AUCKLAND (NEW ZEALAND)
Radio New Zealand
February 12, 2018
An Auckland woman is breaking a half century of secrecy around her father. It’s believed to be the first time in New Zealand that the child of a supposedly celibate Catholic priest has gone public. This comes after an international support website told RNZ a week ago, that half a dozen New Zealanders have contacted it saying they are the children of priests. The priest, who has since died, had a high profile in the Auckland Diocese. RNZ has seen the evidence he is the father – as has Bishop of Auckland Patrick Dunn.
An Auckland woman is asking the Catholic church to acknowledge her father was a priest.
The unnamed woman says her father was forced to keep the secret for decades as Catholic priests are meant to be celibate, RNZ reported.
The woman had received scientific evidence the priest was her father, and had taken that to Auckland Bishop Pat Dunn.
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