GUAM
KUAM
Posted: Jun 08, 2016
By Sabrina Salas Matanane
One organization accused of being a part of the plot to topple Archbishop Anthony Apuron is the Concerned Catholics of Guam. And the group’s vice president says the archbishop’s decree to ban contact with his group is nonsense.
“I believe he’s lost his moral authority to really tell us what to do,” said Dave Sablan. He maintains that the Concerned Catholics of Guam say they don’t need the archbishop’s blessing, adding, “First off, we’re not formed under any provisions of Canon Law.”
On June 5, just 24 hours before Pope Francis appointed an apostolic administrator to temporarily oversee the local archdiocese, Archbishop Apuron issued a decree accusing the group of promoting opposition, instigating, soliciting and disseminating fraudulent and malicious allegations against him. The archbishop further declared the CCOG a prohibited society and issued a stay away order.
Sablan as CCOG vice president continued, “He’s making a last-ditch effort to put a gag order on us so we don’t do anything further – especially with this new apostolic administrator.”
The organization was formed in December 2014 following controversies that arose that year including the removal of Father Paul Gofigan as pastor of the Santa Barbara Church, the removal of Monsignor James Benavente as rector amid allegations of financial mismanagement and allegations of sexual harassment made by John Toves against the archbishop.
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