Peter Lineham: Massey University religious expert on the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer being stripped of authority by Vatican and Christchurch bishop

There's questions whether a Christchurch Catholic order will continue, even after being stripped of its authority, over unauthorised exorcisms and abuse.

The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer's priests have been banned from practicing and told to leave the diocese, after 17 people raised concerns.

Its leaders deny they manipulated and controlled followers and interfered in families' lives.

Massey University religious expert Peter Lineham says losing its license may not stop the order.

He explained it was once a renegade group pulled back into the Church by the Pope, and he wonders if it will go out again into the cold.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Jack Team and the leaders of a controversial Catholic group
have been forbidden from practicing in the christ Church Diocese.
The Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer have been accused
of abuse and of carrying out unauthorized exorcisms. After a
Vatican investigation, all members of the group have been asked
to leave the christ Church Diocese by Bishop Michael Jeelan

(00:21):
or Geelan rather. Peter Linhum is a religious expert for
Massi University and is with us this evening. High Peter, Hello, yeah,
very well, thank you. So what actually happens to this
group now.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, we will have to wait and see. They've lost
their license to act as Catholic priests, so they can't
conduct the Mass, they can't conduct baptisms or any other
of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. That may
not stop them because this group was once a renegade

(00:53):
group pulled back into the Catholic Church by the previous pope.
I wonder whether they'll go out again into the cold.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Ah right, And one of the group's supporters says they're
going to take legal action against the Church over this.
Can they do that?

Speaker 2 (01:09):
No, of course they can't. You can't take legal action
about them. The pope has complete authority over the priests.
The priests sign a piece of paper submitting to the
vows of obedience to the church. If they choose to disobey,
well they're not part of the church, as simple as that.

Speaker 1 (01:25):
Really, Do we know what the Vatican's investigation actually found.

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Yeah, well no, we had hasn't been released to us,
but they did it. They took it very seriously. They
sent a retired bishop from Australia and he went in
and we understand that he talked widely to both the
people who were reporting abuse and to the people who
were involved in the services. I'm not sure whether the

(01:50):
actual priests talked to them, because they seem to be
inclined to do their own thing, and so it was
probably pretty thorough. And Michael Gelan's letter looks as though
he felt he had absolutely no choice and just gave
him complete authority on an order from the Vatican that
they had to be suspended. And it's interesting because it

(02:13):
was from midnight on Sunday night. Very precise. Yes, they've
got to stop.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, that is very precise. Indeed, So just theoretically, then,
is there anything to stop this group from say, getting
on the phone to the Bishop of Aberdeen, or breaking
away from Catholicism and taking their supporters and followers with them.

Speaker 2 (02:33):
No, well, the Bishop of Aberdeen, that's interesting because I
would have thought that he would be very quickly informed
so that the original branch of this was formed in
the Orkney Islands and then strange place to extend themselves
to to the other end of the world, to christ Church.
But that's what they did. They could retreat there right,

(02:55):
the priests were once there. But I would have thought
that the Bishop of Aberdeen would probably say, well, presumably
much the same applies to you. I don't want to
have the risk unless he's a very conservative bishop of course.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
Yeah. What do you think of the Catholic Church's handling
of this whole situation.

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I think initially very poor. I think initially there were
a lot of complaints from over a period of five
years about things were going wrong under the previous bishop,
now Archbishop Paul Martin. Nothing seems to have been done.
They seem to have just made cursor examinations. They didn't

(03:37):
even reply to some of the complainants. Then the new
bishop arrived and pressure was brought to bearby TV three's
reporter Michael Morra, who did a great job, I think.
And then very very quickly Gilan was over in Spain
to attend the World Use Day, dropped in on the

(03:58):
Vatican said I've got a problem, and you know action
took place. Catholic Church never rushes things, but in Vatican
time this has been fairly prompt. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
Right, So do you think these allegations need to go
to police.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
I think some of the allegations have gone to the police.
They are serious. They are all the stuff of the
things that led to the churches being subject to the
Royal Commission on Faith Based Groups. You know, it went
beyond state care at the request of the church, interestingly,
but I mean for sure, when the report comes out,

(04:38):
probably next week, we are going to hear a significant
list of you know, massive issues that particularly the Catholic Church,
but a lot of other churches too have faced over
these issues. No, and I think some of those complainants
have every right to sue the congregation, which does own property,

(05:00):
and to demand compensation.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Yeah, it'll be very interesting to watch that. Thank you
so much. Peter Lyneham with us this evening for more
from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
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