GUAM
KUAM
Updated: Feb 21, 2017
By Krystal Paco
Last week, Vatican officials came and left without hearing from Roland Sondia, one of the four men to accuse Archbishop Anthony Apuron of child molestation. The same group of clergy are likely to leave Hawaii today, also emptyhanded. And one canon lawyer shares his experience with canonical trials against clergy accused of sex abuse.
What’s happened on Guam, he says, is unusual.
Thomas Doyle is a canon lawyer and an expert in clergy sex abuse having been around since accusations of pedophile priests first surfaced over three decades ago. What he observed in last week’s visit from Vatican officials, led by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, wasn’t typical. “I’ve represented victims in canonical trials and I’ve gone with them when they’ve given their testimony,” he qualified. “There’s sometimes when they don’t want me in, but they certainly have a right to have someone with them. especially if they’ve been sexually violated.”
As we reported, Sondia was called to the chancery to meet with Cardinal Burke and the visiting clergy on Thursday morning. His attorney, David Lujan, however, was uninvited – and Sondia walked away without providing his deposition.
Doyle tells KUAM News that was the right thing to do and shares what happens behind closed doors during the very secretive canonical process. On one occasion, Doyle says he and his client walked out during a deposition. “I got fed up with the way they were talking to him and I just finally stopped the whole thing and said ‘We’re leaving. Until you guys learn how to treat a victim of sexual abuse with respect and sensitivity, we’re not coming back.'” he explained.
To date, eighteen plaintiffs have filed suit against the Archdiocese of Agana, four of whom have accused Archbishop Apuron of sexual molestation decades ago while he was a priest at Mount Carmel Church in Agat. All victims are represented by Attorney Lujan.
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