Responding as a Christian to the Abuse in Care Final Report
On the 24th of July, 2024 the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care’s findings were made public through the final report Whanaketia – Through pain and trauma, from darkness to light. This report reveals the horrific extent of abuse suffered by victim and survivors in state- and faith-based care institutions over the Inquiry’s focus period from 1950 to 1999.
2400 victims and survivors participated in the Royal Commission and their courage in sharing their stories is pivotal in the platform for change that the Royal Commission’s report establishes. The findings in this report are critical and I want to encourage all Christians, to the extent that they are able, to engage deeply with the Royal Commission’s work for the sake of reconciling with the harm that has been done in institutions of our faith, and to advocate for change moving forward.
“We need to ensure that we are not complacent in hearing these stories and that, where we have the capacity, we listen openly and without expectation to what victims and survivors need to say.”
The report focuses on two areas and I particularly want to speak here to the discussion of abuse in faith-based care. The scope, even in just this area, is broad, covering abuse occurring in care-homes run by religious communities, religious schools, and churches. For many, the extent of abuse revealed in these settings may not be surprising due to expectations developed by similar overseas inquiries in recent years. But I challenge you to leave behind these expectations as you come to read this Royal Commission’s report about the actions of the church in Aotearoa. We need to ensure that we are not complacent in hearing these stories and that, where we have the capacity, we listen openly and without expectation to what victims and survivors need to say.
Most importantly, Christians in Aotearoa need to take accountability for the unthinkable harm that has occurred within churches and other faith-based care settings. It is all too easy for our response to these stories to be one of shifting blame and avoiding responsibility. We excuse ourselves by saying “it happened a long time ago,” “things have changed,” “we’re different to that denomination.” These excuses are not only untruthful but the failure to take accountability is exemplary of the ongoing silencing experienced by victims and survivors of abuse in faith-based settings.
The truth is, while the Royal Commission’s scope is historical, abuses like those described have not been relegated to ancient history. Although there are good reasons to believe that changes have been made to increase the safety of those in Christian settings, systemic changes are still needed to ensure that abuse in faith-based settings can be left in the past. Public stories of abuse, as well as those that only a few of us will know of, remind us that there is more work to be done and that we need to advocate with conviction for ongoing change across the church in Aotearoa.
The truth is also that there is no one denomination or Christian group that can be targeted with blame. The Royal Commission’s report clearly shows that this touches all of Christianity in Aotearoa and that all denominations have failed to respond appropriately to the abuse of those in our care. To look for one denomination as a scapegoat is to willfully ignore the planks in our own eyes. Drawing on a phrase shared with me by a fellow advocate in this space, “there is plenty of blame to go around,” and to try and shift focus to another group is to undermine the significant work that each denomination needs to undertake.
Not only have all denominations been touched by abuse but also, I argue, all churches hold responsibility for institutional failures. While each separate denomination and local community may feel that they stand alone, we are all connected as the body of Christ. The culture of Christianity in Aotearoa is built through close connections between denominations, and a culture that has allowed for silencing and the covering up of abuse is collectively, not individually, developed. Now is not a time to hide in denominational silos. Now is the time for the church in Aotearoa to take collective responsibility, to join together in calls for justice, and to build systems of redress and accountability.
The scope of this Royal Commission of Inquiry does not capture all stories of abuse in faith-based care that victims and survivors still live with. I want to acknowledge the stories that are held within our communities, stories which may still be untold, and I hope that ongoing work would lift the veil of silence and bring further light to stories of harm which evidence the importance of further change. The church has failed. We must acknowledge this failure and we must act to make change, to stop further abuse, and the covering up of abuse in faith-based settings.
Jaimee van Gemerden is editor at Metanoia.
Next Wednesday, 31 July, 7pm, Metanoia will be gathering at Cityside Baptist, Mt Eden, to discuss the question: “Can Christianity Be Saved From Sexual Abuse?” We will discuss not only the findings of the Royal Commission but how such abuse is related to wider Christian ideas about gender, the body, and sex.
