{"id":101640,"date":"2024-12-09T09:34:21","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T07:34:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses"},"modified":"2024-12-09T11:39:00","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T09:39:00","slug":"catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.cc\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses","title":{"rendered":"Catholics probe St Ignatius abuses"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>OWNERS of St Ignatius College Chishawasha, a religious-oriented academic institution, have opened an investigation into allegations of sodomy and sexual abuse perpetrated by a late clergy at the school.<\/p>\n

The school is owned by the Prestage Trust under the Southern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus \u2014 The Jesuits.<\/p>\n

NewsDay last month broke the story of sodomy and abuse of learners allegedly perpetrated by the late Father Brian Porter, a respected member of the clergy, sparking inquiries over the safety and well-being of learners in Catholic-run schools across Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n

In a statement yesterday, St Ignatius College board of governors chairperson Tafadzwa Chinamo said the institution had noted with \u201csadness and deep concern\u201d the allegations published in the NewsDay recently of predatory acts of sexual impropriety allegedly committed by Porter.<\/p>\n

Porter was a former member of the Jesuit community and an official of the college between the early 1970s and 1989. Porter died on July 8 this year, aged 90.<\/p>\n

Chinamo said for the past 62 years, the college had distinguished itself in serving Zimbabweans by educating thousands of men and women, many of whom have distinguished themselves as outstanding global citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe allegations, as reported in NewsDay, constitute serious criminal offences and entail a fundamental breach of the duty of care and trust that underpins safeguarding obligations in schools, ensuring learners are not exposed to harm in schools,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven the seriousness of the allegations, the Jesuits have mandated the Safeguarding Commission of the Jesuit Southern Africa Province to thoroughly and transparently investigate the allegations even though, on Fr Porter\u2019s part, the investigations will occur posthumously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinamo urged complainants to contact the commission directly or through the college.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe college has veritable safeguarding systems and practices that are aligned with local laws and the best international practices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the college would also continuously review and benchmark its safeguarding policies to ensure that they collectively work together to create a learning environment reflecting the utmost respect for human dignity.<\/p>\n

Investigations by NewsDay recently unearthed that Porter\u2019s victims since the early 1970s had formed a group titled Justice, Healing and Closure as they seek compensation from the catholic organisation.<\/p>\n

The victims approached authorities at St Ignatius College and other Jesuits at Garnet House in Mt Pleasant, Harare seeking redress.<\/p>\n

The late Porter allegedly pounced on Form Ones for the several years he was at St Ignatius.<\/p>\n

The victims held a meeting on July 20 to map the way forward in dealing with the alleged abuses.<\/p>\n

According to minutes of the meeting obtained by NewsDay Weekender, some of the victims (names withheld) confirmed the sexual allegations against the late Jesuit.<\/p>\n

According to confessions gleaned during the investigation on a social media group formed by the victims under the tag JHC, Porter would touch and kiss boys who assisted him to wear the Catholic regalia.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. OWNERS of St Ignatius College Chishawasha, a religious-oriented academic institution, have opened an investigation into allegations of sodomy and sexual abuse perpetrated by a late clergy at the school. The school is owned by the Prestage Trust under the Southern Africa Province of the Society of Jesus \u2014 The Jesuits. NewsDay last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":101639,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[19],"class_list":{"0":"post-101640","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-zimbabwe"},"yoast_head":"\nCatholics probe St Ignatius abuses - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"OWNERS of St Ignatius College Chishawasha, a religious-oriented academic institution, have opened an investigation into ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Catholics probe St Ignatius abuses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OWNERS of St Ignatius College Chishawasha, a religious-oriented academic institution, have opened an investigation into ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-12-09T07:34:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-12-09T09:39:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/12\/sm_1733724462.033098.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"497\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/catholics-probe-st-ignatius-abuses\",\"name\":\"Catholics probe St Ignatius abuses - 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