Archbishop Byrnes speaks at this morning's news briefing

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
December 07, 2016

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2016/12/06/archbishop-byrnes-speak-mornings-news-briefing/95065682/

Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes speaks at a news briefing at the Chancery in Hagåtña on Dec. 7, 2016. Byrnes said he has spent most of his ten days on Guam listening. "It's been eye-opening, but it's also been encouraging, to see the faithfulness of our brothers in the priesthood," said Byrnes. Photo by Mark Scott

The new leader of the Catholic Church on Guam, Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes, says Dec. 8 is not only about celebrating Santa Marian Kamalen but also is about honoring those who survived the World War II Japanese bombing and invasion 75 years ago.

“That adds a solemnity, a different kind of solemnity, a remembrance of the importance of this day in the history of this island. I look forward to greeting some of the remaining survivors of that bombing. I know it’s a generation that is passing so swiftly. It’s an honor to be able to honor them,” Byrnes said at a Wednesday news briefing at the chancery.

Every year on Dec. 8, Guam celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception and honors the island’s patron saint, who is believed to protect Guam in disasters and war.

Byrnes, 58, previously auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan, will take part in the annual celebration on Guam for the first time, having been appointed as coadjutor archbishop by Pope Francis on Oct. 31.

This year’s Dec. 8 also marks the 75th anniversary of the 1941 invasion of Guam.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Guam War Survivors Memorial Foundation and the Archdiocese of Agana are organizing a Mass in honor of Guam’s World War II survivors at 9:30 a.m. at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña.

At 3:30 p.m., hundreds of Catholic faithful are expected to take part in the rosary, novena, the proclamation of the gospel, homily and traditional procession in the island’s capital of Hagåtña.

For many, this year’s celebration has taken on new meaning for the Catholic Church after a challenging year marked by multiple clergy sex abuse allegations, a multimillion seminary property row and the canonical trial of an archbishop who has led the church for 30 years. For others, it’s a new beginning.

At the news briefing, Byrnes talked about his first 10 days on Guam. As coadjutor archbishop, Byrnes has rights to succeed Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron should Apuron retire, resign or is removed.

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind,” Byrnes said.

Apuron, 71, is undergoing a canonical trial at the Vatican over multiple allegations that he sexually abused and raped altar boys in Agat in the 1970s. Byrnes said the canonical trial has not concluded and he has no updates about it.

Byrnes said he will meet with priests between Dec. 7 until mid-December, when he returns to Detroit. He will be back on Guam the third week of January.

The meetings with priests, he said, are eye-opening and encouraging. He said he values the opportunity to hear their stories, concerns, needs and hopes, as well as to get a sense of where they’re at now.

He said he is still in the listening phase, and was limited in his answers to media questions.

Byrnes met with the support group for victims of clergy sex abuse, with some victims present.

Byrnes said he also met with the archdiocese’s counsel regarding the clergy sex abuse lawsuits filed so far against the Archdiocese of Agana and its priests, including Apuron. The archdiocese is also facing a $2 million libel and slander suit.

Byrnes also talked about his great-uncle, the late Rev. Remy McCoy, who he said was a major influence on his path to priesthood.

“He’s the first to bring the faith to two different tribes in Ghana (West Africa) and through his preaching, through miracles actually. ... There are now 350,000 Catholics that really owe their faith to his ministry,” Byrnes said. He had a chance to visit his great-uncle in 1985.