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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Press
July 22, 2002

Damaging secrecy

The visit to Christchurch by the head of the St John of God Order suggests that at least one part of the Catholic Church is seriously attempting to heal the wounds caused by the sexual abuse that has taken place within its fold. But worrying questions remain about how effective that effort will be.

Brother Peter Burke, the Australasian head of the order, has been in Christchurch speaking to the 19 local men who have complained of sexual abuse while in St John institutions. The visit is a half-step towards healing, but it should be noted it comes in the wake of a series of revelations about abuse in the order. While it is unfair to suggest that he is engaged solely in a public relations exercise, the order's strategy is reactive. It is now at pains to appear to be dealing openly with abuse; the truth is, its hand has been forced by media coverage, led by this newspaper, of the victims' plight. In that sense the order represents the attitude of the entire Church. It has been forced throughout the world to address the sins of priests, brothers, and nuns. This is painful but necessary. Too often the impression left is that it would prefer the crimes to remain buried.

Brother Burke is prepared to discuss the issue in general terms. The transparency he now preaches does not sit easily with the confidentiality agreements the order has signed with some victims. The confidentiality contradicts the standards of openness that the Church has undertaken to uphold.

The wider concern for the privacy of the victims, which the Church invokes even when no legal settlement is in place, is similarly damaging to its own credibility. The silence promotes the belief that the secrecy is being used to evade a full accounting for each incident -- which indeed is what is happening.

In the case of the Christchurch incidents at Marylands, the Order of St John had made no substantial attempt to explain matters in the nine years from the 1993 trial that resulted in the conviction of one of its brothers until this year, when The Press
began uncovering the extent of the abuse. Even now the order has been explaining bit by bit. This incremental accounting of the corruption at Marylands began weeks after the order was facing a similar scandal in Australia, and in the context of international concern about abuse throughout the Church. The point is that the order was silent about its problems in New Zealand while giving assurances to its Australian audience.

Even now Brother Burke is less than forthcoming. He made it impossible for us to meet him in Christchurch, preferring to issue press releases containing mostly reassuring generalities. At the same time, he claimed to have made himself available to a wide cross section of the media. That cross section did not include the newspaper with the most detailed interest in the case. This point is minor in the context of children being abused by people with power over them, but it shows the order is keen to claim the moral high ground while being selective in its accounting of its activities.

No doubt Brother Burke would accuse us of a prurient interest. He should note that in all its extensive reporting, The Press
has unfailingly respected privacy when that has been requested. As well, we have sought to deal with the case unsensationally and factually. The Press
will maintain its interest in the issue. Not to do so would be to acquiesce with the intended or unintended sequence of events that has amounted to a cover-up of an issue crucial to victims and public.