Comments on: Church reluctant to look in the mirror? https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2016/03/01/church-reluctant-to-look-in-the-mirror/ The New Zealand National Catholic Newspaper Mon, 14 Mar 2016 20:42:06 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.3.2 By: catharina mcnamara https://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/2016/03/01/church-reluctant-to-look-in-the-mirror/#comment-13235 Mon, 14 Mar 2016 20:42:06 +0000 http://www.nzcatholic.org.nz/?p=12287#comment-13235 Recently I’ve been in contact with several people who have experience of clerical abuse, in New Zealand. The general impression is there is little or no response to their concerns when expressed to representatives of the Church. “Send your concerns in an email” doesn’t usually work for victims.

It needs to be pointed out sexual abuse is often only one possible part of historical or ongoing abuse. Continuing psychological abuse and manipulation of victims and others in the victims’ lives is a real problem and may not have stopped in childhood. Sometimes a victim’s lifestyle is severely criticized, and family members and friends belonging to the Church are encouraged to also criticize and condemn the victim. And if they don’t they are ostracized themselves.

Yes, this is happening now, across NZ.

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