GUAM
Guam Daily Post
An attorney representing more than a dozen victims of sexual abuse by clergy members who once served in parishes on Guam said interest in a possible settlement by the Catholic Church is the first acknowledgement of guilt.
“A settlement is an explicit acknowledgement that the church, let’s say, is remorseful about what has happened to kids. When they pay money it’s an admission that they did something wrong,” attorney David Lujan said.
Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes said last week that he would consider an out-of-court settlement in the child sexual abuse cases. “I can say that we’d be happy to settle, but then again, that’s a legal negotiation,” Byrnes said.
The Catholic Church faces $60 million in potential payouts to alleged victims of child sexual abuse by members of the clergy while assigned to parishes on Guam, based on a dozen cases that have been filed recently in the District Court of Guam. Byrnes said the church was considering all options, including possible bankruptcy protection, acknowledging that the lawsuits would take a financial toll on the Archdiocese of Agana.
“My interest is my clients,” Lujan told the Post, acknowledging that he and his clients are open to settlement discussions. “If it’s meaningful, we will engage in it.”
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