresh claims of child abuse, including allegations against a former priest already convicted of violating children.
It comes amid warnings that a child abuse inquiry that began in Australia yesterday is likely to reveal further allegations of abuse involving New Zealand priests.
Bill Kilgallon, who heads the Catholic Church’s national office handling complaints of abuse in New Zealand, said that since late June the church had accepted five additional claims of abuse as genuine.
It had also investigated two new allegations from people who say they were sexually abused by priests as children.
One accusation is levelled against a former priest who is still alive and has already been convicted of sexually abusing another child.
The complainant had not yet gone to police, and Mr Kilgallon declined to provide further details. “If he [the complainant] does go to the police, we are better off with an element of surprise,” he said.
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