Man assaulted by NZ Catholic brother wants say in election of new Pope

RNZ News

01-05-2025

Cardinals walk to take their places ahead of the late Pope Francis' funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square at The Vatican on April 26, 2025.
Photo:
AFP/MANDEL NGAN
A Fijian man sexually abused as a boy by a Catholic brother says he has a right to lobby the conclave in Rome over who it chooses as the next pope.
"I'm afraid that the new Pope that's going to be picked is tainted in some way and may not fully commit to ending sex abuses and not survivor friendly," Felix Fremlin told RNZ.
Assaulted as a seven year old
by a New Zealand Marist brother
at his Suva school, Fremlin has now joined an international group that has set up a database, Conclave Watch, aimed at vetting cardinals and posting details online.
"From a survivor's point, you know it's always good to put up history of cardinals so that, you know, we hope that the right choice is made," Fremlin said.
He demands a say - though he is not a Catholic any more - even if believers protested at this as interference.
"From my history of being a Catholic and my history of being abused by Catholic priests and the Marist Brothers, I have a right to speak out to protect the children that's coming up."
He was among abuse survivors banding together and speaking up to a greater extent than at past conclaves.
Behind the watch database was the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which said the response had been overwhelming.
"Survivors and advocates from around the world continue to send us critical information," said spokesperson Sarah Pearson.
Fremlin said conclaves were too secretive and should be open.
"To be honest, I can't do much, but all I can do is just to make sure that from small country we try to just raise our voice up."
Cardinals have discussed clerical abuse in pre-conclave talks, the Vatican said on Monday.
One who took part, Jean Luis Cipriani Thorne of Peru, was secretly disciplined in 2019 following allegations of sexual abuse - he denied wrongdoing - but has defied various orders from the late Pope Francis.
"This man has no place there," Pearson said.
Cipriani is too old (over 80) to take part in the election once the conclave begins on 7 May, however, Catholic news site Crux said how the cardinals handled him now was an
immediate "litmus test"
.
Fremlin said the problem was of tainted cardinals doing the choosing, as well as who they might choose.
"We can't stop them choosing whoever they want to choose, but we're just hoping that common sense can prevail and they choose someone who can make a fresh start."
Francis, like some other popes before him, had said the right things but not gone far enough, he added.
Fremlin did not like how New Zealand cardinal John Dew had handled abuse allegations, contrasting that with what he said was more openess from Tonga's cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi.