Ccog Elects New Officers, Outlines Objectives
By Neil Pang
The Concerned Catholics of Guam elected new officers at a recent meeting. David Sablan, who previously held the position of vice president, was elected to the post of president. He replaces the previous president, Greg Perez, who had held the office since CCOG's establishment in December 2014. Andrew Camacho was elected vice president to fill the vacancy created by Sablan's move. Evangeline Lujan and Gerald Taitano continued as secretary and treasurer respectively. "We, as Christian faithful, using our knowledge and our influence, have the right and duty to express our opinions on matters pertaining to the affairs of our archdiocese for the good of our church," Sablan stated in a press release. "This is the legal provision of church law that drives our membership to demand changes from the hierarchy of the Archdiocese of Agana for the good of the church on Guam." CCOG is one of the groups responsible for the weekly protests outside the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica in Hagatna on Sundays that call for, among other things, the defrocking of Archbishop Anthony Apuron. The group numbers in the thousands, according to the release. In the press release, Sablan lamented the current state of the Catholic Church of Guam. "Our local church has been damaged by poor leadership for decades emanating from the chancery of the Archdiocese of Agana." Widespread concerns According to the release, CCOG was founded to address widespread concerns among the Catholic laity. Specifically, CCOG was organized to help the archdiocese with its financial affairs; work to clear the names and restore Monsignor James Benevente and Rev. Paul Gofigan to their respective parishes; and help send young men of Guam to seminaries on the U.S. mainland to be formed for the priesthood and return to Guam. An additional objective of CCOG concerned the control and ownership of the Redemptoris Mater seminary in Yona. The group alleges that through its research it was discovered that the seminary is no longer under the sole jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Agana. Thus, a top priority of the group was the return of the property to the patrimony of the Catholic Church under the Archbishop of Agana. Objectives With the election of new officers, Sablan and Perez said CCOG's objectives for their terms are the removal of Apuron as archbishop of the Agana Archdiocese; restoration of Monsignor James and Rev. Paul by a decree of the chancery; assistance for those allegedly abused by Apuron and other clergy on Guam; support of other lay organizations such as the Laity Forward Movement and Silent No More; financial transparency of tithes contributed to the Archdiocese of Agana; and the return of the seminary property in Yona to sole custody of the Archbishop of Agana.
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