Sunday, March 22, 2015

LUIS-GATE: JUST AN FYI

I don't have the police report nor do I have access to it as some commenters have assumed. However, the police report is not necessary for Deacon Claros to take action. Here's why:


IV. A. 1. As soon as any priest, deacons, employee or volunteer of the Archdiocese learns about suspected sexual misconduct, he or she shall report the information to the Archbishop and if required by the laws of the territory, to the appropriate civil authorities.
2. The Archbishop will promptly:

  • b. notify the sexual abuse response coordinator

On March 18, the Archbishop received such a report (which I will post on Monday if the chancery is not forthcoming). 

The policy requires the Archbishop to notify the SARC, Deacon Claros. However, according to the Marianas Variety on March 19, Deacon Claros has said he will not be involved in the "incident" (i.e. investigation of the incident).

So apparently Deacon Claros, was either not notified by the Archbishop as the policy requires, or he was "notified" that the case does not involve "sexual misconduct."

If either of these are the case, then once again we have another example of a completely useless sex abuse policy because the Archbishop can decide what is a "report" and what is not. And apparently he can also decide what is "sexual misconduct" and what is not. This makes the policy a sham and the SARC a stooge. (But then we know that.)

(Note: It doesn't matter what the police report says. What matters, as per the AOA policy, is what the letter the Archbishop has in his hands says. The Archbishop does not need a police report.)

Let's go over the facts as reported by the media:

On Tuesday, March 17, 2015 (Source: Marianas Variety, March 19, 2015)
  • According to A.J. Balajadia, Guam Police Department spokesman, Camacho was found with a 17-year-old girl in a vehicle at a beach in Agat on Tuesday morning.
  • Balajadia said Agat precinct police officers arrested Camacho at 11:45 a.m. that day.
  • The police charged him with custodial interference* for being with a female minor who was not in school at the time they were found parked at the beach, Balajadia said.
  • Camacho was booked and released. Police and the Archdiocese of Agana have not issued further details surrounding Camacho’s arrest.

On Wednesday, March 18, the Archdiocese releases a statement stating
  • that the Archbishop has accepted the resignation of Fr. Luis Camacho as Pastor of the two parishes in Malesso and Umatac
  • that the Archdiocese was made aware that Father Luis was booked and released the previous day
  • that the alleged offense was "custodial interference" according to Guam Police
  • that the archdiocese has initiated a canonical investigation and is cooperating with civil authorities
  • that Father Luis' faculties have been restricted

On Friday, March 20, the Pacific Daily News reports:

  • A case involving a former priest accused of custodial interference has been handed off to the Office of the Attorney General.

Note: The case going to the AG may sound serious but all arrest cases go to the AG. 

*****

My prediction is that there will be no charge, no prosecution, no "day in court". Perhaps I will be able to tell you why in a few days. However the real tell-tale will be what the Archbishop does after the AG reviews the case and drops it because given the de facto denial that this has anything to do with sexual misconduct (as per the SARC not being involved), the Archbishop will have no reason not to restore Fr. Luis' faculties and return him to his post as pastor or at minimum to active ministry in the archdiocese. 

My further prediction: this will entirely disappear and we will hear no more of Fr. Luis...unless Fr. Luis decides to speak for himself. 

Note to Fr. Luis. You are incardinated in this archdiocese. You are here for life. The Archbishop is only here at most for another five years. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in hiding like Fr. Wadeson? There is no need. The people like you. The people will forgive you. The people will welcome you back. If that's what you want. 

(a) A person is guilty of custodial interference in the first degree if:
(1) not being a relative of the person, he knowingly takes or entices a person less than eighteen (18) years old from his lawful custodian, knowing that he has no right to do so...
(d) Custodial interference in the first degree is a felony of the second degree





13 comments:

