Catholics Form Group to Investigate Church

By Gaynor Dumat
Pacific Daily News
December 9, 2014

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20141210/NEWS01/312100006/Catholics-form-group-investigate-church

bilde.jpg Concerned Catholics of Guam inc.: Greg Perez, president of Concerned Catholics of Guam, speaks about the objectives of the newly formed group at a press conference at the Guam Territorial Law Library in Hagatna, yesterday. Mark Scott/Pacific Daily News/mscott5@guampdn.com

A group of private citizens has formed a nonprofit organization called Concerned Catholics of Guam, in part to investigate financial and leadership problems within the local Catholic Church.

The problems became public in recent months, but they've caused division in the local Catholic Church community for almost two years now, said one of the nonprofit's officials, Dave Sablan.

Concerned Catholics' leaders announced yesterday they intend to gather evidence and accept documents from concerned citizens in an attempt to influence change.

They're not asking for Archbishop Anthony Apuron or other leaders of the Archdiocese of Agana to resign, but they'd like to get a better understanding of why the number of churchgoers in some parishes has dwindled.

If they find proof that specific officials are responsible, they'd like to present that proof to the public and to the Vatican.

The nonprofit states it wants to "evaluate the performance of the management of the archdiocese and recommend changes where necessary."

"Concerned Catholics of Guam Inc. was established because many of the Catholic faithful are at a loss and confused as to what is going on at the Chancery," said Greg Perez, president of the organization.

Perez added that "the lack of transparency with the finances of the archdiocese, neglect of precious artifacts in the archdiocesan museum, among other issues," prompted the creation of the nonprofit.

The archbishop fired Monsignor James Benavente a few months ago from being the rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica after 20 years over financial problems said to have occurred on Benavente's watch, Pacific Daily News files show. However, prominent members of the island community who are financial experts have said publicly that the financial problems predated Benavente.

After Benavente was fired, the museum at the Cathedral-Basilica that was holding centuries-old artifacts and church relics was shut down before it could officially open to the public. The museum artifacts and relics were improperly stored without adequate room temperature control, prompting some museum volunteers to voice concern that the priceless pieces of Guam's Catholic Church history could be damaged irreversibly.

G. Lujan

Sablan, vice president of Concerned Catholics, said the nonprofit would accept tax-deductible donations for such expenses as paying for auditors to audit the archdiocese's finances.

Vangie Lujan, the nonprofit's secretary, said the organization will give the island's Catholics a venue to voice their views about the local church leadership without fear of reprisal. Things that are said at family gatherings, funerals and fiestas about the clamor for the local church leadership to listen to the parishioners' concerns will have a venue with the nonprofit's creation, Lujan said.

Sablan said the nonprofit will look into the archdiocese's "bungled" handling of a sex abuse allegation against Apuron.

The archdiocese has stated no investigation will be conducted because no victim has come forward, and Sablan said that's contrary to archdiocesan policy. Apuron has threatened to sue over the allegation.

Concerned Catholics also was created with the goal of looking into the role of the Neocatechumenal Way in the division within the local church.

Tommy Tanaka, a member of the St. Francis parish in Yona, said his parish filed a formal petition to the archdiocese to keep the Neocatechumenal Way from the village parish. "And we want to keep it that way," he said.

Catholics from other parishes go to Yona to attend Mass because the Neocatechumenal Way isn't present there, Tanaka said.

Sablan, of the Santa Rita parish, said one of the ways the Neocatechumenal Way is different is that its members hold Mass for members only, and it's not open to all Catholics.

If the archbishop changes, and "doesn't follow whatever the Neocatechumenal Way dictates," Sablan said, he doesn't have to step down.

He said there's doubt in the current leadership of the local Catholic Church.

After "a couple of years of turmoil, people get tired," Sablan said.