Concerned Catholics Seeks Removal of 5 Church Officials

By Haidee V Eugenio
Pacific Daily News
June 15, 2017

http://www.guampdn.com/story/news/2017/06/15/concerned-catholics-seeks-removal-5-church-officials/388331001/

Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes speaks during a press conference at the St. John Paul the Great Center for Evangelization on Monday, June 5, 2017.

Concerned Catholics of Guam said the Archdiocese of Agana should be rid of five priests or ministerial officers who allegedly abused their power. Some of them destroyed chancery records to hide clergy sex abuse cases, the group alleges.

"They, in fact, should be put through a canonical trial for the destruction of chancery records, the lies and deceit that caused tremendous scandal among the Catholic faithful on Guam," Concerned Catholics President David Sablan said Tuesday.

Sablan was reacting to Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes' recent expansion of the membership of the Presbyteral Council and retaining Monsignor David C. Quitugua.

As of Thursday, the Archdiocese of Agana hadn't replied to a request for comment.

The consultative body, which has Byrnes as president, advises the archbishop on pastoral concerns and other matters of importance.

Byrnes also recently appointed members to the College of Consultors, a governing body when the archdiocese becomes impeded or vacant. Quitugua is a member of the college.

Sablan said Quitugua's appointment to the College of Consultors "is a slap in the face to all who have worked so hard to clean up this archdiocese."

He said Quitugua abused his authority when Quitugua was vicar general under Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, who's now undergoing Vatican canonical trial and facing civil lawsuits over alleged rape and sexual abuse of altar boys. Sablan said Quitugua was complicit with Apuron and did the archbishop's bidding.

"He was responsible for everything, from giving away the Yona property secretly, hiding that transaction from the Archdiocesan Finance Council, whose approval was needed for the transaction, to the public abuse of Father Paul Gofigan and Monsignor James Benavente ... and publishing a bogus certificate of title on the Yona property in the archdiocesan weekly newspaper to mislead the Catholics on Guam by trying to fool them into believing the Yona property was still part of the assets of the Archbishop of Agana," Sablan said.

Sablan said Byrnes stands to lose all the goodwill he has worked so hard to get since his arrival on Guam with his appointment of Quitugua.

The four others Concerned Catholics said should be removed from the archdiocese are:

The Rev. Jose Alberto Rodriguez-Salamanca, appointed to the College of Consultors;

Father Adrian Cristobal, who refused assignment in 2016 as pastor of San Dionisio Church in Umatac;

Father Edivaldo da Silva Oleveira, assigned last year as Catholic chaplain of the Department of Youth Affairs and Department of Corrections in Mangilao, who was Apuron's close aide; and

Deacon Frank Tenorio, who defended Apuron when Apuron denied accusations of sex abuse.

"Unfortunately, Archbishop Byrnes' appointment of David C. Quitugua has renewed the commitment of (Concerned Catholics) to advise parishioners all over the island even harder to withhold contributions to their parishes until our archdiocesan leadership understands that these clergymen ... should be removed from any administrative and ministerial duties within the archdiocese," Sablan said.

Sablan said Catholics can't trust or have confidence in the chancery leadership with the clergymen in positions of authority within the archdiocese.

Pope Francis appointed Byrnes as coadjutor archbishop in October 2016 to permanently replace Apuron should Apuron resign, retire or be removed by the Vatican.

Contact: heugenio@guampdn.com