Royal Commission hearing into St John of God abuse at Marylands School opens

There is still likely to be survivors who do not even know an inquiry in underway. Photo / 123RF

By RNZ

The treatment of boys with learning disabilities by a Catholic religious order over a nearly 30-year period comes under the spotlight of the Abuse in Care inquiry starting today.

Between 1955 and 1984, 537 boys attended Marylands School in Christchurch.

The residential school was run by the St John of God Order.

The inquiry will also focus on St Joseph's Orphanage and the Hebron Trust, which had close connections to the order.

It is not exactly known how many boys were abused while in the care of St John of God, but staff members, Brother Rodger Moloney and Brother Bernard McGrath were convicted for sexually abusing boys at Marylands School.

The Royal Commission will look at the nature and extent of other allegations of abuse and the roles and possible failures of the Catholic Church and the State.

An advocate for survivors of Marylands, Ken Clearwater believes it is time for the public to know what went on.

"It is time for the Catholic faithful to have a real good look and stop minimising and saying it was only a few brothers. It doesn't matter whether it was only a few brothers or only a few priests. One priest, one brother, when you preach or what they do from the pulpit, should not be committing these heinous crimes against children."

He said the lack of proper training for staff and the vulnerability of the boys helped lead to a dangerous and volatile situation.

"Nobody was ever held accountable in the early stages, so it just continued because they knew, everybody knew what was going on within the organisation, but nobody did anything about it."

Clearwater said survivors originally made 120 complaints to the police, but not all ended up in court, for various reasons.

Marylands School housed disadvantaged, disabled and orphaned boys. No one knew that some of the Catholic brothers caring for them were abusing them regularly. Photo / 123RF

"Some of the guys were intellectually handicapped and would have got eaten up in the system and a lot pulled out, some died. The true numbers of those affected we will probably never know."

He said there is still likely to be survivors who do not even know an inquiry is under way.

"It is scary. The people who should know about it probably don't have any access to media or anything like that."

Clearwater said an inquiry had to happen.

"Is it going to be beneficial? Probably not as much as it should be for survivors, but at least the people of New Zealand will get an opportunity to see the atrocities that happened to these innocent kids."

He does not believe people will be held accountable.

"Most of them are far too old and have managed to get out of it because of their age and health, which is wrong. So they are not held accountable and the victims are left to carry that."

Clearwater said the Catholic Church does not give a damn.

"They have been caught out and they will try and smother this over and make out they are doing the right thing, and listening to what the people are saying. People will believe them because they have been brainwashed enough to believe it. All the Catholic Church is worried about is that what happened has been brought out into the open.

"They have been covering up for years and they will continue to try and cover it up and minimise it," he said.

SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests describes the Order of St John of God as notorious.

Spokesman Christopher Longhurst said although the inquiry will focus on Marylands, many of his members were also abused in other religious orders.

"We have been given permission from the Royal Commission to not just address this particular case study, but also the more systemic, broader abuse in religious orders in the Catholic Church."

More 30 witnesses will be giving evidence at the hearing, 19 are survivors, some are family members and others representing the Catholic Church and government agencies, including the police.

The boys at Marylands were targeted by a group of sex offending brothers. The Catholic Church later paid them millions in compensation. Photo / 123RF

Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission, Katherine Anderson said the vulnerability of the boys with learning disabilities is a disturbing aspect of the abuse at Marylands School.

"We will be looking of course at all the risk factors that you think might have influenced the reason for the level of abuse at the school and in the other settings that we are looking at.''

Anderson said the State's role in what happened will also come under the spotlight at the hearing.

"The State had a role in placing children into care, including at Marylands. It also had a role in funding and approving the establishment of the school and then over the top of that it enables us to look at that wider [Catholic] church involvement and how did it assist St John of God to come into New Zealand and to ask, what is the wider church's accountability."

She said survivors who have come forward to the Royal Commission have emphasised to it how important it is to be heard and be able to be present to give their evidence.

Anderson said the Commission is still keen to hear from survivors who have not yet come forward.

The hearing, over the next two weeks will be held in Auckland, but under the Covid-19 red traffic light setting it is closed to the public. However, a livestream will be available.

- RNZ