Bestuur Lambertusparochie Hengelo regelt gesprek demonstrerende jeugdslachtoffer sexueel misbruik met Eijk

Trying to make the victims feel welcomed and understood is always going to be a challenge. We've tried to help our priests to be able to counsel the families and individuals who were most affected, but as time goes on, you discover more people you were unaware of before. One of our ongoing commitments is to provide counseling services to victims of abuse. We have some wonderful people in our outreach office who have done yeoman's work, who have been the merciful face of the church to people in their suffering. They've been instrumental in bringing people for retreats and Masses, and other spiritual events in their lives, to help them with the healing process. That's a continuing challenge, and we can't ever think that it's finished or resolved.

Obviously, there are still people who are angry and alienated, but there are others who wanted to find a path back. One of the very tragic aspects of the whole abuse crisis is that many of the children who were abused came from families that were very connected to their parishes and to the church. The sense of betrayal was so great because these were people who had such affection and loyalty for the church. Their path back was all the harder because the break was so dramatic.

O'Malley on the sex abuse crisis: 'It's not behind us'


RTV Oost
15 januari 2012
Frank Oude Geerdink uit Albergen, slachtoffer van seksueel misbruik binnen de Rooms-Katholieke Kerk, heeft vanochtend kort gesproken met bisschop Eijk. Dat gebeurde na de eucharistieviering in de Lambertusbasiliek in Hengelo.

Daar waren alle Nederlandse bisschoppen bij elkaar om de in 2005 overleden Paus Johannes Paulus II te herdenken. Oude Geerdink hield buiten de kerk samen met zo'n acht lotgenoten een stil protest. Ze zijn teleurgesteld in de kerkelijke leiders. Volgens Oude Geerdink is er vanuit de kerk nooit contact opgenomen met slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik en wordt er ook vanuit de kerk geen enkele hulp aangeboden. Het bestuur van de Lambertusparochie in Hengelo regelde dat de slachtoffers na de eucharistieviering met bisschop Eijk konden spreken. Eijk heeft beloofd dat er contact wordt opgenomen met de slachtoffers van seksueel misbruik. Oude Geerdink en de andere slachtoffers waren erg blij met die toezegging.