KEY POINTS:
Indian pilgrims who have gone missing in Auckland may have been involved in an immigration scam, according to a report today.
An Auckland Justice of the Peace has revealed some of the 32, who were bound for the Catholic World Youth Day in Sydney, said they had paid
$15,000 each to 'agents' in India who told them they could stay in New Zealand, National Radio reported.
Catholic Church spokesperson Lyndsay Freer said the news was "shocking".
"As far as I know nobody in the church would have any inkling that anything like this was happening. "It appears World Youth Day has been used as an excuse and that is really quite alarming."
Hosts of the 32 were last night hopeful they will turn up for their flight out of New Zealand today.
"I'm guessing they took a holiday in New Zealand on their own without informing the church, but I don't think they'd give up the chance to meet the Pope," said Maria Chan, whose friend from St Thomas Moore Church in Glenfield was supposed to have hosted one of the missing Indians.
Yesterday, the Department of Labour said it was working with the Catholic Church in Auckland to locate the missing pilgrims who have absconded from their church billets.
One-month visas were issued to 220 Indian worshippers who were due to leave for Australia but 32 have gone missing at various times over the past four or five days.
A spokesman for the department said: "The fact that they have absconded from their billets does not affect their right to be in New Zealand while their visas remain valid, but [we are] keen to ensure that they continue their onward travel as previously arranged."
Monsignor Bernard Kiely, administrator of Auckland's St Patrick's Cathedral, said the news came as a shock to him and that "it would be very disappointing if it was true".
Other pilgrims who spoke to the Herald were also shocked by the news.
Brother Stany Mittathanickal, who came from India with the pilgrims, said he did not believe they had gone missing to stay in New Zealand illegally.
"I have not heard about anyone from the Indian group being missing, and I think we will all be meeting in Sydney," he said.
Ms Freer told Newstalk ZB that she did not know where the pilgrims were, but hoped the Immigration Department would find them quickly.
* The Pope has been called on to apologise to New Zealanders who suffered sexual abuse by members of the Catholic church when he makes his apology to Australian victims.
The New Zealand Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust said an apology was an important part of the healing process of New Zealand victims.