Caritas helping amidst apocalyptic scenes in Lebanon

https://caritas.org.nz/newsroom/media-releases/caritas-helping-amidst-apocalyptic-scenes-lebanon

Event date: 

07 Aug 2020

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand announced today that it will provide urgently needed funding for Lebanon amidst apocalyptic scenes from a massive explosion in the port of Beirut yesterday.

The blast killed at least 100 people and injured more than 4,000 others. It was so strong that it registered as a 4.5 earthquake and was felt 150 miles away in the island of Cyprus. Windows were blown out of houses and buildings up to 15 miles from the port. The search for survivors is still ongoing.

“Hospitals and doctors had already been reporting shortages of vital medical supplies such as anesthesia, medication and sutures before yesterday’s explosion. Amidst these scenes of absolute devastation, we must act now. Caritas will provide funding to help the Lebanese people in this hour of need,” said Julianne Hickey, Director of Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand.

At least four hospitals were affected by the blast. St George Hospital, one of the city’s largest, was so severely damaged that it had to shut down and transfer patients to other hospitals outside of Beirut. Medical staff who survived the blast were treating patients on street sidewalks using flashlights to work because there was no electricity.

Thousands of families who were already facing difficult circumstances due to ongoing conflict, economic instability and the COVID-19 pandemic were affected in yesterday’s explosion. “We need to show our solidarity with the poor and vulnerable in Beirut, who are facing so many urgent and severe challenges. We must do what we can to ensure that they have the life-saving support they need,” said Mrs Hickey.

Caritas Lebanon’s youth volunteers and staff are actively assisting. Yesterday, they were on site nearby hospitals assisting the injured and are dispatching a Rapid Response team. Although their offices were damaged by the blast, Caritas Lebanon remains committed to supporting vulnerable people in the aftermath of this tragic incident.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is sending a solidarity grant from their Peace in the Middle East fund. Anyone who is interested in contributing to the support for Lebanon can donate online at caritas.org.nz or over the phone by calling 0800 22 10 22.

NZ Catholic bishops to look closely at new Vatican abuse guide

New Zealand’s Catholic bishops will closely review a new Vatican guide on dealing with complaints of sexual abuse by priests to see how it matches their existing rules on handling such abuse.

Last week, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published Vademecum (“Handbook”) a 17-page step-by-step-guide to help bishops and other Church religious administrators handle accusations of abuse by clerics against minors.

Complaints of abuse in the New Zealand Catholic Church are handled under the A Path to Healing, Te Houhanga Rongo protocols, introduced by the bishops in 1993 and updated several times since.

The Church urges victims of abuse past and present to complain to the Police or, if victims prefer, to the Church’s National Office for Professional Standards (NOPS), which can appoint independent investigators to examine complaints.

Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington and Metropolitan Archbishop of New Zealand, said he and his fellow bishops would look at the Vademecum guidelines closely and discuss them at their next full Conference meeting, in September.

“It is a complex document,” said Cardinal Dew. “We will be looking carefully to see where it fits in with the civil and criminal law of New Zealand.

“The bishops believe that every person has an innate human dignity – te tapu o te tangata – and therefore all forms of abuse are unacceptable and indefensible.”

Cardinal Dew said NOPS was also reviewing the Vademecum document to identify if changes may be needed in A Path to Healing.

Read the full text of Vademecum here; and go here for a Vatican News item about it.

Abuse in Care

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care wants to hear from survivors of abuse suffered in faith-based care who later sought redress from the Church or other faith institution or through civil legal action.

It is seeking survivors to tell their stories as it prepares for its Faith-based Redress Public Hearings, to be held from 23 November to 11 December.

It will be investigating the adequacy of the redress process of the Catholic Church, Anglican Church and the Salvation Army, and what needs to be done to support people who have been abused or neglected in Faith-based institutions.

Te Rōpū Tautoko – the group coordinating Catholic engagement with the Royal Commission on Abuse in Care – has been asked by the Royal Commission to distribute information about the faith-based hearings.

The Catholic Church encourages  survivors of abuse in the care of the Church to share their stories with the Royal Commission. The Bishops and Congregational Leaders of the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand participate in the processes of the Inquiry, through Te Rōpū Tautoko, acknowledging those who have been wounded in their care.

If you or someone you know wishes to share a story, please go directly  to this Royal Commission link.

Go to this Royal Commission PDF document for important information on the Faith-based Redress Hearing.

Visit the Royal Commission’s website.

Go here to read  a statement from the Catholic Church of  Aaotearoa New Zealand welcoming the inclusion of the Church and other faith-based bodies in the scope of the Royal Commission.

Visit Te Rōpū Tautoko’s website for information on how the Church is helping the Royal Commission.

And go here for the website of the Church’s National Office for Professional Standards, which helps abuse survivors and arranges independent investigations into abuse