Church protesters react to $30K in ‘hush money’

By Manny Cruz
Guam Daily Post
March 19, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/news/local/church-protesters-react-to-k-in-hush-money/article_2ef4b3c2-0c76-11e7-8bf6-5f0aa69ee708.html

CATHEDRAL: The Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña is shown in a recent photo. The local Catholic Church now faces 30 child sex-abuse lawsuits involving alleged abuses of former altar boys decades ago. Photo by Norman M. Taruc

Church protesters said yesterday they're ready to "clean house" after news of about $30,000 in "hush money" had been paid by then-Archbishop Anthony Apuron to a former altar boy in 2002 to conceal sex-abuse allegations against a Guam priest.

"This is a disgrace," said Mary Cruz, of the Concerned Catholics of Guam. "This is just another example of how he tried to cover his wrongdoings. I think now, more than ever, we need to clean out the church."

The victim declined to reveal his name, because of a pending legal question, but said he was sexually molested by Father Louis Brouillard while the priest was at San Vicente Catholic Church between 1976 and 1980.

Brouillard has since signed a statement admitting that he may have sexually abused as many as 20 boys while he served in parishes across Guam.

Cruz said she herself feels guilty that the alleged abuses occurred "under (her) nose."

"I found a picture the other day of an old church group we had," Cruz said. "And I saw not only one priest accused of sexual abuse, but also one of his victims, in the same picture. It hurts to know that it was happening. If only we had known."

Tim Rohr, a widely followed commenter on Catholic issues in Guam, said there could be potentially more victims who had been paid off and may feel silenced.

"That was a very common way of handling things, even now," Rohr said. "The hardest part now is convincing victims who were paid off to come forward without fear of litigation. At this point, I doubt the church could sue."

Because Guam, at that time, did not have a law that allowed victims of child sex abuse to take civil action against their abuser, the victim was told he couldn't sue Brouillard or the church, Post files state.

Thirty individuals have come forward, in lawsuits, alleging child sex abuse at the hands of Guam Catholic priests over the course of four decades.

Initial allegations by former altar boys Walter Denton, Roy Quintanilla and Roland Sondia, pinpointed Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in Agat as a hotbed of child sex abuse, with accusations directed at Apuron.

Since then, other victims have come forward with similar accusations from parishes and schools in Inarajan, Malojloj, Chalan Pago, Hagåtña, Mangilao, Barrigada, Sinajana and Mongmong, Post files state.

Earlier this month, the Archdiocese of Agana announced the creation of a compensation fund for victims, which holds a minimum of $1 million in liquidated assets.

The archdiocese also revealed it has identified about $132 million in net book assets, which include churches, land and schools.

"Everything is on the chopping block," said Archdiocesan Finance Council President Richard Untalan.

For Mary Cruz, the assets are less important than the restitution of victims of the clergy.

"Money, assets – these are all just material objects," Cruz said. "The faithful will always be here, and we can rebuild the church anew."