Church sex abuse training encourages victim to come forward

By Janela Carrera
Pacific News Center
April 3, 2017

http://www.pacificnewscenter.com/local/13250

Guam - Since the Archdiocese of Agana's implementation of the Task Force for the Protection of Minors, some individuals have come forward to report abuse within the catholic community.

Today, Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Byrnes and the task force gave an update on the curriculum so far. They’ve made significant progress in implementing a sexual abuse curriculum within the catholic schools and parishes. Several members provided updates to the public on that progress.

So far, all 14 catholic schools have received the training. Now, the focus will be within the different parishes. But since the this task force was created, we asked Byrnes if the archdiocese has received any reports of sexual abuse from any of the students or minors they’re entrusted to protect.

"Not active, that I’ve been aware of," noted Byrnes. "I mean there have been a few people who have come forward who did not wish to be [identified] who’ve talked with Sister Dorothy [Lettiere] or the other sexual abuse coordinators about past, past events."

Several representatives from the various schools and parishes gave presentations today on the changes that have been made within their institutions.

"I think we’ve come a long ways where we’re reacting in many situations and we’re coming closer to being more proactive and protective of our children," said Ruth Taimanglo with the San Isidro parish in Malojloj.

"It gives information and tools at the parish level to help ministers and adults understand and inform the youth to understand the boundaries of sexual misconduct and that once reported the child or youth knows the perpetrator will be removed and that the priest, deacon or bishop who committed the sexual abuse cannot be transferred to ministerial assignment," added Rosie Creelman with the Assumption of Our Lady parish in Piti.

One issue this curriculum and task force has brought to surface is supervision of minors for parish-related programs—in particular, altar servers. A majority of the civil sexual abuse lawsuits filed against the archdiocese are from former altar servers.

"We were teaching and training the adults in our parish, we’re gonna start working on the altar servers because they’re young and there’s a lot of times the kids are left alone with each other," noted Sharon O'Mallan with the St. Francis parish in Yona.

We asked O’Mallan to elaborate.

"A lot of times altar servers will come and their parents will drop them because they’re gonna serve the mass and they’ll wait for the next mass and the next mass, we have some like that ... and it just worries me sometimes so I’ll just go to the back to make sure they’re not just alone with somebody else because one time I did have to remind someone, 'Hey, excuse me,' and they’re completely innocent but the thought was there that this was an older altar server with a younger altar server."

Taimanglo added: "We’ve got CCD students who are supervised by their teachers, we have all the other activities that are supervised by an adult but the most at risk group is our altar servers who have the least supervision."

"But this is the kind of thing that this training prompts, yes, that they should never be alone," noted Byrnes.