Source: Radio New Zealand
Christopher Longhurst was denied the chance to speak. Supplied
A group of abuse survivors is boycotting an apology by the Marist Brothers in Auckland, while another is set to protest outside.
They say survivors have been blocked from speaking at the event and that the “so-called apology” is immoral and fraudulent.
But there are others who want to hear the “long overdue” apology and hope the organisation will finally properly acknowledge what happened – and the cover up that followed.
Marist Star, the brothers’ organisation, was set to make a formal apology in Auckland on Saturday to survivors of abuse at the hands of brothers in New Zealand.
The group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is holding an counterevent in Hawke’s Bay – tying ribbons to remember and honour survivors.
A spokesperson and survivor Christopher Longhurst said he was denied the chance to speak for two minutes at the apology.
That was despite Marist saying survivors could speak, he said.
He said it was an immoral event by a group that had consistently fought against survivors being acknowledged and heard.
“Their apology, lets be honest, is a public relations apology to make it seem like they are being accountable.”
Murray Heasley is a spokesperson for Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faith Based Institutions, which has dozens of members who were assaulted by Marist Brothers.
He said the “so-called” apology was completely unacceptable.
The brothers were controlling the format – and Heasley’s group also had a survivor who was denied the chance to briefly speak, Heasley said.
The group was also angry that Fijians who had been preyed upon by New Zealand Marist Brothers were getting a lot less financial compensation than people in Aotearoa, he said.
They had been were told to take up the problem with the organisation in Fiji but it was New Zealand-based brothers who had harmed them, so they should be the ones to make sure they got proper redress, he said.
Heasley understood why the apology was important to some of the survivors.
“What we have an objection to is the fact this is not a public apology that’s got any real meaning. It’s performative,” he said.
A long wait for sorry
But survivor Frances Tagaloa would be attending with friends and family.
“My whānau being there is quite important to me because they have experienced the impacts of abuse – lifelong impacts for me,” she said.
She was anxious ahead of the “long overdue” apology.
It was 24 years in making after she complained to the organisation in 2002 ago about abuse she suffered in the 1970s from aged five to seven.
Marist needed to go beyond apologising for the abuse itself, but also for the way they had responded to survivors, she said,
“Which was often secrecy or coverup or deflection or protection, protecting their own reputation or the institution rather than helping the survivor,” she said.
She wanted specifics from Saturday, she said.
She wanted Marist to name the different kinds of abuse the brothers inflicted – sexual, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual, she said.
And they should name the venues – so that survivors, even those who had not come forward, might know they were not alone.
Even though it was important to her to hear the apology, she respected the decision of the survivors who did not want to attend.
The Marist Brothers had apologised many times during the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care but those had been very hollow, she said
So she understood the reluctance and scepticism that some people felt.
“For me, I need to hear a genuine and respectful apology and if I don’t hear that I will let them know.”
Marist response
The Marist Star organisation said it understood why some would feel the apology was not enough or would question its meaning.
The perspectives were important and reflected the depth of hurt, a spokesperson said.
“For others, however, this moment may offer a step towards acknowledgement and healing,” the organisation said in a statement.
A survivors committee had helped shaped the apology, and survivors whose emails they had were invited to provide input, the spokesperson said.
Five survivors would speak at the event, despite a large number asking to.
“Unfortunately, it has not been possible to accommodate all requests, with care, safety, and the purpose of the apology being key considerations,” the spokesperson said.
“Survivors have been offered the opportunity to share written testimonies, which will be respectfully displayed on the day.”
The apology would also be streamed online at the Marist Star website.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand