A LESSON TO THE WORLD IN WHAT THE LITTLE PEOPLE CAN DO

In this past Sunday's Umatuna (the "newspaper of the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam") there was printed on page 6 an article entitled: Shepherding amid scandal: Archbishops talk about healing." 

The author of the article is Cindy Wooden of the Catholic News Service and the editor's note says that the article was based on a June 2019 CNS interview with Archbishop Byrnes.

The article begins:

ROME - The first time Archbishop Michael J. Byrnes of Agana, Guam, celebrated Mass in his cathedral, he had to cross a picket line to do so.

and goes on to state:

When he arrived in 2016, protesters had been gathering outside the cathedral before every Mass the former archbishop celebrated. To celebrate his first Mass there, Byrnes had to cross the picket line.

This is FALSE. 

First, Archbishop Byrnes did not have to "cross a picket line" to enter the Cathedral. The Cathedral has multiple entrances, including the entrance from the sacristy. The picketers did not block any of the entrances, restricting their activity to the public sidewalk in front of the Cathedral.

Second, Archbishop Byrnes actually JOINED the picketers in a gesture of solidarity. The Pacific Daily News memorialized the Archbishop's "joining" the picketers in its news report dated February 2, 2017:

Four days after briefly joining peaceful protest in front of the cathedral, Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes said he supports and respects clergy sex abuse victims’ and their supporters’ quest for justice, which he said is ongoing both at the Vatican and in the civil courts.

Third, it was not his first Mass. Archbishop Byrnes came to Guam in 2016, and the one time he JOINED the picketers was on January 29, 2017, as the Pacific Daily News memorializes:

Cindy Wooden also reports that Guam's Catholics "were in an uproar." 

The appointment “was a little overwhelming,” the archbishop said. Guam was far away and Catholics there were in an uproar.

This is also FALSE.

Other than praying the rosary and singing hymns, the public protests and picketing were absolutely silent. And almost all of the participants were elderly, some even "walking" the picket line in their wheelchairs and walkers. 

It is very doubtful that Archbishop Byrnes gave CNS such false and destructive information, so it is either the CNS author embellishing her story or the information came from someone else in the chancery, and perhaps from the same people who tried to paint us as an angry mob when Apuron was still running things. 

Such false dramatization hurts the Church. If there is anything that happened on Guam it is lesson to the rest of the Catholic world in what the "little people" can do, did do, and still do. 

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THANK YOU (AGAIN) TO THE DIANA

By Tim Rohr

Just a short thank you to The Diana for crediting JW for bringing Bishop Athanasius Schneider to Guam. 

If in fact I had anything to do with Bishop Schneider's coming to Guam, I would have been posting about it for months, especially given that he has called out the likes of The Diana as subscribing to a "Jewish-Protestant Heresy." 

However, other than a re-post of CCOG's flyer a couple days ago, not only did I have nothing to do with bringing Bishop Schneider here, I purposely refused to get involved as I did not want to bring controversy to his visit, since ultimately his ability to visit Guam rested on the authority of Archbishop Byrnes to invite him.

The real credit for bringing Bishop Schneider to Guam goes to the CCOG and I can't remember the last time I have been to one of their meetings. 

But while I'm at it, I want to again thank this same Diana for getting rid of Apuron and RMS for us. 

As you may be aware, the only "weight" JW could ever bring to this battle was the number of our pageviews, which you can see are now over NINE MILLION. And I would estimate that a good 90% of those views are due to The Diana keeping the debate alive, as - per her current mention of JW -"she" still is, and once again, driving even more views to JW.

It seems so long ago now, but the whole thing was pretty much dead only a few weeks after the Fr. Paul thing in the summer of 2013. But thanks to The Diana, and with a lot of help from certain clerics in the chancery, JW was given an endless stream of things to fire back at, and fire back we did, which in turn produced tens of thousands of comments.

Ultimately it was the comments which drove the blog as more and more people would tune in just to see the comments, which exponentially drove up our numbers. And with each click up on the counter in the right side bar there was another "thump" of the tell-tale heart 'neath Apuron's bedroom floor.

