IT'S TIME FOR A CLARIFICATION

By Tim Rohr

Recently (in the last few days), a person known to me was invited (urged) to attend a “Neo catechesis” at the “Raina House” - the Neocat headquarters in Asan. 

Since the person known to me is not a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, the invitation appears to be the formation of a new community, or at least the expansion of an existing one. 

On March 27, 2023, then Vicar General Fr. Romy Convocar issued a MEMORANDUM re-affirming the 2017 INSTRUCTION of then Archbishop Michael Byrnes which placed a “‘pause’ on the formation of new (NCW) communities.”

Given that we are quite familiar with how the Neocat hierarchy historically squeezes around every word in every instruction which does not fully comport with what they want to do, it’s quite possible that they have interpreted the 2017 instruction to mean that there is no “pause” on expanding old communities - and thus are inviting “new” people to join establish communities. 

(NOTE: I was advised after this post that there is no such thing as the expansion of an existing community, so obviously the invite was to the formation of a new community.)

In any event, this is another matter that Archbishop Jimenez must immediately address, especially since it was the actions of the Neocat hierarchy which precipitated the mess that this archdiocese is now in, and that we are all being forced to pay for.

It’s time for a clarification: Exactly what is the Neocatechumenal Way in Guam permitted to do?

We need a new MEMORANDUM from the current Archbishop of Agana. No one else.  

Here is Archbishop Byrnes' INSTRUCTION:

KIKO: HE (GOD) WANTS US TO ANNOUNCE THE GOSPEL TO THE BISHOPS

By Tim Rohr

In the control cabin of the 'flying saucer': a Torah

Kiko is inviting 200 bishops for "a retreat" to his seaside space pad on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where he intends to "announce the Gospel" to them. And the communities are footing the bill. 

Here is the link to the original blog post in Italian. To read in English, try your browser translator. Otherwise here is a link to a Google Translation in PDF.

Just wondering if the Archbishop of Agana will be going. 

IVF AIN'T MAHA

LINK to online version

Donald Trump is considered to be the most pro-life president in U.S. history because he delivered on his promise to overturn Roe v Wade. However, his recent support for IVF (in-vitro fertilization) has been a cause of consternation for many hardline pro-lifers.

This is the problem when we opt for euphemisms instead of exact language. Pro-Lifers don’t like the label “anti-abortion,” and Pro-Choice-ers don’t like the label “pro-abortion,” but “life” and “choice” are not the issues. Abortion is.

Trump wasn’t even really anti-abortion. He was anti-Roe. He considered it bad law and he wasn’t alone. The late Justice Ginsburg, a staunch pro-abort, thought the same.

That said, I believe Trump is wrong about his support for IVF. However, at least for the purposes of this column, I am not opposing Trump’s position on moral grounds. I’ll explain that in a bit. But first, what is IVF?

Here’s a quick AI description: 1) The patient takes fertility drugs to stimulate the ovaries to produce eggs. 2) The eggs are removed from the ovaries. 3.) The eggs are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. 4) One or more fertilized eggs are transferred to the uterus. 5)Pregnancy occurs when the embryo attaches to the lining of the uterus.

So what is the problem? Isn’t IVF “pro-life?” Well, yes and no. (And that’s the problem with the language.) IVF is “pro-life” in that the intent is to bring about a new human. And IVF is not pro-life in that for every baby born, there are approximately 15-20 embryonic human beings who are “discarded."

According to the CDC, in 2021, there were 238,000 IVF procedures in the U.S. At 7 to 8 eggs per try, that’s a total of nearly 2 million embryos with only about 100,000 who made it. That means nearly 1.8 million embryonic humans were discarded in 2021, a number that is nearly one million more than the number of reported abortions for the same year.

Perhaps because we are just discarding a microscopic “thing” in a glass tube, it doesn’t bother us as much as “disassembling” a baby-looking thing in the womb - which is what abortion is. But if we are going to argue that life begins at conception, then it doesn’t matter if that child is being pulled out of a womb and dumped into a bio-waste can, or dumped out of a test tube into the same can.

