Guam Church Issues Apology to Victims after Accused Priest's Response
By Haidee V Eugenio
Guam’s Catholic Church on Friday apologized to victims of a former island priest who told Pacific Daily News on Thursday “it’s possible” he abused altar boys in Guam in the 1950s. A man on Monday publicly accused the priest of sexually abusing him as a child. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai issued the statement of apology after Father Louis Brouillard, 95, told the media he regrets the abuses and is seeking forgiveness from his victims. “With the news that Father Louis Brouillard, a priest who served on Guam confessed to having abused altar boys on Guam in the 1950s, I convey my deepest apologies and that of the entire Church to Mr. Leo Tudela and all other persons who were also victimized,” Hon said. The Vatican sent Hon to Guam in early June to temporarily oversee the local Catholic Church after sex abuse allegations against the clergy, specifically Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, started coming out in May. Apuron has so far been accused of molesting four altar boys in Agat in the 1970s. Latest accusation Leo Tudela, 73, told senators on Monday that Brouillard and two other church members sexually abused him when he was an altar boy in Guam starting in 1956. Tudela, director of the U.S. Postal Service’s Asia-Pacific Relations in Hawaii, spoke during a public hearing on a bill that would lift a time limit on filing lawsuits against accused child molesters. Bill 326-33, authored by Sen. Frank Blas Jr., is under review by a committee headed by Sen. Frank Aguon. Brouillard, when contacted by Pacific Daily News on Thursday, spoke about his alleged sexual abuse of altar boys as well as his continued receipt of $550 monthly checks from the Archdiocese of Agana where he was ordained. Brouillard said he does not remember an altar boy named Leo Tudela but said, “I’m sorry if I in any way hurt him. I didn’t want to do that and see him like that.” Hon said in his statement: “We are very sorry for what they experienced then, and the tremendous pain they still carry today.” “The Church on Guam has a duty and desire to render pastoral care to all of its Faithful, most especially those who have been severely wounded by those holding trusted positions in our Archdiocese,” he added. Hon said the Archdiocese of Agana’s sexual abuse response coordinator Deacon Leonard Stohr has been directed since the start of the week to contact Tudela, as has Father Patrick Castro, the priest he has assigned to reach out to persons making allegations of clergy abuse. “I encourage and welcome meeting personally with Mr. Tudela and any other persons alleging abuse,” Hon said. Deacon Stohr, the archdiocese sexual abuse response coordinator, can be reached at 727-7373, he added. Tudela is the latest in a growing number of former island altar boys who’ve accused members of the local Catholic Church of sexual abuse. Most of the recent accusations have been directed at Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who was temporarily removed from running the archdiocese’s operations as the Catholic Church investigates the allegations against him. Groups react Meanwhile, the world’s largest network of clergy abuse survivors and other members of the Guam community said on Friday that Brouillard’s statement vindicates not only Brouillard’s victims but also victims of other clergy members who started coming forward in May. “The fact that Brouillard somewhat admitted his crimes is remarkable. Hopefully, that gave his brave victims some sense of vindication,” Joelle Casteix, Western Regional Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said in an email response to PDN questions. David Sablan, president of the Concerned Catholics of Guam, said if only Hon read a report that CCOG gave to him during his January 2015 visit to Guam, the archbishop would have known about their concerns with Brouillard “and he or (Archbishop Anthony) Apuron could have done something about it.” Sablan said the Concerned Catholics of Guam echoes SNAP’s statement that Brouillard’s admission vindicated other victims of clergy molestation. “I do hope that others who were abused by Father Louis Brouillard, Apuron and others would come forward. The Concerned Catholics of Guam will be willing to help them with closure, healing and justice for their painful experience,” Sablan said, adding that the organization’s contact numbers are 777-6836 and 997-6969. Sablan added that the Concerned Catholics of Guam also is willing and ready to help even those who are victims of clergy abuses in Saipan, Tinian and Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Sablan also raised concerns that the Guam church is “still taking care of a problematic priest who was sexually abusing our children.” Sharleen Santos-Bamba, niece of one of the former altar boys who accused Apuron of sexual abuse, said Brouillard’s statement supports the allegations that the Archdiocese of Agana has known of the abuses for decades. “Unfortunately, what’s mind blowing to me is that nobody stepped up to protect the victims. It really is disappointing and heart-wrenching for the faithful, for many of us,” said Santos-Bamba. Removed since 1981 Brouillard, after serving as a priest in Guam from late 1940s until 1981, moved back to his home state of Minnesota. About four years later, he was removed from his position while serving at the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota after he was credibly accused of sexual abuse. In 2013, the diocese released a list of former priests who had credible accusations against them. Brouillard was on that list. The list included priests who served in the Diocese of Duluth, as well as clergy from other dioceses or religious orders who at one time worked or resided in the diocese. The mainland-based law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates, which specializes in child sexual abuse cases, on its website states that survivors have taken numerous steps to make public secret documents regarding clergy sexual abuse in the Diocese of Duluth. A lawsuit was filed in June 2013 for this purpose. The Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2015, the law firm’s website states.
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