By October 2013, those "thumps" from our counter began to drive Apuron crazy and he ran to Rome to try to shut me down - a move I learned about when on 10 October 2013 I received a cease and desist letter from Cardinal Edwin O'Brien, then-Grand Master of the Equestrian Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem:

Read more here.

It was when I received this letter from the Vatican that I knew that I was on to something, but still did not know what, because while I had heard rumors of what eventually led to Apuron's demise, I had no knowledge of it and knew no one who did. 

The question was why was Apuron so afraid about my then-little blog, and so afraid that he ran to Rome? I really had nowhere to go for answers but thanks to The Diana, JW continued to grow and the comments came flooding in. And within those comments were increasing references to "the Agat boys." 

The rest is history and I'm no longer interested in entertaining thousands of comments, or - as you can see - even posting. But, via a friend who sent me a copy of The Diana's recent post about JW, I was just reminded as to how The Diana helped JW become the powerhouse it became, and eventually led to the first ever "ridding" of a bishop, not only by the action of the laity, but in the face of absolute opposition from the Vatican, not just by O'Brien, but by the prelate who has now taken his place: Cardinal Fernando Filoni. 

By the way, five years after O'Brien ordered me to stop picking on Apuron, O'Brien was named by Archbishop Vigano as one of the prelates involved in the homosexual cabal in the Vatican (Page 5). 

NOTE: There's a lot more to the Apuron-O'Brien-Filoni connection. And maybe I'll get around to it. Meanwhile, if you have comments, visit the JungleWatch Facebook page and leave them there. 

Courage. 

WE HIT NINE MILLION WHEN WE WEREN'T EVEN LOOKING

And now views from 207 countries. The latest is Uzbekistan. 

And 44,000 views in the last 30 days and we hardly posted a thing. 

Hmmmm. 

What could be happening?

THIS IS NO SMALL DEAL. BISHOP SCHNEIDER IS ONE OF THE FEW.

Other POSTS about or referencing Bishop Schneider on this blog 

WHERE WE CAME FROM. WHERE WE'RE GOING.

Yesterday, December 29, 2019, there was an article in one of the local papers about the imposition of the pallium on Archbishop Byrnes. Essentially, publicly celebrates Archbishop Byrnes as the new Archbishop of Agana.

Imposition of pallium for Archbishop Michael Byrnes in January

Coincidentally (?) today, Facebook reminded me of the main event which eventually led to our new Archbishop.

The PDN article is no longer available, but the JungleWatch link is.

http://www.junglewatch.info/2014/12/apostolic-visitors-on-removal-of-fr.html?

GUAM CATHOLIC CHURCH - PERFECT STORM OF CONTROVERSY

Note: The article, though posted to the subject website on 12/17/19, appears to have been originally written and published just after the first announcement that Apuron had been found guilty. However, it is an article that JungleWatch hasn't seen before and it develops the backstory of Apuron's relationship with the NCW. 

Guam Catholic Church sees a “perfect storm” of controversy

HAGATNA, Guam (AP) — The Catholic Church on the Pacific island of Guam has been devastated by allegations that its longtime archbishop sexually abused altar boys. But even before the scandal broke, Guam‘s church was divided over another issue — the presence of a controversial European lay movement that became so toxic that a community of nuns fled to the mainland U.S. in despair. CONTINUED

WHAT DOES THE REPLACEMENT OF FILONI BY TAGLE MEANS FOR US ON GUAM

 (posted by Frenchie)

It has been a week now since the official announcement of the departure of Filoni as head of the Congregation for the Evangelization of people.

On many Catholic publication around the world, much has been made about Pope Francis choice for his replacement: Cdl Tagle of the Philippines.

Most of the Press in Italy, and around the world, has drawn parallels between the positions of Tagle and those of Pope Francis. Many have speculated that Francis has been laying the way for a possible successor . For us on Guam this is quite remote from our daily realities.

We know that he is knowledgeable about Guam, and that he is personally close to some of the priests on the island.

