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Tribunal to hold secret hearing
By Mindy Aguon
Confidential documents: Vatican opened case against Apuron in 2008 A tribunal from the Vatican, which will be led by a cardinal, is scheduled to hold a secret hearing on Guam this week to speak to at least one of the victims accusing Archbishop Anthony Apuron of sexual abuse. Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, a canon lawyer and former head of the Vatican’s supreme court, signed a decree on Feb. 3, 2017, requesting that one of Apuron’s accusers, Roland Sondia, appear personally before Burke later this week on Guam. The cardinal wrote the decree “in fulfilling the office of judge.” Sondia was being summoned “for the purpose of giving testimony” in the Apuron case, according to the decree. A Vatican equivalent of prosecutor and an advocate for the accused will also hear the accuser’s testimony, according to the decree. The Vatican case concerning Apuron had a protocol number that may indicate the case involving Apuron was opened in 2008, although it was unclear if the sex-abuse allegations were filed with the Vatican that early. The case is before a Vatican office that deals with “faith and morals.” Burke further wrote that he will be talking to some of Apuron’s accusers after he was delegated by Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who leads the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The head of the congregation is the Pope’s designee, and the congregation’s role is “to promote and safeguard doctrine regarding faith and morals throughout the Catholic world,” according to Vatican.va. A second document dated Feb. 6, 2017, called Sondia to a hearing before a “tribunal” that will hear his testimony in a “confidential” process and “under pontifical secret.” The call for Sondia to appear at this hearing was sent after “as this tribunal has been informed of your readiness in the above-titled case regarding accusations against His Excellency, the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan Apuron.” The “citation” for Sondia to appear before the tribunal on Guam referred to the same case protocol number from 2008. Accusations against Apuron In June of last year, Sondia, 54, publicly accused Apuron of molesting him while he was a 15-year-old altar boy. The alleged abuse occurred during a sleepover at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church rectory in Agat, Post news files state. The identities of the prosecutor as well as the Vatican advocate for Apuron were not named in the documents. Sondia’s attorney, David Lujan, has not been contacted regarding the request for his client to appear before the church tribunal this week. Lujan represents 17 individuals, including Sondia, who claim sexual abuse by members of the clergy on Guam. He said, “They’ve been hiding this since 2008, and yet here we are, nine years later and it’s not over.” Earlier this month, Lujan wrote to a canon law expert who reached out to three of his clients, including Sondia, without Lujan’s knowledge, seeking their depositions. Lujan wrote to Rev. James Conn, who is also a religious professor at Boston College, questioning what authority Conn had to contact Lujan’s clients directly and what his role is in the matter. Lujan confirmed Conn has not replied back to his letter that included a list of questions about who would be taking the depositions, under what legal authority they would do so, the identities of those taking the depositions, and whether the depositions would be confidential. The Post also emailed Conn and did not receive a response. 'Veil of secrecy' Lujan has expressed concerns with the canonical trial and the “veil of secrecy” over the proceedings. “If it’s secretive, what rules are these secretive depositions supposed to be done? What law authorizes the confidentiality about this? Who do they represent? The prosecutor? Or Apuron? Are they part of Apuron’s defense? Our position is until they answer those questions, nothing’s going to happen,” Lujan told the Post earlier this month. “All we know is that they bull-(expletive) us.” “The Catholic Church has been doing this for over 2,000 years, lying to people,” Lujan said. Sondia and the 16 other victims that filed lawsuits in the District Court of Guam are all seeking a minimum of $5 million in damages each. Archbishop Michael Byrnes said the church would consider an out-of-court settlement. The Archdiocese of Agana, meanwhile, has until March 10 to respond to the lawsuits filed in the District Court as Magistrate Judge Joaquin Manibusan signed an order granting a stipulation for an extension of time to respond to the civil suits.
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