Although Guam’s former Archbishop Apuron has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, he is still celebrating Mass. While the Vatican’s ruling following its guilty verdict has banned Apuron from returning to Guam and has removed him permanently from his post, he is still a priest. His successor, Archbishop Michael Byrnes, has apologised and pledged Read more
Guam’s Catholic Church says it is going to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. This chapter allows the debtor to propose a plan of reorganisation to keep its business alive and pay creditors over time. Multitudes of sexual abuse claims against clergy have driven the Church to take this step. Read more
Lawyers in Guam, representing nearly 200 people who say they were sexually abused by representatives of the Catholic Church, are due to meet with Church officials in the next week. The abuse is alleged to have happened over decades. In a letter acknowledging a debt of justice, new Guam Archbishop Michael Byrnes (pictured) confirmed the Read more
The Archbishop of Hagåtña (Guam), has received the territory’s Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence’s Visionary Voice Award. Since the legislation was enacted on Guam to abolish the statutes of limitation in September 2016, 140 victims have filed lawsuits against the Archdiocese. Appointed Coadjutor Archbishop of the Archdiocese Hagåtña in October 2016, Archbishop Byrnes faced Read more
“Members of our Church, our island community, even those who have watched closely from beyond the seas, surely ask ‘now what?’” This was the question posed by Archbishop of Hagåtña (Guam), Michael Byrnes, at a press conference on Tuesday. He was speaking after an Apostolic Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that it Read more
The Vatican has convicted the suspended Anthony Apuron, Archbishop of Agaña (Guam), of some charges made against him of sexually abusing minors. A five-judge apostolic tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced its verdict in Apuron’s canonical case on March 16. The release did not specify which acts the archbishop had been Read more
The Coadjutor Archbishop of Agaña Michael Byrnes says, since his appointment, making the Archdiocese transparent and accountable has been one of his goals. In that desire for accountability, he is now addressing concerns regarding the Kamalen Karidat (KK) ministries which have been raised by Concerned Catholics of Guam (CCOG). Established in 1993, KK helps provide food Read more
Archbishop Michael Byrnes lives a simple life. You can see him walking in his sandals in the parking lot at the Agãna Shopping Centre after grocery shopping. Writing in Pacific Daily News, Haidee Eugenio says you can also spot him with other clergy in the food court of the Micronesia Mall in Dededo. Or having Read more
“I think that it would be a disaster if Archbishop Apuron were to return as the bishop of record,” Archbishop Byrnes said during a news briefing on July 6. Byrnes said that he learned from the Notary of Canonical Tribunal in the Vatican that “the discovery period of the trial has ended” and the three Read more
After recently meeting Archbishop Michael Byrnes Doris Concepcion believes him to be a “gift” to Guam. But that has not stopped her joining the weekly picket outside the cathedral in Hagåtña which is calling for the defrocking of the former Archbishop Anthony Apuron. Concepcion is the mother of a now deceased former altar boy who was allegedly Read more