Most institutional religions don’t have a clear position on IVF, but the Catholic Church does:

“Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques…infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage…They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. (CCC 2376-7)

However, according to a Pew poll, only 13% of Catholics believe IVF is wrong. So I can’t get worked up about Catholic pro-lifers criticizing non-Catholic Trump for his position. We need to get our own house in order first.

Meanwhile, though, the more tangible problem with Trump’s support of IVF is that it “ain’t" MAHA - RFK, Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again.”

MAHA is all about going beyond our band-aid medical culture, getting to the root cause of disease, and then doing something about it.

Infertility is as old as Abraham and Sarah, but it’s never been common. Today it is. The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 6 people globally experience infertility. The WHO defines infertility as a “disease” and lists IVF as a “treatment.”

Obviously, IVF is not a treatment for infertility. Just like so many medical “treatments,” it’s a temporary technological workaround. And what it “works around” is the “something else” that is wrong. And what is that?

Well we can start with the fact that women are waiting longer to have children and during this “waiting” many women are chemically altering their reproductive system (with the pill) to not to do the thing that nature wants to do (ovulate). So you might say nature is slapping back.

However, beyond that, and according to a study published in the Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) is the leading cause of infertility. And, according to the CDC, insulin resistance is a major cause of PCOS. And guess what is the major cause of insulin resistance? Bad diet and lifestyle. Surprise.

Bottom line: IVF “ain’t" MAHA.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com  

HE'S NOT GOING TO TELL US

By Tim Rohr

Archbishop Ryan Jimenez has released a letter apologizing for the incident at Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School in which a lay person posed as a priest and led what appeared to be a Eucharistic Procession and Adoration. 

We first posted a video of the incident on JungleWatch on February 7, 2025 under the title WHY IS A LAY PERSON DOING THIS? 

The post quickly attracted much attention with over 2000 views and 31 comments - not including the comments we didn't post because of anonymous accusations. Note: We do publish accusations but only when the accuser identifies him or herself by name - a real one. 

On March 8, 2025, more than one month since we initially posted about the incident, we posted TICK, TICK, TICK...THE SILENCE IS THE SCANDAL. 

In the post we noted that if there had been no one at the top (in the chancery) who approved "the incident," then an explanation and discipline of the action would have been immediately forthcoming. But since there had been nothing in more than a month, then the only explanation was that chancery officials were scrambling for cover. 

Three days after we called out the scandal, Archbishop Ryan Jimenez has released a letter that, in my opinion, increases the scandal. 

In his letter, Archbishop Jimenez takes responsibility for the incident, but only in his capacity as the ultimate authority in a sort of "the buck stops here" move. Sounds nice, but it tells us nothing. 

It tells us nothing about who authorized this false and scandalous act. Nor, does his letter tell us anything about disciplining the actors - especially the main actor who, pursuant to some of the comments, this playing priest is nothing new.

Instead, we are getting a slew of new documents and bureaucratic directives reminiscent of the slew of documents and bureaucratic directives responsive to the clergy sex abuse of children scandal during the last days of Apuron when in fact it was the very people drafting those documents and directives who we now know had molested the children or were covering for those who did.

Someone in the chancery authorized "the incident" and Archbishop Jimenez is not going to tell us who. Here's his letter.

TICK, TICK, TICK - THE SILENCE IS THE SCANDAL

By Tim Rohr

As of today, WHY IS A LAY PERSON DOING THIS has received 1,863 views, many times more than any other recent post. It has also generated 31 comments, also many times more than any recent post. 

What hasn't happened, as of today, is an explanation from Archbishop Ryan Jimenez. 

Now, on a personal level, I really don't care. It's not that big of a deal to me. Liturgical abuses, theological abuses, religious abuses, child abuses, none of that is new in this archdiocese. In fact, all are quite common. However, the fact that the Archbishop has remained silent about the incident smacks of the secrecy we suffered through with the last administration. 

If this particular abuse - as shown in the aforesaid post - had occurred without approval from anyone in the chancery, then we would have had a statement by now because it would have been easy to make. It would have been something to the effect of: 

"We apologize for the abuse of the Blessed Sacrament at Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School on February 11, 2025. The abuse occurred without our knowledge or approval and we have taken steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again."

