Story: Religion and society

James Liston charged with sedition

In 1920 James Liston became the coadjutor (assistant) to the Catholic bishop of Auckland, Henry Cleary. In a St Patrick's Day address in 1922 he questioned the Anglo-Irish treaty and described the Irish rebels of 1916 as having been 'murdered by foreign troops' (meaning British troops). There was a public outcry and Liston was unsuccessfully prosecuted for making seditious utterances. In 1929 he became bishop of Auckland, a role he would hold for more than 40 years.

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Auckland City Libraries - Tāmaki Pātaka Kōrero, Sir George Grey Special Collections
Reference: New Zealand Observer, 27 May 1922, p. 5

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How to cite this page:

John Stenhouse, 'Religion and society - Sectarian conflicts', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/28414/james-liston-charged-with-sedition (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by John Stenhouse, published 5 May 2011, reviewed & revised 4 Apr 2018