We can remember how he came to celebrate the anniversary of Msgr James,  at the Cathedral, before the latter fell victim to Apuron's accusationsof mismanagement and other issues.

This can be helpful, if some individuals resist the temptation of playing fast and loose with their private connection with the Cardinal.

Unfortunately we have learned the hard way, how some of our Priests have put their own interest ahead of the interest of the local and universal Church.

Therefore we should be very watchful, and pray intently, that these temptations do not come in the way of the efforts of Archbishop Byrnes to heal and correct the wrongs that were committed by priests that abused their position of authority.

It is our duty as parishioner to stay alert and demanding of our priests.

As far as the NCW is concerned, this is not good news. They loose one of their most devoted patron, and they have inherited instead a sometimes very critical observer.

Some of us at Junglewatch had watch with close concern the winning bidder of the Yona property.

All indications were leading to a possible reactivation of RMS in Yona, along the lines of the Tokyo and Macau latest development by Cardinal Filoni.

It is very interesting that only 4 days after the Red Pope was out of the picture, the "buyer" suddenly relented on their offer.

Tim should develop this interesting story in more details at a later date.

It looks like we came very closed to biting the bullet on that subject.

This new development is bringing us both opportunities and challenges.

Keep posted, and be watchful.

THE MORE IT CHANGES , THE MORE IT STAYS THE SAME.

(Posted by Frenchie)

Rumors had been running wild, in the Vatican for the last few weeks.

That is not really surprising in a place, where secret alliances, back stabbing and other shenanigans are held dear by a large part of some of the Princes of the Church.

Yet, the rumors became insistent  before the weekend,

and became official just over the weekend.

Cardinal Filoni, aka the red Pope was out of his job as head of the 

Congregation for the Evangelization of People.

That does not mean that Filoni is totally out of power, far from it.

He still sits on many important congregations, and has build an unparalleled 

network of patronage, and people that owe him favors.

Yet, his alliance with some of the conservatives in name only, in Rome, did not endear him to Francis or his cadre of liberation theologists.

While his former friend and temporary enemy Cardinal Pirolin suffered a 

one, two punch after the disaster of the negotiations with Beijing, where Filoni was also involved and severely criticized by Cardinal Zen, the emeritus Archbishop of Hong Kong and the de facto spiritual leader of Chinese Catholic; it put a damper on his stellar reputation of great diplomat.

There was also a long list of complaints by the Bishops of Japan about the authoritarian practices of Filoni.

We also are very well aware of the disastrous PR  that became the Scandal of Apuron, around the world, at a time when Francis did not need icing on his cake.
In fact the delaying tactics of Filoni, made several influential people very uncomfortable.

Finally his new tactic to open RMS under his direct tutelage and without really asking the local bishops, was a nail in the coffin.

The other defining factor was that Francis needed a high profile position to promote who is seen by many as an heir to the papal throne.

As you see, in Rome politics is always part of the picture.
The more it changes, the more it stays the same.

Next: what we can expect from his successor.

TANQUAM NON FUERIT - Part 3: "I THOUGHT THEY LIKED IT."

Per Parts 1 and 2 of this series, blaming "The World," and in this case, "The Sexual Revolution," for the latest installment of clergy perversions (it's definitely not the first time - see Book of Gomorrah), is not just wrong, it lays bare the real problem.

And here it is: 

The refusal of our Church leadership to own the fact that "As the Church goes, so goes the World," ... and NOT the other way around. 

And this fact ("As the Church goes...") is never clearer than in the facts which led up to the so-called "Sexual Revolution" - which our Church leadership apparently now wants to blame!!

Long before Woodstock (1969), and "The World's" orgasmic lust for "The Pill" - which essentially precipitated the sexual nirvana of sex without babies (i.e. consequences) - our Church (specifically Pope John 23) opened the Box (Pandora's) which led to both Woodstock and the Western World's rabid rush to contracept and abort itself out of existence.

In 1963, the now sainted Pope established The Pontifical Commission on Birth Control to examine the question as to whether or not Catholics could morally use The Pill to avoid pregnancy. 

It was an absurd proposition to begin with. 

