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Saturday, May 21, 2016

Playing Devil's Advocate

According to the Pacific Daily News:
In response to the deacon’s video, Quintanilla said that he respects Tenorio, but his comments in the video were offensive. Quintanilla said the deacon should’ve waited for results from an investigation before coming out and disputing Quintanilla’s allegations. 
While Tenorio is calling for people in the church to “stop this nonsense,” Quintanilla continues to urge people who also may have been molested to come forward and speak out. 
Apuron denied the molestation allegations in a video released hours after Quintanilla delivered a letter detailing the alleged sexual abuse to the archdiocese’s Chancery Office. Apuron hasn’t been charged with a crime and no lawsuit has been filed against him. Quintanilla has said he wants closure and an apology from Apuron and for Apuron to step down as archbishop.
This is the very reason why it is unheard of for victims of rape and sexual abuse to come out publicly the way Mr. Quintanilla did.  In the newspapers and media, the victim is often identified as a 15 year old male or a 42 year old female.  The media often protects their name unless the victim reveals it on his/her own decision.  And even then, the media usually do not publish their photos without their consent due to the nature of the crime.  We also know that it was Tim Rohr who convinced Mr. Quintanilla of going public after much of their "strategizing" together.  The PDN further states:    
On Tuesday, Quintanilla said the first person he told about Apuron allegedly molesting him was another priest, the Rev. Jack Niland. Niland died in 2009, according to a memorial from the Capuchin Franciscans website. 
Tenorio on Thursday questioned if Quintanilla had “really told Father Jack” about Apuron reportedly molesting him. 
The deacon asked why Niland didn’t report the alleged molestation to the archbishop at the time. 
“I believe that Father Jack was mentioned because he is dead and cannot testify to the truth,” he said.  
Rev. Niland was a newly assigned priest at the Agat parish working under Apuron at the time of alleged abuse, according to Quintanilla. 
“I don’t know if Father Jack reported this to anybody, but if he did, obviously nothing happened,” Quintanilla said. “I was 12-years-old; I don’t know what the procedure was.” 
Quintanilla said it’s not unheard of for priests to “cover up” for other priests. It appears to him that this is what’s happening with Deacon Tenorio “trying to find a way to defend his friend” Apuron. 
Rev. Edivaldo da Silva Oliveira, who identified himself as a personal secretary for the archbishop, spoke on behalf of Apuron on Friday. 
When asked if Rev. Niland told Apuron what Quintanilla told Niland, Oliveira said, “(Niland) never reported because it never happened.” 
“This accusations (sic), as Deacon (Tenorio) says, was orchestrated. As the bishop himself said, they are all false,” Oliveira said. 
The deacon said he knows Apuron to be a person incapable of sexual abuse and that he never heard any reports or rumors accusing Apuron of sexual misconduct. 
Quintanilla said: “Deacon Tenorio spoke about what Apuron is capable of doing. Well I think that’s very different from what Apuron actually did—there’s a difference.” 
“I was there and I’m talking from experience, what he did to me,” he said.
Deacon Tenorio was also speaking from his own experience with Apuron, who was a priest at the time.  After all, they worked in the same parish.  As I mentioned in my previous post, it is unheard of for a victim who was sexually abused by a priest to turn to another priest.  Also, if there was something amiss, Deacon Tenorio would have noticed it.  Why? Because victims of sexual abuse display certain behavioral signs that a person cannot miss.  Children who were sexually abused are extremely withdrawn.  They isolate themselves, are emotionally frightened, and have difficulty socializing with others.  There would also be physical signs such as constant aches and pains.  However, Deacon Tenorio said he never observed anything out of the ordinary.  

Interestingly enough, Mr. Quintanilla also said that at the time he did not know that the other boys were abused.  Why is that?  Could it be because the other boys were acting normally as they always do?  A dramatic change in behavior in children is always a red flag.  Therefore, it seems that both Deacon Tenorio and Mr. Quintanilla did not observe anything out of the ordinary in the boys or classmates.       

Furthermore, sexual predators are serial offenders.  They do not commit a crime only in 1977 and then suddenly stop.  Sexual predators will continue to commit sexual offenses even after they are transferred to another parish.  The sex scandal in the Catholic Church showed that priests who were guilty of sexual molestation and transferred to another parish still continued to act on their deviant behavior.       

15 comments:

  1. Anthony Apuron is not infallible. If this is his Cross then he better start carrying it.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 6:38 am,

      I believe that you are confusing "infallible" with "impeccable". All of us are not perfect. In fact, Roy Quintanilla is also not perfect.

      But it is not infallibility or impeccability that is the topic of discussion. The topic of discussion is trying to determine the truth of what happened 40 years ago.

