SNAP Aotearoa also fully supports the official request to rename
Christchurch’s Marylands Reserve and Marylands Pl along with two other
streets named after Catholic places associated with horrific clerical
and religious child sexual abuse.

SNAP encourages the renaming of all religious institutions that honour
persons who failed to protect children. It is senseless for relative
Church and Council authorities to wait until the Royal Commission
publishes its final reports before doing the right thing.

SNAP is grateful to the Metropolitan Archbishop of Aotearoa-New
Zealand John Cardinal Dew for his efforts to address these complex
issues.

However, claims that Canon Law and the order of the day justify the
transferring of abusive priests to another location so as to avoid
accountability under criminal law and prevent personal embarrassment,
is another example of actions devoid of Catholic morality. It is also
an act of hypocrisy by church administrators.

SNAP does not agree with claims that bishops who sent abusive priests
away for treatment, while ignoring the consequences on those actually
abused, acted appropriately. Victms’ needs were ignored. Morally
deficient Canon Law cannot be used to justify inappropriate practises
that were nothing more than a deceitful coverup.

Bishop Kavanagh is not the only bishop who failed to act on complaints
of sexual abuse by his priests. SNAP has complaints against other
Catholic bishops including the late Cardinal McKeefry (who also has a
school named after him). These complaints also need to be
investigated.

SNAP, in seeking justice, advocates a victims-centred response at all times.

SNAP encourages Bishop Dooley of Dunedin to reach out to all people
wounded by clerical and religious abuse in his diocese.

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