The Church could never change GOD's design for the union of the procreative act with its procreative ends.

But it was the 1960's, and it appears Papa John wanted to show that...well, at least he "cared."

It's easy to see that John never intended the Commission to go anywhere. He only commissioned six non-theologians as members and separated the Commission from the Council (Vatican II), keeping personal control over it.

However, within weeks of opening both the Council and the Commission, something happened that John didn't plan on.

HE DIED. 

His successor, Paul VI, had the opportunity to close what should have never been opened. But it appears Paul (now also sainted) was even more eager to show the 1960's that he too "cared."

Instead of shutting down the investigation into a question that could only have one answer:

NO!

Paul expanded the Commission membership from the original 6 members to 72!, and included several secular members who cared little about THE CHURCH.

As you might imagine, the then-progressives in The Church went wild with glee. Paul's continuance  and sudden exponential expansion of the Commission could only mean one thing:

Catholics would soon copulate without the "threat" of babies,  just like everybody else! 

In fact, Paul all but sealed the deal, when, upon expanding the Commission in 1964, he said THIS:

"We say frankly that so far we do not have sufficient reason to consider the norms given by Pope Pius XII on this matter [of contraception] as out of date and therefore as not binding. They must be considered as valid, at least until We feel obliged in conscience to change them." - Paul VI Acta apostolicae sedis (AAS) 56 (1964) 588-59, 1964 address to the special papal commission on the use of contraceptives.

Anyone familiar with "pope-speak" will recognize that Paul isn't just giving his personal opinion (as Francis is so prone to do on airplanes), Paul is using the Papal "We," meaning, he is speaking magisterially, doctrinally, even dogmatically, and in the name of The Church. 

Amazingly, Paul cast his comments as a response to a previous Pope (Pius 12), and then lets us know that said "opinion" is subject to change if "We" (the papal We) feel obliged in conscience to change them." 

Read that again:

"until We feel obliged in conscience to change them." 

That one phrase opened the door for Catholics to, "in conscience," contracept, abort, divorce, engage in fornication and homosexual sex, vote for pro-abortion polices and politicians (i.e. the Kennedy's) and ultimately, for the Church's own priests and bishops, to rape and molest trusting young boys (and some girls) at will, in the name of "conscience" and "born that way." 

The now-dead, "Mass-Molester" (literally) of the Archdiocese of Agana, Fr. Louis Brouillard, even testified in a deposition:

"At that time, I did believe that the boys enjoyed the sexual contact and I also had gratification as well," 

Brouillard said in his affidavit. 

I.E. "IF IT FEELS GOOD, DO IT." 

Paul 6 even further cemented the idea that Catholics could make up their own mind about contraception in the very document he wrote to refute it: Humane Vitae:

6. However, the conclusions arrived at by the commission could not be considered by Us as definitive and absolutely certain, dispensing Us from the duty of examining personally this serious question. This was all the more necessary because, within the commission itself, there was not complete agreement concerning the moral norms to be proposed, and especially because certain approaches and criteria for a solution to this question had emerged which were at variance with the moral doctrine on marriage constantly taught by the magisterium of the Church.

Read that highlighted part again. 

Paul tells the Universal Church that the only reason what has always been "intrinsically evil" must remain "intrinsically evil" is due to the lack of a "complete agreement" (i.e. a unanimous vote) by something called a "commission."  

Well it was almost unanimous. Only 7 member of the 72 dissented. The majority voted in favor of lifting the Church's "ban" on birth control.

Paul tried to put the horses back in the barn on July 29, 1968, the date he promulgated Humanae Vitae. 

Woodstock would begin on August 15, 1969. 

No. It ain't the "sexual revolution...:

And NOTHING will change until we, the LAITY...call our leadership to account. And Guam has a good beginning.

CONTINUED

HEY PATRICK WALL, YOU DON'T KNOW CRAP 2.0

It's very interesting looking at these old posts with new comments.

http://www.junglewatch.info/2017/04/hey-patrick-wall-you-dont-know-crap.html?showComment=1574326271420#c616073848598925344