But the fact that there has been no such statement nearly one month later, and given the massive attention to the incident on this blog, there are only two other possibilities:

1. The incident WAS approved by a "higher-up," (someone in the chancery - maybe even the archbishop), and the "higher-ups" have been scrambling to come up with a story to protect their own; or

2. The incident WAS approved, as set forth in No. 1, and the "higher-ups" are hiding and waiting for the story to go away.

Hiding, waiting, lying, scrambling, deflecting, secrecy...all of that - we have seen too many times before -  from the arrest of a certain Neocat priest at an Agat beach in 2015 and his mysterious disappearance soon after, to the sudden disappearance of Apuron himself the night after his first accuser came forward. 

This measly little incident with a layman playing priest at a school event is nothing compared to the other scandals we have suffered through, but it is a scandal nonetheless. And the silence is making the scandal bigger by the day. In fact, the SILENCE is the SCANDAL.

So, just like the old days when we waited and waited on "the chancery" to comment on other mysteries (and got only lies or nothing at all), we're going to start a count up counter and see how long it takes. We'll put the counter in the right side bar as well. 

Tick, tick, tick.

NOTE: The counter was removed after an explanation was provided by Archbishop Jimenez on March 11, 2025

THE APURON CIVIL TRIAL - 1

Parties in Apuron clergy abuse cases seek more time

By Julianne Hernandez Pacific Daily News 

Attorneys in the clergy sex abuse and defamation case against former Archbishop Anthony Apuron are seeking more time to finalize schedules for depositions.

Plaintiffs’ attorney Delia Lujan Wolff and defense attorney Jacqueline Taitano Terlaje appeared before District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood on Thursday to discuss the status of the case. 

CONTINUED

I SHALL PRAY FOR GUAM

It's been a few years since THE POPE'S EXORCIST hit the big screen, but it's worth reminding ourselves that there are bad guys among us and at least Russell Crowe is praying "for Guam." 😂 

GOOD NEWS!

LINK to online version

Good news! According to the 2024 abortion report - as compiled by the Department of Public Health and Social Services Bureau of Vital Statistics - no one identifying as Chamorro (the report uses this spelling) procured an abortion in 2024.

That’s good news because between 2008 - when The Esperansa Project began requesting the reports - and 2017, the last full year an established abortion practitioner practiced in Guam, women identifying their ethnicity as Chamorro accounted for 1,502 abortions - about 60% of the total.

After the last abortion doctor retired in 2018, no local doctors were willing to openly offer abortion services, so there wasn’t much data for a few years. However, that changed a couple years ago when two doctors in Hawaii got Guam medical licenses and now do chemical abortions via teleconference and mail-order abortion drugs.

A Freedom of Information Act request to Jayne Flores, Director of Bureau of Women’s Affairs, turned up documents demonstrating that Jayne (and presumably her boss) actively recruited the Hawaii physicians to abort Guam babies, and beyond that, to initiate a lawsuit against our own government with the help of the ACLU.

The two doctors are Shandhini Raidoo and Bliss Kaneshiro, and their services are advertised on our taxpayer funded Bureau of Women’s Affairs website. The medical practices of Raidoo and Kaneshiro are private businesses and they are getting free advertising thanks to Jayne and our tax dollars. What a deal!

Moving on.

The thrust of the suit from these two doctors was to get rid of Guam’s in-person counseling requirement for women seeking an abortion. The Guam District Court initially ruled in favor of Jayne and her abortion friends, however, the Ninth Circuit vacated the District Court ruling and upheld Guam law.

The short of it is that these doctors can oversee chemical abortions in Guam from Hawaii so long as women seeking abortions get the required local counseling first. According to the 2024 report there were 36 abortions in Guam but no information about who is providing the required in-person counseling.

Meanwhile, whoever is providing the counseling is very probably counseling local women to identify their ethnicity as “Pacific Islander” and not “Chamorro.” This appears to be the only explanation for how Chamorro abortions went from 60% of the total for at least a decade down to nothing, and Pacific Islander abortions, since 2017, jumped 625% and now account for 80% of the total.

