I was a father to the needy;
I took up the case of the stranger.
I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched the victims from their teeth. Job 29:16-17

Four decades ago, some men on Guam suffered terrible sexual abuse at the hands of a powerful churchman.

For four decades,

the men thought that they were alone,
that nobody would ever believe them,
that nobody really cared.

Some churchmen knew, but feared for their own ministries,
and did nothing,
and said nothing,
or perhaps were ignored.

Most of the men moved away.
Most of the men became strangers to us.

But for four decades,

the Church was silent,
the Church hid the problem,
the Church swept the problem under the rug,
“for the good of the faithful,”
“to prevent scandal”.

But this year,

three of these men and one mother, survivors all,
at great personal risk, and with great trepidation, shared their stories publicly with us.

In response,

the Church called the men and the mother “liars”,
the Church said that they were spreading “malicious and calumnious accusations”,
the Church threatened canonical action, and
the Church threatened to sue.

So this year..

Rome sent another powerful churchman to “fix the problem”,
and this powerful churchman arrived on Guam.

But…

this powerful churchman has ignored the men and the mother.
This powerful churchman has not shown that he cares.
This powerful churchman seems intent to hush everything up…
for the sake of “unity”.
This powerful churchman says, “You are either in or you are out.”

Therefore,

it’s time for the faithful…
who are sick of the corruption that reaches even to Rome,
who are sick of the coverups,
who are sick of the secrets,
who are sick of the excuses,

who know that unity requires justice, and that
justice requires truth,

it’s time for us, sinners though we be…

to take up the case of the stranger,
to break the fangs of the wicked, and
to snatch the victims from their teeth.