Vatican Appoints New Administrator for Archdiocese of Agana

By Tony Azios
Guam Daily Post
June 6, 2016

http://www.postguam.com/news/local/vatican-appoints-new-administrator-for-archdiocese-of-aga-a/article_9ab7131a-2c3f-11e6-a6ca-5b5827f806cd.html

The Vatican has appointed an apostolic administrator with temporary authority to govern the archdiocese of Agana while Archbishop Anthony Apuron faces fallout from at least two allegations of sexual abuse.

On Monday, Pope Francis named Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon, the secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, as apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana. A late night press release from the Archdiocese of Agana confirms that while Apuron remains archbishop of Agana, Hon has been given temporary authority to govern the archdiocese.

The release claims that Hon’s appointment follows a request from Apuron for an apostolic administrator pending the investigation of an abuse allegation.

On Saturday, Pope Francis established new legal procedures to remove bishops deemed negligent in protecting members of their flock from pedophile priests. Specifically, it states that negligence in handling abuse cases is a cause for dismissal.

Francis wrote that bishops "must undertake a particular diligence in protecting those who are the weakest among their flock,” and that a bishop can be removed if his actions or omissions cause "grave harm" to individuals or communities.

The Archdiocese of Agana has denied all allegations against Apuron, labeled accusers and their supporters as “liars” and “malicious,” and have threatened lawsuit against accusers and critics. Apuron, 70, and his supporters claim the archbishop is the target of concerted campaign to discredit him and “injure our Catholic Church.”

In May, alleged victim Roy Quintanilla described to the media how Apuron sexually molested him 40 years ago, while Apuron was a priest in Agat and Quintanilla an altar server working under him. Soon after, Doris Concepcion - formerly of Guam but now living in Arizona - came forward to say that her son, Joseph A. Quinata, admitted to her shortly before his death in 2005 of being a sex abuse victim of Apuron in the late 1970s.

Apuron, who has led the archdiocese since 1986, has not been charged with any crime.