Hafa Adai my friends and family,
Our island family has been through much these past several months. I hope that we can now move forward and begin the process of healing.
Just as Pope Francis called on us to pray for the victims of sexual abuse during a Worldwide Day of Prayer, I ask everyone to pray for our island’s victims of this heinous crime, most especially the vulnerable of our community, our children.
In the words of Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz: “This universal expression of healing and sorrow, joined by our brothers and sisters around the world, will be a powerful reminder that no survivor should walk the path toward healing alone.”
We pray that the survivors of sexual abuse begin the healing process. We pray they receive deep comfort in the support of their family and friends and from the community. We pray that what has been stolen and broken will be restored. Most of all, we will continue to proactively protect our children and our island from this horrible injustice, so that no individual will have to undergo this pain and suffering.
God bless our children, our families and our island of Guam.
