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Title : Archbishop Apuron Appeals Verdict
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Archbishop Apuron Appeals Verdict
Through a statement with his attorney Jacque Terlaje, Archbishop Apuron still maintains his innocence. According to KUAM news (the bold is mine, and the black are my comments):
"God is my witness; I am innocent and I look forward to proving my innocence in the appeals process" - those words from suspended Archbishop Anthony Apuron in a statement to the press mere hours after a papal bulletin announced a guilty verdict for certain accusations against him.Though it's never specified, Apuron maintains his canonical trial, in part, cleared his name. His civil attorney, Jacque Terlaje, confirming this with KUAM, as well, saying, "First of all, I want to reiterate that Archbishop Anthony was actually acquitted of the majority of the charges against him. I think this is an important fact that has been underplayed by many of the media outlets that are out there."
Suspended since June 2016 as archbishop, the papal bulletin states he is to be stripped of his title and removed from the local Archdiocese as a result of the Vatican verdict. That is, unless he appeals the sentence, which he has.
"There is an appellate process in place," Terlaje reinforced. "And he has already appealed the finding of guilt."
No word on how long that appeals process would take - but Attorney Terlaje expressing she's disappointed in the local Archdiocese for jumping to condemn their former shepherd. "I was a bit disheartened and disturbed by Coadjutor (Michael) Byrnes' statement," she stated. "To publicly condemn Archbishop Anthony without having the full information, for me, it's an unjust condemnation of him."
Archbishop Byrnes would have shown a better example had he said to pray for everyone including Archbishop Apuron. Healing begins with forgiveness, not condemnation.
"We don't know today which of the accusations Archbishop Anthony was found guilty of."
Attorney Terlaje reiterates - she's only Apuron's civil attorney. In Rome, he has canon lawyers working for him. "I don't even know what the grounds of appeal are. I'm not a canon lawyer, so I can't even tell you what Archbishop Anthony has the ability to appeal on," Terlaje said. "His canon lawyers are the ones handling that entire process, and this is the nature of the Vatican process as well - that we don't have information,"
Apuron hasn't been home since 2016, when the first allegations of clergy sexual abuse were made against him. Since then, we've only heard from him via video and e-mailed statements to Guam media.
In January, he reacted to his most recent accuser, his nephew Mark Apuron, who alleges his uncle raped him. Again, Apuron maintained his innocence, but also disclosed his deteriorating health, stating, "As I lay sick after another surgery and I face the final judgment approaching evermore close, having lost interest in this world, God is my witness: I deny all allegations of sexual abuse made against me, including this last one." In February, he was spotted in Rome amongst other priests, sitting in a wheelchair.
His last sighting prior was over a year ago, in Fairfield, California, after the plaintiffs' attorney sent private investigators to locate him. He was seen answering the door for investigators who faked a story about a missing dog.
Far from home, Attorney Terlaje reported he's never been far from heart and continues to pray for the local church, saying, "Archbishop Anthony has been consistently praying for the people of Guam. He has been consistently asserting his innocence. And he has been praying that this suffering, this problem this hurt that we have on this island is healed."
To each of his accusers, Apuron maintains it is he who is victim, stating, "As the Church in Guam is being destroyed by people who have only their power agenda at heart, may God have mercy on us all and save His Church from the powers of darkness. I pray that the truth may prevail; I pray for my accusers: fill them with what they desire; as for me, when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your face, oh Lord. (Ps. 17, 15)"
Arcbhishop Apuron showed the better example as a shepherd and a man of God, praying for his accusers.
Even with a Vatican verdict, Attorney Terlaje says it doesn't mean much for the civil lawsuits he faces here at home. "The reality of the situation...is that this particular verdict doesn't necessarily have a very big impact on the civil case," she said.Brothers and sisters, continue to pray for our persecutors, Archbishop Apuron, and Coadjutor Archbishop Byrnes.
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