THE ARCHDIOCESE OF AGANA CHANCERY OFFICE 1968 Cuesta San Ramon ® Hagia, Guam 96910-4334 ¢ Tet: (671) 472-6116, (671) 62-0000 + Fax: (671) 477.3819 Sept. 12, 2016 Statement by the Delegate to the Apostolic Administrator The Archdiocese of Agana is deeply saddened by the allegations of sexual abuse made today by Mr. Ramon Afaisen De Plata. Each time an innocent child is harmed, itis a tragedy of the greatest magnitude. When a child is abused by a priest, who takes advantage of all the trust and responsibility which he is given, the crime of sexual abuse is even more appalling. On behalf of Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, SDB, the Archdiocese extends our prayers to Mr. De Plata and most certainly the altar boy whom Mr. De Plata said he witnessed being abused by the late Father Antonio Cruz and Father Tony Apuron in March of 1964. We assure Mr. De Plata that his statement will be officially forwarded to Rome as part of the investigation of Archbishop Apuron. Additionally, a local investigation on the late Father Antonio Cruz will be initiated. We assure Mr. De Plata that we take his allegation and all allegations of sexual abuse very seriously. With the assistance of a newly-formed Task Force for the Protection of Minors, and all people in our Church and community, the Archdiocese is committed to ensuring that our Catholic schools, parishes and organizations provide a safe environment for all children. As the Delegate to the Apostolic Administrator, I will meet with members of the Task Force for the Protection of Minors tomorrow, Tuesday, September 13. Deacon Len Stohr has also begun efforts to reach out to Mr. De Plata. On behalf of Archbishop Hon, who is currently off-island, I extend our assistance to Mr. De Plata. We humbly request to meet with him, Please call the Archdiocese at 727-7373 if you know of sexual abuse within our Church We encourage all persons who have knowledge of sexual abuse by clergy or others in our Archdiocese, to contact Deacon Len Stohr, our Sexual Abuse Response Coordinator (SARC) at this hotline number: 727-7373. You may also e-mail him at deaconlenl @gmail.com Gi a Fathér Jeff San Nicolas Delegate to the Apostolic Administrator