How Priests Accused of Abuse End Up in Pacific Nations

Over a period of decades, at least 34 priests and missionaries left their home countries in the West for the Pacific Islands after they allegedly sexually abused children, or were found to have done so, according to court records, government inquiries, survivor testimonies, news media reports and comments by church officials. The pattern suggests that in some cases, Catholic organizations saw Pacific nations as a “dumping ground” for abusive clergy. Pete McKenzie, a freelance journalist, explains.