A religious institute in New Zealand has lost its appeal to the Vatican to continue public ministry in the Diocese of Christchurch after the local bishop ordered the ban amid allegations of unauthorized exorcisms and other abuses.
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Christchurch Bishop Michael Gielen said in an Aug. 10 letter to his diocese that the Vatican “rejected in its entirety” the appeal of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer after Gielen forbade the community from ministering in Christchurch last year.
The bishop said in July 2024 that the community had been subject to an apostolic visitation by Australian Bishop Robert McGuckin. Gielen removed the ministry faculties of the members after the Vatican’s recommendation and also asked the group “to leave the Christchurch Diocese.”
Gielen in both letters did not clarify why the community was being investigated and sanctioned, but the Christchurch Press reported that the subject of the inquiry was “alleged abuse and unauthorized exorcisms.” The New Zealand Herald reported on those allegations in 2023.
In his Aug. 10 letter, Gielen noted that the institute continued its ministry in the diocese during the appeal.
The Vatican’s rejection of the appeal, the bishop noted, means the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer remains under the ban, which also applies to “priests who arrived after the decrees were announced.”
“My foremost concern remains the spiritual health and unity” of the Christchurch Diocese, the bishop said.
The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer own the island of Papa Stronsay in the North Sea off the Scottish coast, where they operate a monastery and farm.
The community, formed in 1988 following a monastic rule based on that of St. Alphonsus Ligouri, was formally erected as a religious institute in 2012. They describe themselves as a “congregation of missionary monks” who regularly “leave their contemplative life and set out on voyages” to “preach the eternal truths in the form of missions wherever they are invited.”
This article was originally published by CNA.
