Accusers want Vatican to defrock archbishop
Some doubt Guam case will bring serious penalties
HAGÅTÑA, A spokesGUAM person for the largest network of people who survived abuse by priests said the Vatican could sentence Guam’s suspended Archbishop Anthony Apuron to “a life of prayer and penance.” Apuron is accused of raping altar boys in the 1970s.
A Vatican tribunal on Apuron’s trial wrapped up witness depositions, and those who testified said the trial could be completed as soon as early summer.
“I am not very optimistic about the canonical trial. A recent case in Argentina has shown us that even in the most horrific cases, the Vatican’s response is usually a sentence of ‘a life of prayer and penance,’ ” said Joelle Casteix, volunteer western regional director for the St. Louis-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP.
Casteix referred to recent reports from Argentina of priests — aided by a nun — raping students as young as 5 in a school for deaf children.
In the case of Guam, witnesses who testified before the Vatican tribunal, including former altar boys Walter Denton, Roy Quintanilla and Roland Sondia, along with John Toves and Doris Concepcion, said it is up to the Vatican to do the right thing.
The witnesses said they hope the Vatican will not only remove Apuron as archbishop of Guam but also defrock him, so he’ll be unable to practice as a Catholic priest.
Casteix said she doesn’t believe the result of the Vatican trial will give anyone satisfaction.
“Hopefully,” she said, “the civil process will require Apuron to sit for sworn depositions that can then be made public. Then we can learn what Apuron did, what he knew and when he knew it. Victims’ lawyers can then take that information to law enforce- ment, where real action can possibly happen — hopefully criminal charges.”
On Guam, 65 sex abuse lawsuits against the clergy had been filed in local and federal courts as of Friday.
Four law firms, two of which partnered with U.S.-based attorneys, represent mostly former altar boys who accused Guam clergy of sexually abusing them from 1956 to 1988.
“It’s the first time that these men and women have been given a voice and an opportunity to expose their abuser,” Casteix said. “No one wants to sue their church. But the archdiocese — by spending decades covering up abuse — has given them no choice. Most victims feel that they have a duty to do the right thing now that they have the rights and the opportunity. The time for silence and complicity is over. Healing comes from action and transparency.”
Attorney Michael Berman of the law firm of Berman O’Connor & Mann said the number of cases is much bigger than people will admit.
Members of the Laity Forward Movement and Concerned Catholics of Guam were optimistic that the Vatican would defrock Apuron. They hold peaceful pickets every Sunday morning in front of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.
“We must show Rome and the whole world that we are determined and persistent in picketing to oust Apuron,” Laity Forward Movement President Lou Klitzkie said. “Do not lose sight of our mission in this battle: Remove and defrock Apuron.”
Casteix said she’s available to anyone who would like to reach out to her and SNAP, through phone, email and other technological means.
“Technology has been very helpful, and apps like Skype and Houseparty have allowed face-toface online chats and meetings. I would love to start victim-run peer support meetings there — even working with a local mental health center, rape crisis center or other non-profit — empowering victims to use their voices to end the cycle of abuse. I am willing to partner with anyone who would like my help and access to my resources, including grantwriting,” Casteix said.
David Sablan, president of Concerned Catholics of Guam, said there are lingering questions about whether the Vatican will conduct a separate criminal trial for Apuron based on the church’s reform process that makes it possible for those accused of sexual abuse to face two trials: a canonical trial and a criminal trial. Previously, only the criminal trial was used.
“If the canonical trial process that is ongoing finds that the allegations against Apuron are egregious and heinous enough, will he go through a separate criminal trial, also under Vatican law, and what happens to them if he’s also found guilty in that criminal trial?” Sablan said.
“I am not very optimistic about the canonical trial. ... Even in the most horrific cases, the Vatican’s response is usually a sentence of ‘a life of prayer and penance.’ ” Joelle Casteix, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests