Archbishop Has Kept Sex Abuse Policy Weak to Protect Himself, Others

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
June 1, 2016

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/06/01/deacon-archbishop-has-kept-sex-abuse-policy-weak-protect-himself-others/85227476/

[with video]

Deacon Steve Martinez expresses his opinion regarding the accusations of sexual abuse against Archbishop Anthony Apuron during a press conference at the Territorial Law Library in Hagatna on Wednesday, June 1.

A former Archdiocese of Agana’s sexual abuse response coordinator has said Archbishop Anthony Apuron “has purposely kept his sex abuse policies weak in order to protect himself and those around him,” even after two allegations of sexual abuse by Apuron have been made public in the last two weeks yet no investigation has commenced.

Deacon Steve Martinez held a press conference Wednesday, releasing copies of letters he wrote to Apuron in 2014 “about his own violation of the sex abuse policy, about his refusal to amend the policy to make it stronger, to provide better protection for the children.”

“The archbishop is an accused serial sexual predator," Martinez said. "Because of that, he has selfishly used the policy to ignore the fact that he is in charge in a conflict of interest. Because what the policy clearly says in Section 484, is that the accused, if they are felt to be a potential danger to the community, should step down from their position until the investigation is resolved, until the Review Board has made its recommendation and until the archbishop has decided how to proceed with the accused. But the archbishop has not stepped down.”

Martinez no longer holds the position of sexual abuse response coordinator. He was replaced in 2014.

Martinez said “instead of protecting the innocent, he has attacked them, he has called them liars, he has called them malicious in their acts.”

For the second time in two weeks, the Archdiocese of Agana announced on Tuesday plans to file lawsuits against those whom it said have been perpetrating “malicious lies” about Apuron and the Catholic Church. It also plans to bring the case through the church’s own court system.

Doris Y. Concepcion, of Prescott, Arizona, recently told Pacific Daily News her deceased son, when he was serving as an altar boy, was molested by Apuron when the latter was the parish priest at Mount Carmel Church in Agat in the late 1970s.

Concepcion said her son, Joseph A. Quinata, revealed his secret shortly before he died 11 years ago.

She decided to come forward after a man said he was molested by Apuron when he was an altar boy and Apuron was the parish church in the 1970s.

Apuron has denied the sexual abuse allegations. He hasn’t been charged with a crime and a lawsuit hasn’t been filed against him.