The dramatic shift in the ethnic numbers appears to be a response to the increasing cries of “Chamorro genocide” by myself and others. What else can it be called? According to census numbers, Chamorros account for only 30% of Guam’s population, yet the abortion reports, at least up until the latest report, show Chamorros accounting for 60% of all abortions.  

So, the response to our cries of “Chamorro genocide” from the pro-aborts appears to have been “stop checking the Chamorro box and just check Pacific Islander.” And voila! No more abortions of Chamorro children.

This is rather sad and laughable given that the biggest public promoters of abortion are also the biggest public promoters of distinguishing the cultural and ethnic identity of the Chamorro from the generic “Pacific Islander.”

Even the U.S. Census makes this distinction: “In 2020, Guam’s population was 153,836…The Chamorro population was the largest detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group.”

However, when it comes to abortion reporting, or at least now in 2024 and presumably going forward, suddenly the Chamorro is just a “Pacific Islander.”

Why do they want to hide? Didn’t our governor and culture warriors like Michael Bevacqua preach to us about how abortion was and is a venerable cultural practice and in fact a demonstration of a Chamorro woman’s “symbolic societal power?”

Quoting Bevacqua: “[W]omen in Guam were more than merely vessels for their communities—they were empowered to make decisions about their bodies and families…we see clear matrilineal/matrifocal dimensions, where lineage and symbolic societal power resides primarily with women…research has also found evidence dating back to the 18th century showing that women in Guam…have utilized a variety of methods to induce miscarriage or end their pregnancies, as well as to use birth control and other methods to control their fertility.”

Given that as of 2024 the number of abortions for Chamorro women was zero, women in Guam are apparently no longer interested in asserting “symbolic societal power” by exterminating their own offspring. They’re leaving that to the “Pacific Islanders.”

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

WHY HIDE THE CHAMORU?

 

LINK to online article

Of the women, 81%, or 29 out of the 36 women, identified themselves as Pacific Islander.

O’Mallan, however, pointed out the report does not break down ethnicity further.

“How many of that are CHamoru and how many of that are outer island people? It’s not distinguished there. So, that’s one of our concerns,” she said.

MY NOTE: It's "interesting" who we want the CHamoru to NOT be lumped in with "the rest" of "Pacific Islanders" in just about everything, except for when we count abortions. Why hide? 

Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, her abortion lieutenant Jayne Flores, and columnist Michael Bevacqua have publicly bragged about how abortion has a special cultural heritage in CHamoru history. But now they're hiding it? Why? 

The previous abortion reports always distinguished the CHamoru as its own ethnicity, and reports showing the CHamoru as the leading procurer of abortion should make the above named people proud. Right?

In any event, we can solidly assume that the ratio is the same.

BTW. The U.S. Census distinguishes Chamorro (CHamoru) from other Pacific Islanders.

Demographic Characteristics

In 2020, Guam’s population was 153,836. The profile released today provides demographic characteristics about the population, including information on racial and ethnic composition.

• The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population was the largest race group, with 70,809 people identifying as Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone. Overall, 83,368 people reported Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone or in combination with another race group, such as Asian.
  • The Chamorro population was the largest detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group.
    • In 2020, 50,420 people identified as Chamorro alone with no additional detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group or race group.
    • In 2020, 63,035 people identified as Chamorro alone or in any combination with another detailed Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander group or race group, such as Pohnpeian or Asian.

COMMENT ON WHY THE NCW IS A CULT

The following is a comment posted on JW today on a post from 2017 titled TESTIMONY: WHY THE NCW IS A CULT. (The comment has been edited into paragraphs for easier reading.)

+++++

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "TESTIMONY: WHY THE NCW IS A CULT.":

I can attest and support this experience to be true and accurate. As well I was in the NCW for many years and faced many of the same challenges and issues on a different level. It is very secretive, a lot of psychological abuse targeting on younger individuals “the youth” especially those with difficult backgrounds “histories”: domestic violence, alcohol abuse, substance abuse, parental abuse, parent separation, psychological issues, low self esteem, unique backgrounds and pasts “the history”, and other aspects of human suffering to mold them into their own way of thinking. 

