A lawyer for four former altar boys has filed a new civil lawsuit
against the Catholic Church in Guam, Archbishop Anthony Apuron and
Father Louis Brouillard over child sexual abuse.
A statement was released by the men’s attorney Tuesday afternoon in
Hagatna.
Three of the men, now in their 50s, were altar boys in the
1970s under Apuron, who was a pastor at the time. They allege Apuron
molested them during sleepovers.
The fourth man, now in his 70s, was a student and former altar boy in
the 1950s when he says Brouillard molested him.
Brouillard, 95,
admitted to The Associated Press in August that he may have molested 20
boys during his time in Guam.
Guam passed a law in September lifting the statute of limitations for
civil lawsuits in child molestation cases, and Catholic officials on
the island have warned that settlements costs arising from the measure
could cause the closure.
The new leader of the Catholic Church in Guam will immediately assume
all responsibilities in the archdiocese while its suspended archbishop
faces a church trial for allegedly sexually abusing altar boys.
Pope Francis on Monday named Bishop Michael Jude Byrnes, the
auxiliary bishop of Detroit, as coadjutor bishop of the Guam
archdiocese. Coadjutors have succession rights when bishops resign,
retire or are removed.
At a news conference Tuesday, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, the
Vatican’s temporary apostolic administrator, said Francis gave Byrnes
special rights to carry out all the duties as archbishop effective
immediately.
Guam had been under an apostolic administrator since June when
Apuron, 71, was relieved of his duties after several former altar boys
accused him of sexual abuse. He is facing a canonical trial in the
Vatican.