$1m Fund for Clergy Sex Abuse Victims
By Haidee V Eugenio
Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes announced Wednesday the establishment of an initial $1 million aid fund for Guam’s clergy sex abuse victims. “The establishment of this settlement fund to aid victims is just another concrete step in our effort to reach out to victims of child sexual abuse and to do all that we can to help them, to help them heal, to help them find peace, to help them find a sense of closure for what they dealt with for so many years. We know that money alone will not heal (their suffering), but to aid the healing with opportunity for counseling and any other kinds of service of assistance they might require," Byrnes said. Byrnes said there will be no requirement that claimants keep the fact or amount of their payment confidential. He said if new abusers are identified during the claims process, they will be reported to law enforcement and to the archdiocese by a third-party fund administrator, as required by law. Archdiocesan Finance Council President Richard Untalan said the $1 million fund isn't meant to settle out of court the $115 million in lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Agana. The $1 million, which is just an initial amount, is from church asset liquidation, among other things, he said. Thus far, more than 20 former altar boys filed childhood sexual abuse lawsuits against Catholic priests and the Archdiocese of Agana. Among those accused is Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, who was suspended by Pope Francis on June 6 after altar boys publicly accused him of sexual abuse and rape in the 1970s. Untalan said the goal is to help any victims, whether they have filed a lawsuit or not. Byrnes and Untalan, along with Toni Sanford, the council's spokeswoman, made the announcements during a press conference held by the reconstituted, nine-member council Wednesday afternoon at the archdiocese chancery. "We're working very hard to restore our all-inclusive, vibrant and loving church community. We also want to ensure transparency, trust and honest financial management," Sanford said. "We want to ensure zero tolerance for sexual abuse for young ones." Byrnes and Untalan said an independent third party will establish the criteria and procedures for payment of claims and other services from the fund. The search process is ongoing for the third-party administrator. The finance council said more details will be announced later. "The archdiocese will have no influence over that fund and how it's administered, how it's operated, how claims are processed, handled, how claims are filtered, how they are determined, how much ... is going to be determined by a third-party person," Untalan said. Church finances Untalan said the archdiocese is hurting financially, but said it's not broke or bankrupt. Untalan said the archdiocese’s net assets are at about $132 million, which includes the seminary property in Yona, which is being appraised. The council has created a database for all the archdiocese's assets, something Untalan said has never been done before. He said as part of financial transparency, the council will be publishing the archdiocese's financial statement. Byrnes, before the end of the press conference, offered a prayer to the 24th former altar boy who filed a lawsuit Tuesday, Anthony Cruz Flores. For about 40 years, Cruz kept secret the alleged sexual abuse by Father Louis Brouillard, who also was his scoutmaster in the Boy Scouts of America in the 1970s. Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com
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