APOSTOLIC ADMINISTRATOR HON'S COLLISION WITH REALITY

Posted by Robert Klitzkie

Clock ticking for Guam's Catholic church to respond to libel and slander lawsuit

Posted: Jul 26, 2016 4:51 PM

Updated: Jul 26, 2016 5:29 PM

By Krystal Paco

There are new developments to report in the alleged child sex abuse scandal that's has rocked the local Catholic Church.  Archbishop Anthony Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana have been served. Four people have come forward accusing Apuron of sexual molestation, which he has denied. CONTINUED


Apostolic Administrator Hon found out on Friday that there’s a little more to the job than spouting platitudes. Sometimes reality interferes. Hon was served with a summons and complaint in law suit brought by Roy, Doris, Walter and Roland against Apuron and the Archdiocese. Han was served at the Chancery and apparently didn’t take it very well. Here’s a quote from the return of service filed by the process server. “According to Christopher Allen, a special process server for the courts, ‘Mr. Savio Fai refused to sign receipt of documents and tried to give the documents back to me.’” Not much harmony there either, Archbishop.

As the lawsuit progresses unity and harmony probably won’t be among its salient features. While every lawsuit has a personality of its own, some aspects are pretty predictable, like the deposition on oral examination. If Hon is summoned to a deposition he’ll be placed under oath and questioned by at least two lawyers. The lawyers will probably figure that Hon has a lot to say.  Here’s a line that appears in paragraph 27 of the complaint that Allen served on Hon, “Accordingly, all statements issued by the Agana Archdiocese prior to Archbishop Hon’s appointment are equally attributable to Archbishop Hon as to his predecessors.” That’s a mouthful, if you would but remember all the attacks on the four survivors at the end of the Apuron régime. Depositions and other discovery devices help ascertain the facts that can be used to turn at least some of the 50 Does into real people.

That line from paragraph 27,  “Accordingly, all statements issued by the Agana Archdiocese prior to Archbishop Hon’s appointment are equally attributable to Archbishop Hon as to his predecessors,” doesn’t surprise me nor should it surprise Hon. On July 1 a couple of us had shared some considerations with Hon. Here’s one:

“The above is bolstered by Apuron’s video message from Rome that Archbishop Hon is here at Apuron’s request.  Silence rather than repudiation by Hon legitimizes the Apuron Rome video. Apuron’s picture, column, name on the masthead of the Umatuna Si Yu’os, Apuron’s picture and message claiming to be persecuted in the program of the June 12 Gala at the Hyatt, Apuron's public letter to the Filipino community and Apuron’s listing as the Pastor of the Cathedral parish (on June 29!) create the impression that Apuron is still in complete control of the archdiocese (coupled with Hon’s inaction until yesterday) and that Hon is just a horse holder.  The continued “apuronization”  continues to be validated by the silence of the Apostolic Administrator.’

Hon could have saved all of us and himself a lot of trouble if he had begun the deapuronization of the diocese upon his arrival. Because he didn’t, his encounter with Christopher Allen might be only the beginning of a series of more encounters with reality.