Guam Catholics Look to Vatican, Court Process for Closure

Guam Daily Post
July 7, 2017

https://www.postguam.com/forum/editorial/guam-catholics-look-to-vatican-court-process-for-closure/article_cc42ff06-6227-11e7-8cd4-f73f14fb8df5.html

The sad saga of Guam’s disgraced Archbishop Anthony Apuron may offer some resolution soon, although it’s not going to be a complete closure.

The Vatican process to determine the guilt or innocence of Apuron will – in the next few weeks – move to the phase in which a panel of judges will begin deliberating on the accusations that when Apuron was a Guam priest, he molested young boys, including altar servers.

Archbishop Michael Byrnes said in a press conference yesterday the Vatican tribunal has informed him the discovery period of the trial has ended.

And the next phase, which Byrnes said will happen sometime in the next several weeks, will be the convening of three Vatican judges to deliberate.

After the Vatican judges deliberate, Byrnes said, they will publish the decision.

He said three possible verdicts may be reached: guilty, not guilty, or not proven.

The stakes are high for the Vatican justice system, perceived as secretive by the outside world, to show integrity and fairness.

Byrnes said he and canon lawyers he has consulted with are in uncharted waters, given that this is the first time in history that a canonical trial of this nature has been called for, concerning a bishop.

Guam’s Catholic community, and the island community in general, which once held Apuron in high regard, needs the Vatican justice system to deliver a fair outcome.

It’s part of the community’s process to heal, and for the accusers who were young, innocent children when allegedly abused, to start the process of finding some closure.

Regardless of the outcome of the Vatican trial, however, there are still numerous pending cases in courts in Guam – cases that allege abuse by Apuron and other former Guam priests.

The court cases could be more complicated to resolve given the numerous parties involved.

Resolution of the cases in the Superior Court and federal court will also help the community regain the trust some may have lost – in the local Catholic church leadership.