Guam -- Canon lawyers say Vatican verdict against Guam archbishop probably not for sexual abuse: survivors respond
For immediate release Thursday, April 5, 2018
Statement by Tim Lennon, Volunteer President of SNAP’s Board of Directors (415-312-5820 [email protected])
Last month a Vatican tribunal found Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Guam "guilty of certain of the accusations" against him. This decision was hailed by some as the first time the Catholic Church had disciplined a bishop alleged to have sexually abused minors. The tribunal removed Apuron from his position and prohibited him from living on Guam. However, this week several canon lawyers have come forward to say that the verdict is unlikely to have been for sexual abuse, because Apuron was not defrocked.
As survivors, we here at SNAP were disappointed, but not surprised, that so little information about the verdict was released and that the sentence was so lenient. The opinions of the canon lawyers only confirms our belief that the Catholic Church continues to place a higher value on its clergy then on the young lives entrusted to their care.
We call for a full disclosure of the allegations for which Apuron was found to be guilty. We further urge every Church official to turn over the contents of their secret files to local law enforcement for investigation and possible prosecution.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 25,000 supporters. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
CONTACT
Tim Lennon, (415-312-5820, [email protected]), Melanie Jula Sakoda (925-708-6175, [email protected]), Becky Ianni (703-801-6044, [email protected])
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director
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“But the doctrinal congregation’s statement made clear that Apuron still has the right to appeal the ruling, and that during such an appeal the penalties against the archbishop are suspended.”
Of all the men on the face of Earth-no law and order applies to these men-Roman Catholic clergy. They have a literal blank check to get away with anything they want. No checks and balances in their church organization, no law, no order, no accountability. They can rape small children and sodomize each other and then stand up in church and their people will bow down to them-not God. It’s the perfect place for the vilest men on the face of the earth to become leaders and do whatever they want. And it will continue to be that way as long as people flock to them and allow them to get away with it.