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Cnmi Law to Help Clergy Abuse Survivors Get Help, Justice

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
March 25, 2017

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/03/25/cnmi-law-help-clergy-abuse-survivors-get-help-justice/97935338/

Tomas A. Camacho

Three months after the CNMI lifted the statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases, retired Saipan bishop Tomas A. Camacho faced accusations he raped an altar boy in the 1970s. Camacho also is a former Guam priest.

That was in November, two months after Guam enacted a law that would allow victims of child sex abuse to sue their abusers and the institutions with which they are associated, at any time, paving the way for at least 18 former altar boys to file clergy sexual abuse lawsuits in the U.S. District Court of Guam.

“Our focus was more on the victims and family,” said former CNMI Rep. Ray Tebuteb, author of the bill that became CNMI law on Nov. 17, 2016. In a phone interview, he said the law helps child sex abuse victims, including those whose perpetrators are priests and other clergy, obtain some sense of healing, justice and closure.

Tebuteb’s bill became CNMI Public Law 19-72, “allowing the prosecution for sexual crimes committed against persons under the age of 18 to commence at any time.”

“It (CNMI law) certainly will allow victims who cannot file criminal complaints against members of the clergy, to seek justice and restitution via the civil courts,” said David Sablan, president of Concerned Catholics of Guam, which also stands ready to assist Saipan, Tinian and Rota residents who may be victims of clergy abuse in the Marianas.

Concerned Catholics of Guam led efforts to provide assistance and professional help for clergy abuse survivors, whether referrals to professional clinical counselors, victim advocacy groups, or lawyers. They initially placed advertisements to reach out to those who may have been victims of clergy abuses.

Tebuteb said the formulation of his bill took years, and after communication with child sex abuse victims and their families.

“It’s very sensitive as you can imagine,” he said. “There are advocates and support groups and system in place. (Victims) should not be afraid, it’s not your fault. Speak up, via your friends, school counselors, teachers.”

Tebuteb said the original intent of his bill, that was rejected by the leadership at the time, was not to lift the statute of limitations but he said the law exists now and it will help survivors of child sex abuse.

The CNMI has yet to see a child sex abuse lawsuit filed using the three-month-old law, Tebuteb said.

On Guam, 33 clergy sex abuse lawsuits have already been filed against former and current Catholic clergy including Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, and the Archdiocese of Agana.

Among the accused clergy is Camacho, a priest on Guam in the 1970s who later became bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa on Saipan from 1984 until his retirement in April 2010 at the age of 76. Camacho has since served as bishop emeritus.

Melvin Duenas, now a 55-year-old resident of Guam, accused Camacho of repeatedly raping and sexually abusing him on Guam between 1971 and 1974 when he was an altar boy at age 10 to 13.

A noted canon lawyer, Patrick J. Wall, said Camacho can still be investigated and put on a canonical trial even if he's already a retired bishop.

"Yes, any retired cleric whether they be a deacon, priest or bishop can and should be prosecuted for child sexual abuse," said Wall, a former Catholic priest and is now lead researcher for Jeff Anderson & Associates, a Minnesota-based law firm representing victims of childhood sexual abuse. He is helping to dissect the defenses that dioceses mount during trial. He co-authored “Sex, Priests, and Secret Codes,” a leading book on the 2,000-year history of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Attorney David Lujan had said there could be about three other former altar boys who will file lawsuits against Camacho, also for alleged sexual abuse when Camacho was still a priest on Guam.

Bishop Ryan P. Jimenez, the current bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, asked for community prayers “for everyone affected by this news,” referring to the allegation against Camacho.

"Our prayers go out to Mr. Duenas and his family. We also ask for prayers for Bishop Tomas and his family. Since this is a matter in litigation, the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa can offer no further comment on this matter. We give our full cooperation with civil authorities," Jimenez said, adding that the church shall act consistent with its faith, with justice and mercy.

Guam and the CNMI are predominantly Catholic islands.

Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com

 

 

 

 

 




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