Catholic groups end church protests against archbishop accused of abuse

HAGÃ…TÑA, Guam – Catholic Community groups Activists for the final impeachment of Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron following a scandal of sexual abuse of a priest organized their last demonstration on Sunday morning in front of the cathedral-basilica of Dulce Nombre de Maria.

Lou Klitzkie, president of the Lay Movement for the Future, David Sablan, president of Concerned Catholics of Guam and Tim Rohr, blogger on Catholic issues announced their decision to stop picketing last week, saying it would be counterproductive to continue. The Vatican tribunal holding the Apuron trial would not want to be seen as being forced to make a decision due to community pressure on Guam, Rohr said, so the protests will end in order to give the Vatican a space to make a decision on the future of Apuron.

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Apuron was kicked from the island for a Vatican trial by Pope Francis in June 2016 amid multiple allegations he sexually assaulted altar boys in the mid-1970s while serving as pastor in the village of Agat. In the months that followed, at least 82 people took legal action against more than a dozen priests, teachers and others alleging abuse, many of which took place under Apuron’s watch.

About 40 to 50 Catholics have been protesting Apuron every Sunday for more than a year, since June 2016, according to Klitzkie. Over 60 people attended the final picket line.

“I think the picketing is really what made all the difference,” Rohr said. “Because without a public display of dissatisfaction, I don’t think officials would ever have had the slightest motivation to really do anything. But because it’s here every Sunday, Rome sees it; the public sees it; the archbishop sees it.

Jaden Comon, 14, from Mong Mong has attended the protests since their inception.

“I come because, young man, I see the church is going through a lot,” Comon said. “And as young people we are the future of the church, so it is our responsibility, especially when we have been baptized in the faith, to come and help the church.”

Comon said he wanted to become a priest when he grew up, to help the souls in the church.

“It breaks my heart to see what’s going on in the church, that the church is going through so much suffering through all these people who think they know it’s the truth, who think they know they can do anything. draw from it, ”Comon mentioned. “But there is a God above, and a God above sends people to help, and I’m here to help these people in their fight against the evils that have infiltrated our church.”

“Lay people in this diocese who are not known to protest their church, or protest anything, have been protesting constantly for 54 weeks,” Rohr said. “As you can see, it’s not like a bunch of young agitators here. They are old people. “

Rohr said older people are joining the protests because they know about the corruption within the church and want to speak out against it.

“But they never got a chance to do anything about it, and that’s why they stuck around for 54 weeks to get this message out,” Rohr said.

World War II survivor Cynthia Terlaje d’Asan has joined weekly protests to defend her beliefs.

“I want Apuron to come out,” Terlaje said. “We don’t need him as a shepherd. He should be charged like anyone else who is violent, especially against children. I believe in unity, but I have to follow my heart and just be a good Catholic.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Vatican tribunal in charge of Apuron’s trial, said the decision would be made in early summer, Klitzkie said.

Klitzkie expects the decision to be announced by August. She said she was not yet sure if they would resume picketing if the Vatican did not remove Apuron.

Follow Chloé Babauta on Twitter: @chloebabauta