So, with that said let us look at the verdict released by the Vatican. According to the Vatican Press Release (the bold is mine)
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE APOSTOLIC TRIBUNAL OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH
The canonical trial in the matter of accusations, including accusations of sexual abuse of minors, brought against the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan APURON, O.F.M.Cap., Archbishop of Agaña, Guam, has been concluded.
The Apostolic Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, composed of five judges, has issued its sentence of first instance, finding the accused guilty of certain of the accusations and imposing upon the accused the penalties of privation of office and prohibition of residence in the Archdiocese of Guam. The sentence remains subject to possible appeal. In the absence of an appeal, the sentence becomes final and effective. In the case of an appeal, the imposed penalties are suspended until final resolution.First of all, many thought that Archbishop Apuron was found guilty of child sexual abuse despite that the Vatican never stated what Archbishop Apuron was guilty of. Sadly, even Coadjutor Archbishop Byrnes condemned Archbishop Apuron without knowing the full information of what those "certain accusations" were. According to his press release to the media:
“I issue this public apology on behalf of the entire Archdiocese of Agana. Our Church is One Body in Christ, so we weep as one at the grave harm our family members have endured,” Byrnes said, reading a prepared statement at a press conference Monday. “Our Church is One Body in Christ, so we hang our heads in shame for the grave evil one member inflicted upon others, in this case the most vulnerable.”
"Our prayers for the victims of child abuse by Bishop Apuron and all victims of abuse here and worldwide continue; so shall our efforts to bring healing and restoration to all victims of clergy sexual abuse and to ensure this never happens again,"In his press release to the media, Archbishop Byrnes mentioned "child abuse by Bishop Apuron" despite that the Vatican never released any information about the verdict. The proper thing to do is to pray for Archbishop Apuron, not condemn him especially during this season of Lent. According to canon law made easy (the bold is mine):
Under the code of canon law, everyone - not just priests! - has a right to his reputation, and the right to privacy (c. 220).........
For that matter, even if Father X is subsequently proven guilty of the accusations, he still retains these rights under canon law (although the country where he committed the crime may have its own laws on this matter). No ecclesiastical superior has the authority to make a public declaration that (for example) an internal investigation has found that Father X did indeed commit sexual abuse. Canonically. this is the very same law that would prohibit a superior from publicizing that Father X has cancer, or is an alcoholic, or is suicidal. No matter how horrible a monster Father X may actually be, church officials by law cannot publicly drag him through the mud.The Vatican press release implied that there were other accusations. The verdict mentioned "certain accusations" he was found guilty of but did not specify what those "certain accusations" were. The Vatican press release did not say how many accusations there were, but some supporters of Archbishop Apuron claimed there were six accusations. According to news report:
Supporters of the archbishop, conversing anonymously with journalists, claimed the archbishop was found guilty on only two of six charges and that the sentence implies those charges were not the most serious ones. Generally, clerics found guilty of sexually abusing minors face either removal from the priesthood or are sentenced to a life of prayer and penance and banned from any public ministry.Nevertheless, Archbishop Apuron was fully aware of which accusation he was found guilty of and the number of accusations against him. In his press release through his civil lawyer Jacque Terlaje, Archbishop Apuron stated (the bold is mine):
"While I am relieved that the tribunal dismissed the majority of the accusations against me, I have appealed the verdict. ... God is my witness; I am innocent and I look forward to proving my innocence in the appeals process."
He was acquitted of a majority of the accusations.
Archbishop Apuron is currently in the process of appealing the guilty verdict. In the meantime, we pray for him. As Mr. Ben Perez quoted in his letter to the PDN:"One should never attack a priest, even when he's in error, rather one should pray and do penance that I'll grant him my grace again. He alone fully represents me, even when he doesn't live after my example!" (Feast of Christ the King 1937).Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
I guess that's the reason the CDF didn't release any info about the verdict other than saying it's "certain accusations". Coming from God's Church, I suppose that makes sense since each person has a human dignity.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your point is about Archbishop Byrnes' main concern. He is not to judge or condemn others, but to minimize the financial burden that the diocese has due to the victims. He has to get the trust of the accusers that he is doing a thorough job and he is not trying to fool them.
ReplyDeleteCash is a serious matter when you need such an awful lot of it to make peace! The lawyers of the victims won't support any settlement unless they also get a large sum. This is a very grave issue because there are too many victims and too much money needs to be shelled out.
Archbishop Byrnes needs a shrewd tactic to pacify those who demand more and more cash for themselves. He has to be able to make them stop and be satisfied by what would be offered to them my the church. Church institutions may become extremely restricted financially, unless the Archbishop will be able to save considerable assets. The whole future of the Church of Guam depends on him and his strategical wisdom.
Dear Anonymous at 7:42 pm,
DeleteYou stated: “Archbishop Byrnes needs a shrewd tactic to pacify those who demand more and more cash for themselves.”
Appeasement and pacification....at the expense of what and who??? It would be in the best interest if Mother Church were to teach her children that Christ is the physician who brings true healing, not money. Christ is the Prince of peace who brings peace, not money. Healing starts with forgiveness, not money.
Diana, I am afraid you missed the point. Of course, healing starts with forgiveness and not money. We wish everyone would know that. That is why the Hope and Healing program was set up. But we are talking here about a business mafia who tries to get wealth and power from the misery of the church.
