Concerned Catholics of Guam Call Archbishop's Decree "Last-ditch Effort"

By Sabrina Salas Matanane
KUAM
June 8, 2016

http://www.kuam.com/story/32170599/2016/06/08/concerned-catholics-of-guam-call-archbishops-decree-last-ditch-effort

One organization accused of being a part of the plot to topple Archbishop Anthony Apuron is the Concerned Catholics of Guam. And the group's vice president says the archbishop's decree to ban contact with his group is nonsense.

"I believe he's lost his moral authority to really tell us what to do," said Dave Sablan. He maintains that the Concerned Catholics of Guam say they don't need the archbishop's blessing, adding, "First off, we're not formed under any provisions of Canon Law."

On June 5, just 24 hours before Pope Francis appointed an apostolic administrator to temporarily oversee the local archdiocese, Archbishop Apuron issued a decree accusing the group of promoting opposition, instigating, soliciting and disseminating fraudulent and malicious allegations against him. The archbishop further declared the CCOG a prohibited society and issued a stay away order.

Sablan as CCOG vice president continued, "He's making a last-ditch effort to put a gag order on us so we don't do anything further - especially with this new apostolic administrator."

The organization was formed in December 2014 following controversies that arose that year including the removal of Father Paul Gofigan as pastor of the Santa Barbara Church, the removal of Monsignor James Benavente as rector amid allegations of financial mismanagement and allegations of sexual harassment made by John Toves against the archbishop.

The CCOG has also been outspoken in questioning the ownership of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona. "Our formation basically was to help, but in the process of trying to help him we found all these other shenanigans that involves him and as a result of that," Sablan explained. "We've kind of taken a side track to try to correct some of these problems that have him at the center of it."

And with the leader of the island's Catholic church allegedly at the center, he claims he is the victim of a malicious smear campaign to oust him. "Show us the evidence that we're telling lies," challenged Sablan on behalf of his organization. "Show us the evidence that we're going up against the archbishop. We're going up against the actions that he has performed. We still believe strongly and respect strongly of the archbishop but unfortunately the person occupying it is taking us down a different track which we don't want to follow period."

The archbishop's decree takes effect on midnight, June 14.