GUAM
KUAM
[with video]
By Sabrina Salas Matanane
The Archdiocese of Agana claims years of attacks and recent allegations made against Archbishop Anthony Apuron are part of malicious smear campaign against him and a plot to take him down.
Following a press conference held by the former sex abuse response coordinator for the Archdiocese of Agana, Deacon Stephen Martinez, the archdiocese is firing back. Martinez claimed the sex abuse policy was flawed because the archbishop essentially has the final say in all complaints that are filed and investigated. Two people have come forward alleging allegations of sexual molestation against the archbishop when he was a priest at Mount Carmel Church in Agat decades ago.
The archdiocese says Martinez’s allegation that the policy was kept weak purposely by the archbishop to protect himself is slanderous and their only recourse is civil and canonical legal processes to address what they call are intentional lies. According to a media release the archdiocese is working with one of the most prominent US legal firms to address these issues and with an independent investigator to inquire about this allegation and these rumors.
The church meanwhile is also accusing Martinez of being part of a conspiracy or the “Rohr Group” to topple the archbishop. Tim Rohr operates the JungleWatch blog, which has been critical of the archbishop over the last several years.
The church further claims Martinez, who was the former archdiocesan financial officer was incompetent in his position and for six years in a row failed to submit required financial reports to the Vatican. The archdiocese alleges this finance council conspired to sell the Yona seminary property in order to cover their financial misdeeds. So where does Rohr fit in?
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.