GUAM
Pacific Daily News

November 27, 2016

We welcome Archbishop Michael Byrnes as the new leader of the Catholic faithful on the island, and we hope that he can heal our fractured community and help us move forward.

Byrnes comes to us in a time of distress. Officially, he has been assigned here to assist Archbishop Anthony Apuron in running the Archdiocese of Agana, and to serve as Apuron’s successor. Apuron has made few public statements since being suspended in June. He may yet return as the leader of the church.

The community has been split by many controversies over the last few years. The most significant involve allegations that Apuron sexually abused altar boys while serving as the pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Agat in the 1970s. Several former altar boys have stepped forward to share their stories. A canonical trial is being prepared…