And also in the following letter to the Herald by Bishop Dunn -The Archbishop of Wellington has apologised for the actions of a clergyman who attacked a memorial to former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin.
In a statement released yesterday, Archbishop John Dew moved to distance the church from Father Gerard Burns' actions during a Gaza conflict protest in the capital on Tuesday.
"Father Burns was acting on his own initiative, and did not carry out his protest as a representative of the Catholic Church in New Zealand," Archbishop Dew said.
"I offer an apology for Father Burns' actions and make this apology to all those who were offended at the desecration of the Rabin monument."
Auckland's Catholic Bishop Patrick Dunn has also joined calls for Father Burns to apologise for desecrating the memorial to Mr Rabin.
Priest Irresponsible
Speaking as a long time advocate for Interfaith dialogue and co-operation, I believe Father Gerard Burns' actions are irresponsible and have potentially done great damage. I believe he owes an apology to the New Zealand public, the Jewish Community and to his colleagues in the Catholic clergy.