GUAM
The Guam Daily Post
Neil Pang | The Guam Daily Post
“Coadjutor Archbishop (Michael) 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, Western regional leader, Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests
Following the announcement from church leadership about the start of the Archdiocese of Agana’s “Year of Reparation,” a Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) representative asked why church officials in Guam are shirking their responsibilities to victims of clergy sex abuse.
“Coadjutor Archbishop (Michael) 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,” said Joelle Casteix, Western regional leader for SNAP. “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.”
Criticism of church leadership
According to Post files, SNAP – and Casteix in particular – has long criticized local Catholic leadership for its handling of abuse allegations.
“The laity of the Archdiocese of Agana has already showed tremendous solidarity with victims by standing with them, believing them, praying for them, protesting outside of the cathedral and demanding transparency and accountability from archdiocesan leadership and the Vatican,” she told The Guam Daily Post.
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