  1. In addition to notifying the Sex Abuse Response Coordinator (SARC), the Sex Abuse Policy further requires the Archbishop to "direct an Archdiocesan Investigator to do a complete investigation, if indicated by the circumstances." Well, if you look at the circumstances, a 17 year old girl alone with a priest in a parked car at an isolated beach area, I would think these circumstances would certainly warrant a complete investigation. And what would this investigation entail? I would think it would involve interviewing Fr. Luis and asking him directly if he engaged in sexual contact with the minor female and expect that he would be truthful in his response and truthful to himself. The investigation would also entail interviewing the female minor to get from her what occurred between her and Fr. Luis and again if sexual acitivity occurred hopefully she would also be truthful in her response. These interviews need to be conducted by a trained person who would be sensitive to both parties to elicit recorded or written statements about what happened. If both Fr. Luis and the female minor deny that any sexual activity occurred, then that should be revealed as the result of the investigation and that would be the end of it. However, no such investigation by the Archdiocese was ever conducted and instead, all that was revealed was that Fr. Luis' resignation as a Pastor of the Umatac and Merizo communities was accepted. Now, if Fr. Luis did not commit anything wrong, why would it be necessary for him to resign? Certainly, being charged with :"Custodial Interference" by the police isn't sufficent or serious enough to warrant his immediate resignation. Unless a true and valid investiagation is conducted, we will never know the truth and the whole matter and incident will be swept under the rug and forgotten. Fr. Luis will be allowed to continue his priesthood without any serious consequences. This so called cannonical investigation sounds like nothing more than a white wash which would never be made public because it would be deemed a confidential church matter.

    Has SNAP been alerted to this latest fiasco??

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    1. He is young and some say immature I don't know him so I don't know. I do know though It would be scary to be a priest and to suddenly get arrested. Scary to be caught with a girl in car who should have been in school. Scary to be front page negative news. Scary to have people on JW make demands of you. Scary to be the subject of sex abuse conversation regardless if it is true or not. With all that and more Is it just possible that his reaction was to panic. If so it makes sense why he would resign and run away to Saipan and from people questioning him so he could breathe and reflect on what happened. Some people on JW have been kind and compassionate others have been quite demanding and making assumptions from what has been reported. Just saying.

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  2. Did he submit a resignation or did the stooges conjure that one? I doubt that he submitted a resignation and they are just calling it as it is. They won't fire their model.

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    Replies
    1. Anybody who knows these guys knows that Luis did not submit anything. This is all orchestrated by Gennarini. But we're going to get him this time.

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  3. Fr. Luis should reveal the reason why he resigned, as well, we should have an explanation as to why the Archbishop accepted the resignation.

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  4. If the AG was at all interested in the truth on this, he would audit the phone records between GPD and the Chancery and/or persons in the Chancery.
    Then between the Chancery and a certain person in Texas, before looking at the Texas calls to GPD and/or persons of interest in the GPD
    The plot thickens.....

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    Replies
    1. Perhaps send a letter to the AG with your recommendations.

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    2. Did GPD confiscate the cell phones of the priest and the victim? There should be some evidence there.

      Come on AG's Ofc/GPD! Don't let aaa tell you what to do. You dont want people knowing that you're hiding the truth too! You don't want to go there. Trust me.

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    3. The AG is a "she", not a "he". Elizabeth Barrett Anderson.

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  5. Any true Catholic working for the INS reading this blog?
    If you do, check on Genarini's immigration file. He probably lied on his application, regarding his affiliation with the communist party.
    He is from his own admission a "former" Marxist....
    What he does not talk about, is his affiliation with the red brigades in Italy.
    They were listed as a terrorist group. There is no limitation on these issues in the USA.
    Hope the Holy Spirit inspire you to do the right thing.
    Marxist moles in the USA!!!!!

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  6. Tim,
    I don't know where to put this comment. Here is my question.
    If a priest(neo or not) pastor or not gets arrested for DUI and goes to jail over the weekend. Do you think he would resign from his parish or priesthood?

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  7. 10:08AM..priest will be under the watch of the chancery and MADE TO JOIN THE NCW so that he can find his true identity.

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  8. Janet B - MangilaoMarch 23, 2015 at 1:08 PM

    After the priest is forced to convert to the NCW faith, then he can proudly claim, "God loves me just the NC Way I am".
    No need to make amends, just wait for furor to die down and resume sinful ways. Hey, it worked for Fr John Wadeson until July, 2014. Now he's gone into hiding and is preparing to resume when his handlers give him the go-ahead. Only question is where?

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