Man says former priest abused him in 1986, called it penance

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
March 21, 2017

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/03/21/31st-man-files-clergy-sex-abuse-lawsuit/99439862/

Father Raymond Cepeda is shown in this June 5, 2004 file photo.

A man alleged a former priest sexually abused him on Cocos Island in or around 1986 as penance so he could get confirmed.

James A. Mafnas, now 45, is the 31st man to file a Guam clergy sex abuse lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana, priests and others who may have helped or covered up the abuse.

Mafnas, in his complaint, said former priest Raymond Cepeda sexually abused him when he was about 15, during a weekend retreat on Cocos Island, as a requirement for confirmation class.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Guam, says Mafnas packed some bread, Spam and corned beef to take to the retreat, even though students were instructed to not bring food or snacks.

Mafnas was caught with the food and was told to report to Cepeda’s bungalow, the complaint states. The priest yelled at him and told him to get on his knees and recite 20 rosaries, the lawsuit says. The priest also told Mafnas to sleep on the floor in Cepeda’s bungalow that night so the priest could keep an eye on him, the complaint states.

“While James was asleep, he awoke alarmed when he felt Cepeda performing oral sex on him. James tried to push Cepeda away, but Cepeda told him that this was what he had to do as his penance to get confirmed,” the lawsuit states.

Mafnas was forced to perform a sexual act on the priest, the lawsuit alleges.

In 2010, the archdiocese reported Cepeda had been removed as a priest after it investigated serious allegations of sexual abuse, according to Pacific Daily News files. At the time, the archdiocese said Cepeda also had been reported to civil authorities.

The lawsuit states the archdiocese and others knew Cepeda sexually abused and molested Mafnas and other minor children for years and, rather than reporting it to law enforcement, helped Cepeda keep his actions hidden and secret.

The complaint states Mafnas, a resident of Barrigada, avoided Cepeda in the final weeks of confirmation classes, and was confirmed shortly after the priest sexually abused him. Mafnas stopped going to church and attended Mass only on special occasions, the lawsuit states.

Mafnas, represented by attorney David Lujan, demands a jury trial and a minimum of $5 million in damages.