GUAM
Pacific Daily News
February 26, 2019
By Haidee V Eugenio
Pope Francis closed on Sunday a four-day summit on the protection of children without any word on Guam Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron’s case.
That drew criticism from groups seeking justice for clergy sex abuse victims and the mother of one of the boys Apuron allegedly abused.
For nearly a year now, the pope has been reviewing Apuron’s appeal of a Vatican tribunal’s verdict finding Apuron guilty of “certain accusations” involving sexual abuse of minors.
“It was very disappointing and disturbing Apuron’s appeal was not addressed. I feel the pope has let my son, Sonny, and other victims and our island down once again,” said Doris Y. Concepcion, who accused Apuron of sexually molesting her late son, who was an altar boy in Agat in the 1970s.
Concepcion, who now lives in Arizona, testified in Apuron’s canonical trial in 2017.
Like Concerned Catholics of Guam and other advocacy groups, Concepcion was hoping the pope would make an announcement at the Feb. 21-24 Vatican summit about Apuron’s nearly year-long appeal.
“The summit is a ruse,” Concepcion said..
Clergy sex abuse survivors who gathered at the Vatican, along with victim advocacy groups, expressed disappointment about the perceived lack of concreteness in proposed remedies at the summit.
Zach Hiner, executive director for the Missouri-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, the world’s largest and oldest survivors group for abuse victims, said the summit ended up with “reflection points and conversation” instead of concrete steps to punish the likes of Apuron.
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