I have no personal contact with either side in this debate. In fact I have not spoken personally with Fr. Gofigan for several years. However, because of the massive public support now assembling in his behalf, there is a load of information circulating. Most of it I ignore or file away because even though it is sincere, at this point it is only necessary to keep the facts straight.
One of the biggest questions is "what happens next?" The next step appears to have been taken in Fr. Gofigan's retaining of a canon lawyer. According to emails circulating last night, the canon lawyer is Father Adolfo N. Dacanay, S.J., Chairperson of the Department of Theology at Ateneo de Manila University. According to one email he is considered: "one if not the most foremost canon lawyer in the Philippines."
There appears to be a lot both written by him and about him. Here's a link to what Google Search turned up. Here's a post (in a lighthearted pose) of him on Facebook:
Good!...Hopefully this matter will be settled with the appropriate due process that should have taken place from the start.
ReplyDeleteFather Gofigan will need all the help he can get, from his Canon Lawyer, his familly, his friends, his former parishioners, but also of other priests in the diocese of Guam who so far have not had the courage to speak up, by fear of retribution from the Archbishop and his minions.
ReplyDeleteIt is a sad state of affairs for Guam and the Catholic Church as a whole. When leaders fail to comprehend the basic rules of law as the Archbishop has done (he is not alone)and bypass sensible and simple solutions in order to set an example and make sure that their small sectarian point of view is the only one represented in our church, then we all loose.
The way the Archdiocese has gone about this whole dossier is pathetic to say the least, the obvious timing with the departure of the Bishop for the celebrations in Brazil could not have been worst.
The pretense of the dispute is reminding us of the worst days in our church, and the hiding behind the safety of children is despicable, in itself, but even worst because of the fact that it was never about a child predator to start with. I have little hope that the Archdiocese of Guam will find wisdom within its ranks, but I pray that our new father (Francis)will enlightned our very blind bishop.