Archbishop Removes Board That Accused Monsignor of Misusing Funds

By Steve Limtiaco
Pacific Daily News
October 11, 2016

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/10/10/archbishop-removes-board-that-accused-monsignor-misusing-funds/91843268/

Monsignor James Benavente, center, is greeted with a congratulatory handshake after a press conference held at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagatna on Friday, Sept. 30. During the conference, Archdiocese of Agana Delegate to the Apostolic Administrator Father Jeff San Nicolas announced that Benavente has been cleared of allegations of financial mismanagement and has been named pastor of St. Anthony's Church.

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai has replaced the board of directors of the Catholic Cemeteries of Guam, which last month filed a police complaint against Monsignor James Benavente.

The Archdiocese of Agana, which already had exonerated Benavente of allegations that he misused cemetery funds, called the Sept. 30 police complaint, which was not authorized by the archdiocese, insubordinate and a misrepresentation.

The Vatican in June assigned Hon to serve as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese, pending a church investigation into sexual abuse allegations against Archbishop Anthony Apuron.

Hon had called for the immediate resignation of all Catholic Cemeteries board members involved in approving and filing the complaint. Board Secretary Jacqueline Terlaje, who signed the complaint, last week disputed claims by the archdiocese that the complaint was untrue and that the board never met to approve filing it. The complaint states Benavente misused $13,620 in cemetery funds for personal use — an anniversary dinner. The archdiocese stated the spending was authorized by the board at the time.

Terlaje was removed from the board Friday, as were all other Catholic Cemeteries board members, except for Wayne Santos, who had resigned, according to the archdiocese.

New board members

Santos, a vice president at the Bank of Guam, was appointed to the new board,

Gerald Taitano, a former Guam Election Commission executive director, who currently is director of personnel for Naval Facilities Marianas;

Hagatna Mayor John Cruz;

Gregory D. Perez, who is project manager for Pacific Unlimited; and

Daniel J. Tydingco, who works for GTA as executive vice president of legal, regulatory and external affairs.

Additional members may be added, according to the archdiocese, which this month also appointed new members to its finance council.

“As with the Archdiocesan Finance Council, the objective of this reconstitution is to bring on board members chosen from the laity who will provide the desire, energy, and focus on moving our Archdiocese forward to tackle the challenges we are facing,” the archdiocese stated. “In the case of the Catholic Cemeteries, the focus is on reinvigorating the maintenance and service of the various Catholic Cemeteries in order to provide the appropriate environment and sacredness where our loved ones have been interred.”

The archdiocese also named Joseph T. Duenas as interim administrator of the Catholic Cemeteries, replacing Father Jose Alberto Rodriguez-Salamaca.

Duenas, a former director of the Department of Revenue and Taxation, currently is chairman of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities.

Removed from the board were: Dennis Santos Tomas; Terlaje; Lillian Perez-Posadas and Roland San Agustin.

Contact: slimtiaco@guampdn.com