HIGH DRAMA IN THE ARCHDIOCESE OF AGANA - PART 1

By Tim Rohr

Per a message from Fr. Romeo Convocar, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Agana, it appears that an agreement in its bankruptcy case has been reached and the judge has approved.  

The bankruptcy matter was brought about by the explosion of clergy sex abuse cases, which, per capita, amounted to 14 times the number of cases than what surfaced in the Archdiocese of Boston, a story that led to the movie, "Spotlight," which was nominated for six Academy Awards and won two. 

Given the exponentially larger number of cases in Guam, the high drama of Apuron's public threats to sue those who dared reveal this filthy history, the personal damage to the victims and their supporters wrought by Apuron's "mobsters," and the Pope himself being forced to act directly on removing a bishop - what happened in Guam would make a much better movie. 

The real story in Guam though is not the expose of decades of clerical sex abuse, that's quite a common story these days. No, the real story here is how Guam's faithful lay people, the Catholics in the pews, took it upon themselves to make this happen - even though they knew they would have to pay the bill. 

It wasn't the press, like it was in Boston, and it wasn't lawyers, as it has been in so many places. In fact, in the early going, the press, despite its insatiable appetite for sensationalism, had to be drug, half kicking and screaming, into the ugly matter, and, even then, basically limited its "reporting" to what was already news. In fact, some media people refused to even talk about it. And the lawyers? Well no lawyers came forward until there was big money in it for them. But no surprise there.

No. It was regular people, the Catholics in the pews, who for 54 Sundays in a row, in 2016 to 2017, silently marched in front of the Agana Cathedral during the 9:30 a.m Mass, symbolically "Apuron's Mass" - and labeled "symbolically" because Apuron - who for decades celebrated the 9:30 a.m Mass, had long since fled Guam after his first accuser came forward in May 2016. 

But not only did the common folk march, it was the common folk who pushed through the legislation necessary to pursue justice for the aggrieved - even though not a single perpetrator, including Apuron, would ever have to pay a cent.

So here's a thought, given that the lawyers in the bankruptcy case have already pocketed around Nine Million Dollars off the backs of the common folk who did the heavy lifting in the first place, let's "suggest" that all lawyers involved in this matter give at least 10% of their booty back to the people they took it from - the people who created the opportunity for justice in the first place. 

Their checks can be made payable to Concerned Catholics of Guam, a registered Guam non-profit corporation, which will then, through its board and its members, determine how best to help their Church with those funds - since we can't trust anyone in the chancery to do it. 

And we can even have one of the newspaper photos with a large reproduction of the check being handed to the CCOG officials with large grins all around. 

To be continued - Part 2

Note: The picture is from a PDN news story with the caption: "Leo Tudela, left, whose testimony was instrumental in bringing the scope of Guam’s clergy sex abuse to the public eye, with Edwin Caldie, attorney for the creditors committee, after the Archdiocese of Agana bankruptcy exit plan was approved on Oct. 4, 2022.