The NCW also has developed a weird European accent as well: fashion of dark clothes, growing the beards out, glasses like the creator of the NCW. As well a fond liking of Judaism such as speaking very fondly on occasion on the Jewish faith, wearing of the Jewish Star of David for jewelry, Which is contrary of Christianity and considered heresy to the Christian Faith and Doctrine. 

The NCW in my personal experience is very manipulative to controlling the family dynamics. Anyone who thinks or goes against the rules of the NCW is treated as an outsider and discarded. Their defense is also written in this person’s experience that they refer to the Bible of the person “Rejecting God” which is another heresy and misinterpretation of scripture and the teachings of Christ. 

The last and final point I’d like to make which in my defense is the most dangerous of all the things is that the NCW teaches that if you are not in the way you don’t love God because you don’t want to do “God’s Will” which “You Don’t have Faith”, and if you are not in “The Way” you will be lost. Which is the biggest mistake to say which can lead people astray from the true teachings of Jesus Christ, His Love, Mercy, and True Will for every person. And depending on the circumstances of the person could lead to their self destruction of their faith, their life, their loved ones, their future, and overall wellbeing. 

For someone to say this means all those who do not participate in the NCW is lost and therefore doomed. Therefore those who have been baptized and are not in the way are lost, meaning the Mission of the Son of God was a failure and a lie (Heresy) For the mission of Jesus Christ was to enter this World and to die for our sins so that there may be a hope that we may enter into Heaven through the teachings of Jesus. Rather than before to hell since before the resurrection and the death of Christ there was no chance of entering Heaven. 

Refer to the life of Christ in the New Testament (The Gospels). I encourage all who read this not to be filled with anger or to be quick to judgement but to consider what this individual is saying. I can tell you if you have any doubts or questions pray and ask for understanding because this individual speaks the truth. I pray whoever wrote this that the Lord helps you, guides you, and heals you with peace and understanding that this all was meant for a reason to educate others. God Bless. Remember Matthew chapter 7:15

+++++

NOTE: The picture at the top of this post is taken from an article titled THE MISUSE OF JEWISH SYMBOLS

COMING UP

 

ABORTION REPORT-GUAM: 2024

Copied from the website of the Guam Pro-Life Committee:

The Guam Catholic Pro-Life Committee has recently obtained the “2024 Abortion Report” from the Bureau of Vital Statistics of Guam’s Department of Public Health and Social Services. Guam law (10 GCA 3218) requires abortion providers to submit basic information about abortions committed on Guam to the government and for the government to produce and make available an annual report of those records.

Here is a summary:

• 36 chemical abortions were reported. All were voluntary, none were done “therapeutic”.
• All were performed by prescriptions issued by the Queen’s University Medical Group in Hawaii.
• In all cases the gestational age of the fetus was 11 weeks or younger.
• 29 out of the 36 mothers (81%) identified themselves as “Pacific Islander”.
• 26 of the 36 mothers (72%) were 23 years of age or older. 1 out the 36 mothers (3%) was a minor.
• 24 of the 36 mothers (67%) had previous pregnancies.
• 22 of the 36 (61%) mothers had other living children.
• 19 of the 36 mothers (53%) were married.
• 17 of the 36 mothers (47%) had a college degree or some college education.

One or more of the following is more likely than not to be true about a mother pursuing abortion on Guam: she is older than 23, married, was pregnant before or has other living children. Nearly half of the mothers had at least some college education.

Here is the report that you may download and view: 

APURON TRIAL:UPDATE

From the Minutes of Status Conference on Feb. 13, 2025.

PROCEEDINGS: Status Conference

 Parties informed the court that they reached an agreement for the deposition dates of off-island deponents which will be scheduled March 24-28, 2025, and March 31 through April 4, 2025. Parties agreed to do a check-in with Magistrate Judge Bordallo during the deposition days at 8:00 AM (ChST) with regard to any objections or discovery issues.

