Anthony Sablan Apuron
Encyclopedia
Anthony Sablan Apuron has been archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña
since 1986. Apuron was born in 1945 in Guam
. He was educated at St. Anthony College in Hudson, New Hampshire
, and at Capuchin Seminary in Garrison, New York
. He then studied at Maryknoll Seminary
in New York City
and the University of Notre Dame
in South Bend, Indiana
. He was ordained a priest in 1972.
Apuron was recently the target of criticism over a letter that was distributed by his archdiocese comparing gay rights activism to Islamic terrorism.
To date, Apuron has never retracted the statements which include the following:
"Islamic fundamentalists clearly understand the damage that homosexual behavior inflicts on a culture. That is why they repress such behavior by death. Their culture is anything but one of selfabsorption. It may be brutal at times, but any culture that is able to produce wave after wave of suicide bombers (women as well as men) is a culture that at least knows how to value selfsacrifice."
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Agaña is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the overseas dependency of Guam. The prelate is an archbishop which pastors the mother church, Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.-History:The...
since 1986. Apuron was born in 1945 in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. He was educated at St. Anthony College in Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson, New Hampshire
Hudson is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 24,467 at the 2010 census.The primary settlement in town, where 7,336 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the Hudson census-designated place and is located at the junctions of New Hampshire...
, and at Capuchin Seminary in Garrison, New York
Garrison, New York
Garrison is a hamlet in Putnam County, New York, United States. It is part of the town of Philipstown and is on the east side of the Hudson River, across from the United States Military Academy at West Point...
. He then studied at Maryknoll Seminary
Maryknoll
Maryknoll is a name shared by three organizations that are part of the Roman Catholic Church and whose joint focus is on the overseas mission activity of the Catholic Church in the United States...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. He was ordained a priest in 1972.
Apuron was recently the target of criticism over a letter that was distributed by his archdiocese comparing gay rights activism to Islamic terrorism.
To date, Apuron has never retracted the statements which include the following:
"Islamic fundamentalists clearly understand the damage that homosexual behavior inflicts on a culture. That is why they repress such behavior by death. Their culture is anything but one of selfabsorption. It may be brutal at times, but any culture that is able to produce wave after wave of suicide bombers (women as well as men) is a culture that at least knows how to value selfsacrifice."