Program Moving Forward to Help Lujan’s Clergy Abuse Clients

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
April 20, 2017

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/04/20/caspino-program-moving-forward-help-lujans-clergy-abuse-clients/100684314/

Roy T. Quintanilla, center, says he was sexually abused by Archbishop Anthony Apuron when he was 12 years old, at a press conference in front of the Archdiocese of Agana Chancery Office in Hagatna on May 17. Quintanilla asked for an apology from the archbishop, and encourages anyone with a similar story to step forward. "I will not be silent anymore," added Quintanilla.

The attorney in charge of a new program to resolve dozens of clergy sex abuse cases said he met Thursday with the lawyer representing most of the survivors to discuss victim counseling, treatment and settlement amounts, among other things.

Attorney Michael W. Caspino, executive director of the nonprofit organization Hope and Healing Guam, said his meeting with attorney David Lujan was positive.

“We are moving forward,” Caspino said. “We are both committed to getting his clients healed.”

Without touching on the specifics, Caspino said they talked about the Hope and Healing Guam board membership, which could be announced next week, timing elements, and the funding for both the treatment and settlement, or compensation.

Caspino said he met first with Lujan because he represents most of those who already have filed clergy sex abuse lawsuits. He said he will be meeting at a later time with the other attorneys also representing clergy abuse survivors.

Hope and Healing has received dozens of calls on its hotline, 1-888-649-5288, and multiple people now are in counseling, Caspino said.

"The newspaper ads generated a lot of calls. People are making use of it, and we're pleased by that," the California-based attorney said.

He said besides the counseling aspect, Hope and Healing hopes to come to an agreement with Lujan to jointly ask the federal court to postpone action on the clergy abuse lawsuits for three to four months while the parties try to resolve the cases out of court. The church currently faces $315 million in lawsuits in federal court, as well as cases in the Superior Court of Guam with no specific amount of damages.

Hope and Healing was started by the Archdiocese of Agana, but acts independently of the church. It offers an alternative to years of court litigation. The program seeks to offer professional counseling, treatment, spiritual healing, compensation and justice to clergy abuse victims.

A scheduling conference for the dozens of clergy sex abuses lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court of Guam is set for April 24, at 11 a.m.

Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com