 Parties agreed to and requested for an extension for defendant to respond to request for admissions and interrogatories to February 21, 2025, and to extend the discovery motions deadline to April 30, 2025.

 Ms. Lujan Wolff to disclose to Ms. Terlaje the compensation agreement of her clients and to redact any other names other than her client. Ms. Terlaje to provide the names and contact information for defendant's canon lawyers to Ms. Lujan Wolff. Counsel shall exchange information by 12 noon on February 19, 2025.

 Court to issue order setting a further hearing date and deadlines. 

BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY

LINK to online version

Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, and the Fourth of July, all of which have identifiable origins, Valentine’s Day (like Halloween) is a holiday for no apparent reason.

Sure, there is evidence that St. Valentine was a real person who was martyred near the end of the 3rd Century. However, the Catholic Church has many saints and, but for St. Patrick, there is no secular holiday for them like there is for St. Valentine.

There is speculation that Valentine became associated with love and marriage because he was executed for secretly marrying Christian couples. And the phrase “from your Valentine” is said to have come from a note Valentine had written on the day of his execution to his jailer’s blind daughter whom he had healed.

No matter the origin of the holiday or the legend, February 14, which in 496, is the day Pope Gelasius declared as the day Valentine was martyred, has become the day we particularly celebrate “love and marriage.”

Today we take for granted that love and marriage go together, and in that order. But history doesn’t reflect this. Historically, marriage and children went together and love came later, if at all.

I am reminded of the lovely song in Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye asks Golde: “Do you love me?” Over the following verses, Golde avoids answering, saying (singing) that for 25 years “I washed your clothes, cooked your meals, cleaned your house, given you children, milked your cow…”

But Tevye insists: “But do you love me?” Finally Golde relents and responds “After 25 years…I suppose I do.” Then the two end in a sweet duet singing: “It doesn't change a thing, but even so. After twenty-five years…it’s nice to know.”

For most of history (and still in some parts of the world), marriage was about the survival of our species, not love. Our laws still reflect this reality.

A few years ago when Guam’s marriage laws were being challenged on the basis of “love is love” and we should be able to marry whomever we love, I did a study of the marriage laws in every U.S. state and territory, and the word “love” did not appear.

Here’s the relevant part of Guam’s law:

10 GCA § 3101. What Constitutes Marriage. Marriage is a personal relation arising out of a civil contract, to which the consent of parties capable of making that contract is necessary. Consent alone will not constitute marriage; it must be followed by a solemnization authorized by this Title.

10 GCA § 3206. Particular Form Not Necessary. No particular form for the ceremony of marriage is required, but the parties must declare in the presence of the person solemnizing the marriage that they take each other as husband and wife, or as spouses.

The phrase “or as spouses” was added after the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage, but still no mention of “love.” So much for the argument “love is love.”

Even the famous case, Loving v Virginia, which formed much of the basis for the argument for same-sex marriage, never mentions “love.” (The plaintiffs’ name notwithstanding.)

The Lovings were a biracial couple who were denied married status in Virginia in 1967. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that marriage between two people of different races could not be denied because marriage “is a basic civil right of man fundamental to our existence and survival.”

The Court did not spell out what “survival” meant because it was referencing a precedent case, Skinner v Oklahoma, wherein the Court spelled it out: “We are dealing here with legislation which involves one of the basic civil rights of man. Marriage and procreation are fundamental to the very existence and survival of the race.”

Of course this is a reflection of what God himself says to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1: 28. Upon creating them “male and female,” God doesn’t say “go and love each other.” Instead he orders them to “be fruitful and multiply.”

So where does love come in?

It really didn't enter marriage until the advent of Christianity. Prior to Paul telling men to love their wives “as Christ loves the Church” (Eph. 5:25), a wife was nothing more than a man’s property.

So it is fitting that a day dedicated to “love and marriage” is founded on a Christian martyr, a Catholic saint, who lost his head for marrying Christian couples, even if it's only a legend.

Happy Valentine's Day. Be fruitful and multiply. 

