Church Council Readies for Litigation

By Neil Pang
Guam Daily Post
December 22, 2016

http://www.postguam.com/news/local/church-council-readies-for-litigation/article_c5362d72-c831-11e6-91b1-af6a6e9283db.html

With 14 suits now targeting the Archdiocese of Agana and even more assuredly on the way, the financial arm of the church has been hard at working preparing for what could amount to millions of dollars in settlements to survivors of child sexual abuse.

“A lot has been happening,” said Richard Untalan, president of the Archdiocesan Finance Council (AFC).

While he was unable to provide specific details for obvious legal reasons, Untalan did confirm that the recent filing of the now 14 suits against the church was a major concern for the AFC, which would be the body tasked with oversight of any settlements made as a result of litigation.

“The Archdiocese (of Agana) is hard at work in establishing an abuse victims fund,” he said. “So yes, we are preparing and repositioning the patrimony of the archdiocese to cope with what we expect to be substantial financial liabilities.”

Untalan said that since the reconstitution of the AFC by Apostolic Administrator Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai in October, council members have been meeting once a week to address the various issues under their purview.

According to Post files, the reconstitution of the AFC was announced during a press conference held on Oct. 6. At the time, the council comprised nine members including Peter “Sonny” Ada, John Weisenberger, Eduardo “Champ” Calvo, Ricardo “Rick” Duenas, Art Illagan, Mary Okada, Antoinette “Toni” Sanford, Joseph E. Rivera and Richard Untalan. Ed Terlaje was named legal counsel for the finance council.

Since then, Untalan reported that one member, John Weisenberger, had asked to leave the AFC and was replaced by certified public accountant Robert Steffy.

According to Untalan, the AFC oversees the financial operations of the church and serves in a consultative capacity over the patrimony of the archdiocese.

The council, established by Hon and, as Untalan tells it, ratified by Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Byrnes, has been tasked with an important duty made all the more important given the gravity of the serious financial challenges facing the archdiocese.

Along with recently appointed Archdiocesan Finance Officer Josephine Villanueva, the AFC is also tasked with working with Delegate to Church Patrimony Monsignor James Benavente to assess the assets available to the church and to vet construction and development projects throughout the archdiocese.

After their formation, Untalan said the first thing the council did was establish a slew of specialized subcommittees tasked with particular duties. He added that the newly formed AFC also had to deal with a number of outstanding issues that they had to tackle as part of their mission to get the financial house of the archdiocese in order.

Though he was only here for a short period, Untalan said the AFC established a good working rapport with Byrnes and noted that the coadjutor archbishop had picked up the pace of things following his arrival to Guam.

“Byrnes not only listens, but makes decisions,” Untalan said.