WELLINGTON (NEW ZEALAND)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
August 20, 2025
By Mary Speller
Clergy abuse survivors cannot believe the New Zealand Catholic bishops’ public statement on Social Justice as the bishops persist in breaching their own social justice principles.
Making statements on social justice in their message for Social Justice Week 2025, September 7-13, while ignoring social justice in practice is nothing more than hypocrisy, say advocates for victims and survivors of clergy and religious abuse in New Zealand’s Catholic Church.
Core social justice principles must be at the heart of the bishops’ own work to build peace. But survivors and survivor advocates across New Zealand note that despite the bishops’ public statements, there has been no practice by the bishops of the social justice principles of participation, solidarity, and subsidiarity with victims and survivors of Catholic clergy abuse.
Instead, New Zealand’s Catholic bishops continue to isolate, ignore, and disempower survivors who have sought justice.
According to Mary Speller, co-leader of the New Zealand chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), Catholic bishops have not sat down with victims and truly listened with an open and honest heart and asked what they need to do to begin the healing process. “If the bishops truly believe that ‘our world needs people who are willing to engage in dialogue, act with compassion, and build relationships grounded in dignity and love,’ then it is time they set an example,” said Speller.
Survivor advocate and author Trish McBride said, “Peace-making as social justice requires the more powerful bishops to ask the disempowered survivors ‘What would make it right for you?’ and ‘What do you need from us?’ listening carefully, then doing it.”
Building peace together demands exactly what the bishops stated, “kindness, through listening and through action’.” Therefore, it is ironic and unfortunate that survivors remain harmed by the very people putting out these media statements on peace and justice.
Frankly, the bishops’ hypocrisy is galling when they say: “Every one of us is given opportunities to be peacemakers. Sometimes, this means speaking out against injustice,” as they themselves have attempted to silence survivors who spoke out about their experiences of abuse and ongoing denials of justice in the bishops’ so-called “A Path To Healing” redress scheme.
If the bishops mean what they say, then they need to practice what they preach. Let us see if Social Justice Week 2025 brings the “kindness, through listening and through action” from the bishops themselves as they have encouraged their followers to provide.
For further information about this media release please contact aotearoa-newzealand@snapnetwork.org