Priest Questioned On Support For Book (Press, 30 March 1977)

An attempt has been made to remove the Rev. Felix Donnelly from the priesthood due to his support for the explicit sex manual for young people titled "Down Under the Plum Trees." Father Donnelly, a senior lecturer in community health at Auckland Medical School, expressed his concerns from Auckland after appearing in support of the book during an Indecent Publications Tribunal hearing in Wellington on 22 February 1977. Following his appearance, he received two letters of protest sent to the Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland, the Most Rev. John Mackey. The letters prompted Bishop Mackey to reach out to Father Donnelly, expressing great concern and asking for an explanation. Father Donnelly stated that the evidence presented to the Bishop by the complainants was distorted, which negatively affected his reputation. They questioned his integrity as a priest and suggested he should be expelled from the Church, thus applying pressure on the Bishop. He suspected that similar materials were sent to the weekly Roman Catholic newspaper, "Tablet," where an editorial critiquing him had been published. To clarify the situation, Father Donnelly provided the Bishop with a copy of his submission to the tribunal. He reported that the Bishop accepted his explanation, and he believed the matter was resolved. Frustrated by the incident, Father Donnelly highlighted the "rigidity of thinking" among some Catholics concerning sex education, arguing that they were not willing to consider alternative viewpoints. He had defended the book due to what he saw as an inadequacy of sex education materials available for young people. The tribunal had declared the book indecent for individuals under 18 unless they were under the guidance of parents or professional advisors. Although Father Donnelly felt the book had limited value for those over 18, he acknowledged the tribunal likely made the decision it had to under the circumstances. Appeals related to the tribunal's decision are already underway, with two appeals lodged in the Supreme Court and a third being contemplated. Wellington solicitor George Joseph is appealing the tribunal's ruling, arguing that the book is indecent and that the tribunal erred by allowing it to be sold. He expressed concern that the book could easily end up in the hands of minors. In response, Mr. George Rosenberg, representing Alister Taylor, the publisher from Martinborough, confirmed an appeal against the tribunal's decision to admit Mr. Joseph's client as a party in the original case. The tribunal’s actions stemmed from an application by the Secretary for Justice seeking a ruling on the book's status, with the Justice Department currently deliberating on whether to pursue an appeal. A final decision on that is expected later in the week.

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