DeleteThis mafia is already very powerful but they want more power. It has penetrated and maintains strong connections with the Guam government and legislature. They see an opportunity to jump on the back of the Catholic Church and shake it until it shells out money. The church became a potential cash cow in the hands of mafia godfather Timothy Rohr and mafia hit man David Lujan.
Now, you may see how dangerous this situation could become. It amounts to naivete to believe that the mafia will allow Archbishop Byrnes off the hook without loading off a lot of church assets into their greedy hands. that is why we badly need a wise leading pastor in the diocese to pacify the opposing forces. Pacifying is not giving in, but throwing some red meat to the beast that it would stop roaring!
In the end, the church will be victorious over the beast! We have this promise from Jesus Christ.
Dear Anonymous at 8:31 am,
DeleteIn tge end the church will be victorious, but that does not mean we have to help the mafia by pacifying them. They are currently going after the government. Have you noticed that Bob Klitzie has been attacking the Spuerintendent of the Guam Department of Edcuation. Of all the Guam agencies, Education is the one that even activists (such as the gay activists) target. Gay activists are now introducing their curriculum into the educational system starting at the elementary level, brainwashing them into thinking that homosexuality and gay marriages are normal. When you control education, you control the future of Guam because the children are our future.
History have shown that an appeasement policy does not satisfy the hungry beast. It only emboldened him to take more. That's why you now see Bob Klitzie going after GDOE. An appeasement policy was used by Europe with Hitler, and they learned too late that it only emboldened him to conquer more and more countries.
And who is the Church Diana? The reality is that there are LGBTQ in the Catholic Church. She has been avoiding the issue for so long. Look at what happened with Guam?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 12:27 pm,
DeleteThis was not the first time same sex marriage was introduced into the Guam Legislature. It was introduced during Archbishop Apuron's time. The Archbishop stood up against it and it was defeated. Same sex marriage became a law when Archbishop Apuron was removed as a result of the sex scandal.
On Thursday, we will all listen to the passion of our Lord. From betrayal to his willingness to take all of the worlds sins, lust, greed, envy, suffering and wickedness, to be a sacrifice and then to rise in glory... My heart aches for Archbishop Apuron with everything he has had to endure over the past two years. All the name calling by those so called catholic's from CCOG and LFM... the disgusting language they use is unbelievable. If satans seed (tim whROHR) left his comments on his website readable, Im sure youll agree of their "holier than thou" attitudes.. Anyway, when I attend Holy Thursday mass, I will pray for Archbishop Apuron that Jesus will pray for him in the garden to protect him from all the Judas's here on Guam.
ReplyDeleteHere is something to think about.... Ever since Coadjutor Byrnes had his first mass and everything in between up to this day, Brynes has said and done things like closing RMS, condemning Archbishop Apuron, putting the same circle of judas's in positions in the church that they were removed from and deciding to put up the sale of the chancery ... either brynes wants to voluntarily have the pope remove him or the Judas's around him are deliberately leading brynes down the road of removal so they can have one of their judas's named the new Coadjutor and heir apparent to Archbishop Apuron.... yep think about it... perhaps satan whispers in brynes ears louder than the angel of God... and satan says...if you don't read this condemnation of apuron, were going to have more alterboys cry wolf to holy men and priests who are deceased... like Father Ray Techaira... speaking of which, those two "initals only" boys who accused Father Ray in Asan... such LIARS they are... wait until the records are retrieved for CCD... ... satan and his temptations of money grows strong on those two... all of a sudden they start showing face at mass...in Asan? Oh God, help me to refrain from exposing their lies... as a matter of FACT, the JA decides to show face last sunday and as he walks to the church, he's all happy and smiling and baam, the minute he opens the church door and looks in to see whos inside, his body actions and demeanor changes...like " oh im so terrified of being raped".. and that's it.... he doesnt even ATTEND the mass... my guess is it's almost time for out of court settlement amounts that the dramma needs to be upt a bit.
a sinner.
I am ashamed of Coadjutor Byrnes... ashamed of the Vatican... am proud of Apuron and how he has not answered evil for evil... I don't know why he doesn't go on and BLASTS Byrnes for his deliberate character defamation...
ReplyDeleteAnd Tim Rohr is laughing all the way to the bank.
Well... it is the time of the year to carry with the sins of others... I will remember Guam's Church as I watch the Passion of the Christ... with Byrnes and Rohr laughing and slashing the back of Jesus as he intercedes for their sins.
It is truly a shame to judge someone, a leading Archbishop, without due process of allowing innocence defense. Is there any media outlet on island that gives media surface to his defense? Where is it, may I ask?! Nowhere to be seen! Due process includes innocence defense to be voiced and heard. I wonder if Vatican was willing to hear??
DeleteShame on all those who keep denying innocence defense from the accused. It is evil in nature. They are killing the innocent again. They are crucifying my Lord again. They are the ones who tortured and sent Jesus on the cross to die.
I don't understand what Byrnes is doing right now. He is supposed to be the supreme default per definition. But is he? Why is he denying due process from our Archbishop? Why is he throwing mud even rock together with CCOG and the gang? It is truly shameful. I cannot really say anything more, but it is truly shameful and a big shame!