GPD & AG Say Archdiocese Has Not Referred Any Sexual Abuse Complaints to Them, Pacific News Center, October 23, 2009

GPD & AG Say Archdiocese Has Not Referred Any Sexual Abuse Complaints to Them

Pacific News Center
October 23, 2009

http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1177:gpd-a-ag-say-archdiocese-has-not-filed-any-sexual-abuse-complaints-filed-with-them&catid=50:homepage-slideshow-rokstories

Guam - Guam Archbishop Anthony Apuron has assured the island's faithful that the Archdiocese will not tolerate any kind of sexual abuse and has procedures in place to notify authorities whenever allegations of improper conduct occur.

On Tuesday of this week, Vice Speaker BJ Cruz said that a case of abuse was recently brought to the attention of the Archdiocese.

Neither the Guam Police Department nor the Attorney General's office have received any recent complaints from the Archdiocese. No can they recall any complaints ever being filed in the past.

Guam Police Spokesman Allan Guzman tells PNC News that neither he, nor Police Chief Paul Suba, can recall ever having received any complaints referred from the Archdiocese regarding sexual misconduct by priests or lay employees of the Archdiocese.

Spokesman for the Attorney General's Office, Eric Palacios tells PNC that to his knowledge, the AG has not received any sexual abuse complaints from the Archdiocese, either recently, nor in recent memory.

He also said that it would require research to determine whether there have ever been any sexual abuse investigations or prosecutions in the past against members of the Guam clergy or lay members of the Archdiocese. He does not recall any.

That raises the question of what happened to the complaint that Vice Speaker BJ Cruz claims was brought to the attention of the Archdiocese a month and a half ago.

Cruz has declined to discuss details of the case.

Archbishop Apuron has chosen not to respond directly to questions from the media about these allegations.

In his news release Thursday night, the Archbishop said ""proper investigative authorities will be immediately notified if and when allegations of abuse or improper conduct are imposed. again, the Catholic Church does not and will not tolerate any kind of sexual abuse."