GUAM
Pacific Daily News
Haidee V Eugenio , heugenio@guampdn.com November 2, 2016
Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron on Wednesday issued a written statement, welcoming the appointment of his likely successor to the leadership of the Catholic Church on Guam, and stating he is preparing to prove his innocence in an upcoming canonical trial over his alleged sexual abuse of altar boys in the 1970s.
The Vatican on Monday announced Pope Francis’ appointment of Detroit Bishop Michael Jude Byrnes as coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Agana.
Byrnes, as coadjutor archbishop, has the right to succeed Apuron if Apuron resigns, retires or is removed. Under church law, bishops are required to resign at 75.
“It is with great joy that I welcome the news of the appointment of Bishop Michael J. Byrnes as coadjutor archbishop of Agana by the Holy Father. This is a most welcome answer to my requests for help in the governance of the island at this time,” Apuron said in a statement sent Wednesday afternoon by his attorney, Jacqueline T. Terlaje.
Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who was sent to Guam by the Vatican in June to temporarily replace Apuron, said the pope actually started looking for a coadjutor archbishop in early 2015, after Hon’s visit to the island at that time. …
Advocates and victims’ groups react
Apuron is one of 84 bishops worldwide who have been accused publicly of sexual wrongdoing, according to BishopAccountability.org, a group tracking public records involving bishops.
Canon lawyer Jennifer Haselberger, a Minnesota-based expert in church law, has said there haven’t been enough trials of bishops to reach any conclusion about what penalty is normal, so it will be up to the judges to determine the penalty warranted, which she said could be dismissal from the clerical state or removal from office.
The world’s largest and oldest support group for clergy abuse victims, meanwhile, said the pope’s appointment of Byrnes is a “very good sign that Apuron’s removal is on the horizon.”
“Unfortunately, we will never know what is exposed in Apuron’s canonical trial, but it looks like the Vatican is planning for Apuron’s eventual removal or forced retirement,” Joelle Casteix, Western Regional Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, said Wednesday.
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