The Royal Commission into Abuse in Care has released a report into the Brothers of St John of God. This follows on from public hearings held in early 2022. The focus is on Marylands School, a residential school run by the Brothers in Christchurch from 1955-1983. Also investigated is Hebron Trust an organisation in Christchurch for at-risk youth run by a Brother of St John of God from 1986-1992. The report contains confronting material from the investigation and highlights the horrific abuse and failure to act on reports and disclosures of abuse appropriately.
Te Rōpū Tautoko, the group coordinating Catholic responses to the Inquiry, are working through the findings alongside church leadership. They are updating the Tautoko roadmap of work to reflect the required actions. The aim is that all of us collectively implement meaningful change to the way we safeguard all those in care and respond to those who have suffered harm.
Archbishop Paul’s response can be downloaded and is also online here: www.catholic.org.nz/news/media-releases/sjog/
The Royal Commission’s St John of God report, Stolen Lives, Marked Souls, is available here as a PDF: https://www.catholic.org.nz/assets/1026-AIC-Stolen-Lives-Report-LOW-RES-V2_21-JULY.pdf
Royal Commission – St John of God Case Study
