Fijian abuse survivor calls for apology to Pacific victims

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Posted on 09/23/2024 7:49:28 PM PDT by ConservativeMind

A Fijian survivor of abuse by New Zealand Marist brothers wants the Pope to apologise to Pacific victims as well as those in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Catholic Church will not say whether it is urging Pope Francis to make a public apology following recommendations by the Royal Commission.

Felix Fremlin was 7 years old when abuse began by a New Zealand Marist brother, Bertrand Hodgkins, who taught at the Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva in 1979.

Another brother, Terence Payne, started teaching there shortly after and the abuse continued.

Fremlin said Payne offered lollies and chocolates to him and his brother John to get them into his room.

"Those are luxuries, coming from a poor family background, so usually they tempt us with it and tell us you come in and don't tell any other guys otherwise you have to share it with them.

"While the rest of the guys are playing around the property, we are in the room with him ********* us."

Fremlin said the abuse carried on throughout primary school in Suva, and that his brother John was also consistently sexually abused.

He knew of at least one other person who was abused by the brothers Hodgkins and Payne, he said.

Fremlin said he was beaten by his father when he told him about the abuse.

"It was hard at that time to say something against those in religious positions, no one is going to believe you, because everyone treated them like God themselves."

Fremlin said when he was a teenager he was also abused by other overseas priests, including when he was walking past the church on his way home.

He said they pulled up in a yellow van, asking him to sit inside and offering him alcohol, then molesting him.

(Excerpt) Read more at rnz.co.nz ...

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To: ConservativeMind

Arrest,try,and sentense. They should go to jail if guilty. The scandal is out now any way.

2 posted on 09/23/2024 7:59:06 PM PDT by skinny old man (Still lurking and posting after all these years(27 yrs ?)(more ?)(seems like more...))

To: skinny old man

3 posted on 09/23/2024 7:59:44 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as)

To: ConservativeMind

4 posted on 09/23/2024 8:31:00 PM PDT by RedMonqey (This is no longer America but "Amerika"!)

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