GUAM
The Guam Daily Post
Neil Pang | The Guam Daily Post Jul 6, 2017
Following the announcement from church leadership about the start of the Archdiocese of Agana’s “Year of Reparations,” a Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) representative is accusing church officials in Guam of shirking their responsibilities to victims of clergy sex abuse.
“Coadjutor Archbishop Byrnes must stop putting the burden of amends on the laity—that burden must sit squarely on the shoulders of church officials and their attorneys,” Joelle Casteix, a wester regional leader for SNAP, said. “Prayers are for those without the immediate power to enact change. Coadjutor Byrnes has the immediate power to enact change in the courts, open files, stop wrongdoing and hold those who committed or covered up child sex abuse accountable.”
Castiex’s comments come after Byrnes held a press conference in which he announced the start of a “Year of Reparations” in which Catholic faithful are called to spend a year praying, fasting and almsgiving in a show of unity and solidarity with victims of clergy sex abuse and any who suffer.
According to The Guam Daily Post files, SNAP, and Casteix in particular, has long criticized local Catholic Church leadership for their handling of abuse allegations.
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