Cardinal Raymond Burke says he’s aiming to wrap up the sex abuse
investigation involving Guam’s suspended archbishop by the summer.The Guam archdiocese said Cardinal Burke left the Pacific island US territory on Saturday after meeting this week with witnesses.
Cardinal Burke, a top canon lawyer, is presiding over the Church tribunal hearing the case against Archbishop Anthony Apuron, who faces multiple allegations of sexual abuse of altar boys in the 1970s.
Archbishop Apuron has denied the claims and has not been criminally charged.
Cardinal Burke’s presence on Guam had prompted controversy because it is understood his relationship with the Pope is strained.
Burke denied Saturday he had been sent to Guam as “punishment”, telling Italy’s Mediaset it was normal for cardinals to take on extra jobs in their areas of expertise.