      Delete
  2. Since you have the Devil's advocate position covered, I'll add the reasonable advocate position:

    Quoting from your text in blue: "Tenorio on Thursday questioned if Quintanilla had “really told Father Jack” about Apuron reportedly molesting him."

    Tenorio said that Fr. Jack never reported it because "it never happened".

    The "it never happened" was Tenorio's assertion before any investigation, interview, or even a single question was asked. He concluded that AAA is innocent because AAA is his friend. He further called any claim against AAA "nonsense".

    Any commentary on what Tenorio said needs to be made with this mind.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 7:06 am,

      Actually, it was Father Edivaldo who said that it never happened. Deacon Tenorio said that Father Jack was chosen because he is dead and cannot testify.

      We already heard the testimonies of three people who were actually present in that time period 40 years ago. Two of those people (the Archbishop and Deacon Tenorio) said that there was no sexual abuse. The only one claiming otherwise is Roy Quintanilla.

      You say that the Archbishop is the deacon's friend? And what about Tim Rohr? For three years, Rohr has desperately tried to remove the Archbishop. Thus, he is the one with the agenda to bring in a false witness. And he even went through so much trouble to bring Roy in that Roy did not even fly himself. As Tim said in his interview with Phil Leon Guerrero, he took the credit for bringing in Roy a month ago. Roy did not decide to come out on his own. He was brought out with his airfare already paid.

      Archbishop Apuron and Deacon Tenorio, on the other hand, does not have an agenda to bring down Tim Rohr. They have been silent most of the time. But for the last three years, Rohr has made so many attempts to remove the Archbishop, and this is Roy Quintanilla's friend.

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  3. before you commit more spin, you need to take into account that the former agat priests house was not sealed in a vacuum. There was and there still is a secretary, the same lady who has been there many many years. The parishioners, Tun Ricky Reyes, who lived 100ft from the priests house, the structure is gone now but it was also the admin office for MCS. The SSND sisters who also had a convent on the opposite court. The net can cast far! 40 years is not a long time really.

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  4. In the span of sexual abuse forty years is like onee day.

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  5. Stop gossiping about a past whose facts no one but the alleged abuser and victim know about. Do what you can. And what you can do is pray. And what you can do is go home and love the ones closest to you. If you are in a position that can actually help victims of abuse or anyone around you who is suffering or having a tough time, then help them...not because it will bring YOU closer to God but because God wants to reach them. That is what you do.

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  6. I was thinking.....which is not a good idea but what the heck... i'll say it anyways..
    If Tim Rohr, Roy, CCOG, LFM and JW folks want thier voices heard... present it to the visiting island nations as thier One voice, They can tell thier story as part of the culture they want to showcase in relation to thier catholic faith on our island. As far as I know, watching opening ceremony, Most if not all islands are rooted in thier faith/religion...
    Islanders share many things in common so i think they would share the same point in whats happening with the division in our church and the movement to take the Archbishop down.
    Why just restrict it to this island?
    Take it all the way across the pacific using FestPac media........
    Like I said....was just thinking.....
    Archbishop....I will continue to pray for you as the days come....peace...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 10:22 am,

      I also think that is not a good idea. Let us leave FestPac for all to enjoy.

      Delete
  7. Yes Diana....Thanks for reminding me that there is joy in some venue and activities God is providing to bring a good spirit on our islsnd.... Bad idea about FestPac.....
    Thanks....

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  8. It's not altogether unheard of for a molestation victim by a priest to turn for help to another priest according to the body of testimony in the public realm. Then, both the victim and other potential victims will or won't show what signs they will or won't show. Then, a particular deacon may not be the only person to look to in respect of evidence. Lastly you argue that an accused can't have molested one child because he probably didn't molest hundreds or dozens. So, your arguments aren't exactly categorical in this particular post of yours.

    Best wishes to all for your festival.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Morris I,

      On the contrary, it is very unheard of. According to research studies, 73% of child victims do not tell anyone about the abuse for at least a year. 45% of victims do not tell anyone for at least 5 years. Some never disclose (Smith et al., 2000; Broman-Fulks et al., 2007) Boys also have a much more difficult time reporting abuse than girls.

      Sexual abuse is so tramautic that there will always be visible signs. And if the abuser was abusing more than one child, the signs would be seen in more than one child.

      When he was a priest, he was only there in Agat for 2 years. He was at the Agana Cathedral for 6 years, and the abuse is only coming from Agat?

      Delete
    2. Diana, as you yourself can see, your statistical argument is not categorical.
      You don't have a stake in the situation, anyway.

      Delete
    3. Dear Morris,

      It does not matter that I do not have a stake in the situation.

      Delete
  9. Yes, just let go.

    ReplyDelete