GUAM
Pacific News Center
Written by Janela Carrera
Deacon Martinez says he felt obligated to write the letter because he was personally contacted by someone with direct knowledge of the case.
Guam – The priest who was arrested last week on allegations that he took a minor without permission is now being accused of sexual relations with the 17-year-old girl. Although widely speculated, the allegations were made public in a letter written to Child Protective Services and the Archbishop.
Deacon Steve Martinez sent the letter to Archbishop Anthony Apuron and to Child Protective Services. In it, he says Father Luis Camacho “illegally transported a 17-year-old minor child from Southern High School without her parents’ permission … had the minor child hide as they drove away from the school … drove the minor child to Subway and then to a remote beach in Agat and had sexual contact with her.”
Deacon Martinez tells PNC that he felt obligated to write the letter because he was personally contacted by someone with direct knowledge to the case.
Father Camacho, the pastor of the San Dimas and San Dionisio parishes was eventually arrested and charged with custodial interference but he was booked and released. He then resigned as pastor of the parishes.
Tim Rohr is a local blogger on Catholic activities on Guam and offers some insight on the situation.
“If he was just a regular priest and not a pastor, it’s certainly grounds for discipline and probably a retreat for a couple of years to some place to think through and do penance or something like that.
But the fact that he’s a pastor puts him in a position of authority over people and so that’s the same if you’re a teacher or a school principal and you’ve got somebody, doesn’t matter how old they are, but you have authority over them, that becomes a whole different level of abuse,” notes Rohr.
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