Archbishop Byrnes Talks Justice for Victims, Apuron's Canonical Trial
By Haidee V Eugenio
Four days after briefly joining peaceful protest in front of the cathedral, Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes said he supports and respects clergy sex abuse victims’ and their supporters’ quest for justice, which he said is ongoing both at the Vatican and in the civil courts. Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron is accused of sexually abusing former altar boys, and his canonical trial has started at the Vatican. Byrnes said Apuron is not required to be at the Vatican for the duration of the trial, but said there is a point in the trial where Apuron’s presence will be required. Apuron, who has not been seen on Guam since he was placed on leave last June, recently was tracked down in Fairfield, California, by Attorney David Lujan’s law firm, Lujan & Wolff, which represents 15 alleged clergy sex abuse survivors. Byrnes said, when he had the opportunity to briefly meet Apuron in Baltimore, Maryland, where the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held its annual fall general assembly from Nov. 14 to 16, 2016, he knew Apuron had arrived from California. Apuron’s legal counsel, Jacqueline Terlaje, said Wednesday “the Archbishop is in a location where he is able to continue working on defending his innocence, without distraction.” Byrnes said the Archdiocese of Agana provides financial support to Apuron, as required by canon law, which governs the Catholic Church. Apuron remains an archbishop, but Pope Francis suspended Apuron’s faculties to govern on June 6, 2016 and later assigned them to Byrnes, on Oct. 31, 2016. Before Byrnes arrived, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai had been assigned to temporarily administer the island's Catholic Church. Although Byrnes does not know how long Apuron’s canonical trial will last, noted U.S.-based canon lawyers Patrick J. Wall and Jennifer Haselberger have said it could take years.
Byrnes, for a few moments on Sunday, joined dozens of Catholics led by the Laity Forward Movement and Concerned Catholics of Guam in a peaceful protest. Byrnes said it’s safe to say he respects and supports the peaceful picketers’ desire for justice, and “a clear answer.” The picketers have been calling for Apuron’s removal as archbishop of Guam and for Apuron to be defrocked because of his alleged sex abuses and his alleged leadership failures. “That’s an outcome of a trial. That’s why they’re in a trial right now... to determine should that happen or should that not happen. That’s not for me to determine one way or another,” Byrnes said. Byrnes, who has the right to succeed Apuron if he resigns, retires or is replaced, said he would like to personally meet with those who have been abused by clergy. Byrnes also talked about the archdiocese’s ongoing efforts to reach out to new and old accusers and the abuse prevention efforts happening at schools and parishes. David Sablan, president of the Concerned Catholics of Guam, said their main interest is for the victims of clergy abuse to “receive justice from the courts and that Apuron is removed from the office of Archbishop of Agana, so that we can live in peace and begin the healing of our church, upon which he has caused so much harm and divisiveness.” Byrnes held separate interviews with members of the Guam media on Thursday, more than a week after his return to island Jan. 23. He said it was a one-way flight until the pope decides otherwise. Byrnes said his primary role is to bring Jesus much closer to the people of Guam who, he said, have experienced a lot of distraction in recent years, including the clergy abuse allegations. “I’m a preacher, and the thing that concerns my heart most is that people know Jesus in a meaningful way,” he said in an interview at the chancery. “My hope is that in the midst of the turmoil, we can all come to see Jesus and because he’s greater than all of this and he’s the hope for us to find reconciliation, restoration, renewal." In addition to his canonical trial, Apuron faces civil lawsuits in both local and federal courts over the alleged sexual abuse or rape of former altar boys in the 1970s, when he was parish priest at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Agat. Byrnes said he does not know the specific charges filed by the Promoter of Justice, or the prosecutor at the Vatican, against Apuron, but he said he presumes they’re concerning the sexual abuse cases. Apuron also is represented by a canon lawyer of his choosing, Byrnes said. Byrnes said the archdiocese’s legal team, comprised of lawyers from Guam and the mainland United States, is working on the lawsuits filed against the archdiocese over the abuses. Out-of-court settlement, he said, always is an option. He said the lawsuits are hard on the archdiocese’s finances, which he said are under review by the new finance officer and the finance council. Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com
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