Bishop gives view on nun episode

Press, 17 June 1986, Page 8

Bishop gives view on nun episode

The chairman of the Christ’s College board of governors, Bishop Goodall, says a Catholic nun probably had her speaking series at the school shortened for commenting on a protest there, and not apartheid.

Sister Kathleen Rushton was giving the first of her talks on grief and pain at last Monday morning’s assembly. At the same time, anti-apartheid protesters were demonstrating at the school gate against the reinstatement of a rebel rugby player, John Mills, to his teaching position at the college.

Sister Rushton said that rather than ignore it she

chose to address the boys on her grief at the situation and her support for the protest. She refused to apologise in exchange for a" continuation of her series.

She felt the cancellation of her lectures was a contradiction for a Church school when its Church had condemned apartheid. Bishop Goodall said this was not necesarily the case.

"I don’t think the point was that she was speaking against apartheid. I think she was expressing her opinion on the protest.” Although an outspoken opponent on apartheid,

Bishop Goodall said he could not speak from first-hand knowledge of the event and therefore could only speculate that the sister had spoken at a difficult time. "I am not involved in the day-to-day running of the school so I cannot say anything very constructive on the situation. The day-to-day events are the responsibility of the headmaster.”

The position of chairman is an automatic one for the Bishop of Christchurch. Asked if he would resign in protest over the affair, Bishop Goodall said he had considered it but had decided against it.