(posted by frenchie)
As many of us had suspected, the numbers of clergy sexual abuse claims have been piling up in both the State and the Federal courts here on Guam. That does not even take into account the numbers of victims that contacted the Fund set-up by the Archdiocese, for people who need help, without wanting to go through litigation.
While I was praying and reflecting on these problems, and the events that lead to our current situation here on Guam, I could not but conclude that my old adage: "nothing happens in vacuum" was once again proving itself to be true.
As we have seen over the last three years, since the Junglewatch started unraveling the web of lies and deceit that surrounded us from all directions; many have tried to use, to explain, to excuse, to manipulate, to exploit, to divert the personal dramas of the victims of these sexual abuses.
We were able to clearly identify that the abuses did happened because of an environment which was conducive to that abuse and to its coverup.
As recent events have demonstrated, I shall show that these problems are not specific, nor limited to the Catholic Church, or to failings related to cultural shortcomings of the Chamorro Culture, as some would love to reduce it too, but rather that it did occur, because we failed to recognize the danger, and remained silent for too long.
Unfortunately our painful experience is another example of the truism that " whom ever stays silent, agrees".
