GUAM
Pacific News Center
Written by Janela Carrera
Guam – A new organization has just formed that aims to challenge some decisions and policies of the Archdiocese of Agana under the leadership of Archbishop Apuron. The group says their mission is to heal a fragmented and deeply divided Church.
A non-profit organization, the group plans to take action that would address issues and concerns that have seemed to create a huge gap within the Catholic Community. Vice President David Sablan talks about some of the issues that compelled them to form this group.
“Some of the issues that have been confronting [the Church] with the closure of the museum, the release of Father James Benavente and Father Paul Gofigan from their parishes and duties as pastors,” says Sablan, adding that priests’ removal was surrounded by suspicion. “The main thing is we gotta get the finances in order.”
Among those concerns also includes the Archdiocese’s Sexual Abuse policy, which was recently tested when sex abuse allegations were lodged against the Archbishop himself.
“They say that you gotta have a victim to make the complaint. The policy does not require it. As long as there’s an allegation of sexual abuse, then somebody has to investigate that. I don’t think it’s being investigated properly. Unfortunately it’s because of the fact that it’s the archbishop that’s being accused, but yet he’s also the person that decides whether an investigation goes forward or not. That’s a conflict of interest and the policy does not address that,” explains Sablan.
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