Church uncaring, unchanged, says sexual abuse survivor
A survivor of sexual abuse has lambasted the Catholic Church for what he perceives as its unchanging, uncaring stance towards victims over the past three decades.
Richard van der Hulst, now 62, expressed his disillusionment after a healing ceremony he conducted was abruptly cut short by church authorities.
“From being totally uncaring in 1994, they have changed to being more skilled at being uncaring in 2024,” van der Hulst said.
His scathing remarks highlight a deep-seated frustration with the church’s handling of abuse cases, dating back to his own ordeal in 1968 when he says he was repeatedly abused by a priest in Matamata.
In 1994, when he first spoke out, the Church’s response was dismissive and damaging.
“They said I must be a liar. I must have a mental illness. I must be on drugs. That I was just a money grubber,” he recalled.
The response not only dismissed his trauma but also drove a wedge between him and his father, who sided with the church. The pair reconciled only five years ago before his father died. For 55 years, van der Hulst has been haunted by nightmares, often visualising being trapped by his abuser or seeing Jesus holding him at gunpoint. The nightmares persisted until four months ago when he revisited the scene of his abuse—the presbytery of the Church of the Holy Angels in Matamata.
“Each time I do it [I feel] stronger, better,” he said. This journey of healing led him to plan a ribbon-tying ceremony as part of the LOUD fence movement, where abuse survivors tie ribbons at sites of their trauma to break the silence imposed by the church.
Accompanied by his PTSD counsellor, van der Hulst returned to the presbytery in early July to commemorate the anniversary of his first assault.
He left a card and tied ribbons, asking for them to remain for a week. “It was about trying to free myself from that trauma. It was just for me, really,” he explained.
Initially, his visit seemed promising. Reverend Lawrie Bishop, who lives on-site, greeted him warmly. However, just 48 hours later, the ribbons were gone, and Bishop ceased communication.
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) stepped in to investigate. A SNAP source said they contacted Bishop, who allegedly claimed he was following orders from Reverend Msgr Leonard Danvers VG. Danvers denied issuing such an order and said the ribbons were removed before he learned about the situation.
Van der Hulst said he was disappointed and frustrated with the church's response and it highlighted the ongoing struggle survivors face in seeking acknowledgement and support from religious institutions.
SNAP's Christopher Longhurst emphasized the need for priestly support for survivors.
“I thought it would be unfair to say that the survivor was targeting any priest. It's not about the priest. It's about the survivor speaking up for themselves.”
Van der Hulst requested the return of the ribbons, but was told they were "put in the rubbish and were not retrievable." Danvers would not say whether this action was appropriate, stating only that Bishop is a retired priest living on the site and he, Danvers, remains the parish priest of Matamata and Cambridge. Bishop told the Waikato Times that he removed the ribbons on Tuesday because they blocked access to his mailbox, and threw them into his bin. He said there was “no disrespect”. “I didn’t mean any ill will of any kind.” He also didn’t see the card that asked for the ribbons to stay up for a week, until he got to his mail.
Bishop denied telling a source that he untied the ribbons under Danvers’ orders, and said he was upset to find the issue was taken to social media and attention has been drawn to where he lives.
He said if van der Hulst returns, he wouldn’t want the ribbons tied around the letterbox because of the attention.
Danvers said van der Hulst should have sought permission to tie the ribbons, considering it’s private property.
“I would have been supportive of it. But I certainly wouldn’t have suggested it go around the letterbox, I would have found some other place.”
Van der Hulst, however, said he did not seek permission due to past negative experiences with the church, which have left him “a bit twitchy and a bit jumpy” when dealing with clergy.