Archdiocese Announces 3 Priest Appointments, Including Formerly Removed Pastor
By Haidee V. Eugenio,
The Archdiocese of Agana on Friday announced three new priest appointments, including a priest that Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron removed from a Dededo church in 2013. Another appointment replaced the rector of a Yona seminary that has once again gained attention after the archdiocese’s temporary archbishop said in a statement that the pope had instructed Apuron more than once to remove a deed restriction on the property on which the seminary sits. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who currently oversees Guam’s archdiocese, appointed the Rev. Paul Gofigan as the rector of the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagatna and Monsignor David C. Quitugua as acting rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona. The appointments are the latest in an ongoing church reorganization since the Vatican sent Hon to Guam in early June to temporarily administer the local Catholic Church. Hon officially made the appointments of Gofigan and Quitugua on Monday, but they didn’t go into effect until Thursday.
Another appointment, that of the Rev. Kenneth Carriveau as archdiocesan archivist, went into effect July 19, according to a church document. The same document states the appointment was officially made Wednesday. The Archdiocese of Agana announced all three appointments Friday. “The Archdiocese asks for the prayers and support of each of these priests and for Archbishop Hon and all our clergy as the Church on Guam moves forward,” the Archdiocese said in a statement. Gofigan replaces Quitugua as rector of the Cathedral-Basilica. Quitugua, meanwhile, replaces in a temporary capacity the Rev. Pius Sammut as rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Yona. The ownership and control of the Yona property, estimated between $40 million and $75 million, are at the center of a tug-of-war between Hon and the Concerned Catholics of Guam on one end and the members of the Neocatechumenal Way on the other. Both Pius and Quitugua are with the Neocatechumenal Way community in Guam. Hon made the appointments after meetings with the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Agana. The council is a group of clergy members that assists in the governance of the local archdiocese. Gofigan will become the new rector during a Mass on Sunday morning. Gofigan’s appointment as rector of the Cathedral-Basilica comes three years after Apuron removed him as pastor of Santa Barbara Catholic Church in Dededo in July 2013 allegedly for failing to terminate the employment of a known sex offender. In January 2014, Gofigan threatened to file a defamation suit, saying Apuron slandered him. The Vatican placed Apuron on leave in early June when former altar boys started publicly accusing Apuron of sexually abusing them when he was parish priest at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Agat in the 1970s. Apuron has not been charged with any crimes. Pope Francis sent Hon to Guam to temporarily replace Apuron. During Hon’s first press conference as apostolic administrator in late July, he publicly cleared of any wrongdoing both Gofigan and Monsignor James Benavente, essentially reversing Apuron’s decisions in 2013 and 2014. Hon said Gofigan also wrote him a letter, asking to remove a decree of removal. (Story continues below.) In late June, Quitugua was replaced by the Rev. Jeffrey San Nicolas as delegate of the administrator. But while Quitugua vacated his curia position, he still retained his position at his parish. That meant Quitugua remained rector of the Cathedral-Basilica in Hagatna, until Gofigan’s appointment to this post. Benavente, meanwhile, used to be the rector of the Cathedral-Basilica, until Apuron removed him in 2014. Apuron cited financial problems in the church administration and a multimillion-dollar church debt in removing Benavente. Apuron later provided more details, stating there were problems with the Catholic cemetery finances and bookkeeping, and contracts were missing. Hon said in late July he took exception to these statements about Benavente. Hon said he has found it prudent and just to retract the press releases and statements that may have compromised Benavente’s dignity and natural right to due process. “In doing so, my actions are intended to clearly restore his dignity and allow him due process — which was absent during his removal two years ago. I’m confident this sets the path forward toward resolving his particular issue in due time,” Hon said in July. Hon also formed four ad hoc committees made up of priests, and one of those committees is focused on the assignment of priests. Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com
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