BishopAccountability.org
 
 

Ccog to Pen a Letter to the Pope Regarding Archbishop Anthony Apuron

By Jolene Toves
Pacific News First
January 3, 2019

https://pacificnewscenter.com/ccog-to-pen-a-letter-to-the-pope-regarding-archbishop-anthony-apuron/

Guam – The Concerned Catholics of Guam are penning a letter to the Vatican hoping that what they have to say about Archbishop Anthony Apron will carry weight in standing by Apuron’s conviction by the tribunal.

On March 16th of last year, a five-judge panel of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) found Archbishop Anthony Apuron guilty of certain unspecified abuses. To this day the charges that Archbishop Anthony Apuron was convicted on by the Vatican’s tribunal remain undisclosed to the public. The only information provided by the Vatican in regards to Apuron is that he has said he will appeal the conviction.

In line with canon law the Concerned Catholics of Guam are making a statement to the Vatican in hopes of cleaning up the mess within the local Catholic Church. CCOG President David Sablan was on air with K57’s Patti Arroyo to share their hope that the Pope will do whats right.

“You know this is an outreach to the Vatican and the Pope to stay with the penalties that were imposed by the tribunal who found Apuron guilty of the issues that came before them which include the mismanagement of the Archdiocese, the cover ups of the abuse by priests, also him personally allegedly accused of sexual abuse when he was a priest in Agat, and as the Archbishop with one or two of the victims as well at his Chancery house,” stated Sablan

In August of last year the Pope stated that within 30 days he would be able to give a final decision on what the panel recommends being done to Apuron. But unlike other convicted clergy who have been removed from ministry and sentenced to a lifetime of “penance and prayer” it appears that Apuron’s punishment boils down to early retirement spent abroad.

“In our view the CCOG the imposition of exile is probably 80 percent of the penalty as we view it because he can’t come back here no one would trust him no one would care for him he would create scandal. So I think that the position of the tribunal as well as this panel of clergymen,I think that is okay we are happy with the fact that he is exiled from Guam,” expressed Sablan.

Sablan says the CCOG’s letter to the Vatican is an appeal for Pope to maintain the penalty of the tribunal to keep the integrity of the conviction while acknowledging that more severe penalties should have been imposed.

 

 

 

 

 




.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.