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VIDEO: Father Paul Weighing Defamation Lawsuit Against Archbishop Apuron
Guam – Father Paul Gofigan, already embroiled in a dispute with Archbishop Apuron, is now contemplating a defamation lawsuit against the leader of Guam’s Catholic Church.
Tim Rohr, a close observer of the island’s Catholic community and the editor of the JungleWatch website says that the contemplated lawsuit stems from remarks reportedly made by the Archbishop about Father Paul at a retreat last fall.
Rohr has obtained letters from Father Paul to the Archbishop in which Father Paul called on the Archbishop to retract his remarks. He gave the Archbishop until noon today to do so. But Father Paul announces in a news release [see below] that so far, there has been no retraction or apology by the Archbishop.
The controversy is an out-growth of a decision made by the Archbishop last year to relieve Father Paul as Pastor of the Santa Barbara Church in Dededo. Father Paul has hired a Cannon lawyer and is appealing that decision to the Vatican. That case remains unresolved.
READ the release from Father Paul below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM: Father Paul Gofigan
RE: STATEMENT REGARDING REQUEST FROM ARCHBISHOP APURON FOR RETRACTION AND APOLOGY
Tamuning, Guam – January 14, 2014 – At the recent retreat for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Agana this past November, Archbishop Apuron made statements about me and Mr. Joseph Lastimoza that I consider slanderous and defamatory to both to me and Mr. Lastimoza.
On December 6, 2013, I sent a letter to Archbishop Apuron requesting he retract those statements and apologize. He ignored my request.
On Monday, January 13, 2014, I sent another letter to the Archbishop, noting that it had been over a month since my request, that he had not responded in any way, and that I would give him till noon, Tuesday, January 14, to comply with my request for a retraction and an apology in writing, and that a copy be sent to every member of the clergy.
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