Heaven's Helpline
How far has the Mormon church gone to cover up abuse? When journalist Murray Jones started looking into the church's finances in New Zealand, an intriguing Facebook post alerted him to a much bigger - and much darker - scandal. From the NZ Herald, Heaven's Helpline is a six-part investigation into how the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints built a system that protects its wealth and reputation – and shields sexual predators from the law. Listen to episodes weekly from October 17th. Funded by NZ on Air.
Episodes
Heaven's Helpline begins on October 17th wherever you get your podcasts.
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When journalist Murray Jones investigates the vast wealth of the Mormon church in New Zealand, an intriguing Facebook post alerts him to a scandal that’s much bigger, and much, much darker.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What do Mormons actually believe? And how did this mega-wealthy American church gain such a foothold in New Zealand? (Please note: this is an optional episode for history lovers, so you can safely skip it without losing the thread.)
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A fanatical “priesthood holder” pressures young Mormon Caroline into marriage and motherhood. When the relationship descends into extreme abuse, Caroline is rescued by a church leader, but others up the ranks are not so supportive. Whose side are they really on?
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Murray hears tale after tale of abuse within Mormon congregations and at the centre of every story, there’s a “bishop”. Who are these men? Why are they so involved in members’ lives? And do their actions help the church keep crimes secret?
Family violence:
If you’re in danger now phone the police on 111 or ask neighbours or friends to ring for you.
Where to go for help or more information:
Warning: This episode contains content related to child sex abuse. Listen with care.
The seizure of a video from a New Zealand paedophile sparks a dizzying chain of events in faraway Arizona: an arrest, a suicide – and revelations that a serial child rapist had confessed to his Mormon bishop, and the church had used its “Abuse Helpline” to cover it up.
Family violence:
If you’re in danger now phone the police on 111 or ask neighbo...
Murray calls New Zealand’s Mormon Abuse Helpline – and guess who picks up? He then heads to Northland to meet a Mormon couple who made a very different kind of call. They blew the whistle on a prolific sex abuser in their midst – only to find that others in their congregation would prefer to keep on protecting him.
Sexual assault support services:
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someon...
Can the Mormon church be reformed? Murray meets campaigners inside and outside of the church who are pushing to change the way it handles sexual abusers. He asks: should the law be changed in New Zealand to force the church to do the right thing?
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
40 years ago, two bombs went off in Auckland's harbour when French agents targeted a Greenpeace ship. It was meant to be a warning against anti-nuclear protests, but the death of a photographer on board sparked a major police and political response.
From the NZ Herald and Bird of Paradise Productions, this six-part series re-examines the bombing, the events leading up to it, the investigation that followed, and the ongoing fa...
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