Deacon Defends Archbishop Accused of Molestation
By Jasmine Stole
A longtime Guam deacon is supporting Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who was accused this week of molesting an altar boy when Apuron was a priest in Agat about 40 years ago. In a video-recorded message released Thursday night, Deacon Francisco Tenorio, 79, was shown seated and appeared to be reading from a prepared statement not shown in the camera frame. In the video, Tenorio referred to a recorded statement Apuron released Tuesday in which the archbishop stated that the allegations against him were false. “When (Apuron) spoke very directly denying any involvement in this alleged offense, I accept that this is the truth,” Tenorio said. “I know this to be the truth since I too was assigned to the Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Agat between (1973) and (1977).” The alleged incident happened between these years. Apuron was a priest at Mt. Carmel during this time. Roy Quintanilla, 52, on Tuesday publicly accused Apuron of molesting him one time when he was a 12-year-old altar boy. 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. Rev. Jack Niland 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. “I believe that Father Jack was mentioned because he is dead and cannot testify to the truth.” Deacon Frank Tenorio 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 spoke about what Apuron is capable of doing. Well I think that’s very different from what Apuron actually did—there’s a difference.” Roy Quintanilla Quintanilla recalled that at the time of the alleged sexual abuse happened, the culture was different from how it is now. Then, he said, he was afraid to say anything bad about a priest. “We were so devoted and loyal to our faith and the Catholic Church, and nobody has ever said anything bad about any priest.” When a priest asked for anything, he said it was customary to provide support without hesitation. The former Agat resident said that he knows of other victims, his friends, also former altar boys, who were reportedly abused by Apuron. He said learning that his friends were reportedly molested convinced him to stand up against the archbishop. In the video, Tenorio delivered a message in English and then spoke in Chamorro. Tenorio concluded the English-speaking portion of his statement, begging the people to “stop this nonsense,” referring to Quintanilla’s allegations. Tenorio in Chamorro asked people to stop what they are doing because it is contrary to what God has taught and contrary to the church. “Come let us have peace in our hearts,” Tenorio said in Chamorro.
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