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

TOP VIEWS LAST SEVEN DAYS

 

SURROGACY: "A STEW OF CORRUPTION AND EXPLOITATION"

"Already surrogacy has led to incredibly corrupt and perverse practices. Also this week, perhaps too late for The Economist to take into account, Thai police and Interpol uncovered a human-eggharvesting scheme which kept three young Thai women in virtual slavery."

READ ON 

GET YOUR ABORTIONS HERE!

As posted on the website of the Bureau of Women's Affairs, Government of Guam. 

It's what you're paying for. It's what you voted for. Twice.

The need for children is great, says The Economist: “According to one study published in 2006, there were around 1m parents in America who wanted to adopt a child, yet only 51,000 children were placed with agencies for adoption each year.” That’s obviously because about 950,000 American babies are aborted each year. If none of them had been aborted, perhaps all those parents would have been able to adopt a child. - SOURCE

 

WAITING TO BE DEPOSED

By Tim Rohr

With the recent news about the District Court Judge putting the squeeze on the attorneys involved with Apuron's personal case to "get this done," I am looking forward to a subpoena that I will probably never get. 

If anyone should be deposed in this case it should be me, since - per Apuron and his Neocat troops - I am the leader of the conspiracy that took him down:

Apuron said this climate, "shown by the local media, which hampered the work of the court of first instance, testifies to the presence of a pressure group that plotted to destroy me, and which has made itself clearly known even to authorities in Rome." - USA TODAY, April 4, 2019

"God is my witness; I am innocent and I look forward to proving my innocence in the appeals process," the statement read. - CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY, August 28, 2018

The church meanwhile is also accusing Martinez of being part of a conspiracy or the "Rohr Group" to topple the archbishop. (KUAM, June 3, 2016. Also see Apuron's press releases here and here.)

In 2012, a blog called “Jungle Watch” was created online, attacking Archbishop Apuron and the Neocatechumenal Way, accusing them of manipulating the prelate and “colonizing” the entire Agaña diocese. The site is managed by Tim Rohr, a real estate agent employed by Msgr. Benavente and involved in the projected sale of the seminary. - La Stampa. Sep. 21, 2017 

The above is only a fraction of the number of accusations that were hurled at me by everyone from The Diana to La Stampa. 

The plan, of course, was to vilify and discredit me in order to exonerate Apuron. Well, now's their chance. I stand ready to be deposed. Meanwhile, the lawyers can read everything I know right here on this blog and especially summarized in detail in two series: ORCHESTRATED and HIGH DRAMA IN THE AOA.  

Let's do this, DIANA. Call Jackie and "Let's get this done." 

 

JUDGE: "LET'S GET THIS DONE!"

 Judge firm on former archbishop Apuron's September trial in Guam clergy sex abuse cases

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood is firm on a September trial of former archbishop Anthony Apuron in a handful of clergy sexual abuse cases and a defamation suit, even as the dates of depositions tentatively planned in Las Vegas have yet to be finalized. CONTINUED

WHY IS A LAY PERSON DOING THIS...

....at Bishop Baumgartner Memorial School, Guam? Who is responsible?

Feb. 11, 2025. The following is Tim Rohr's response to some questions that have come up in the comments. 

Lay persons are permitted to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion, however, even this permission is subject to the following:

“Extraordinary ministers may distribute Holy Communion at eucharistic celebrations only when there are no ordained ministers present or when those ordained ministers present at a liturgical celebration are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion.They may also exercise this function at eucharistic celebrations where there are particularly large numbers of the faithful and which would be excessively prolonged because of an insufficient number of ordained ministers to distribute Holy Communion”

ON CERTAIN QUESTIONS REGARDING THE COLLABORATION OF THE NON-ORDAINED FAITHFUL IN THE SACRED MINISTRY OF PRIEST

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_interdic_doc_15081997_en.html

To emphasize that the Extraordinary minister is truly “extra” and not “ordinary,” the same document goes on to warn against “ the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of ‘a great number of the faithful’”.

In the above incident, a lay person is not assisting with the distribution of Holy Communion, but processing with the Holy Eucharist and apparently leading a liturgical function. Moreover, he is dressed in the vestments of a priest when he is not a priest - which is no more allowed than to dress as policeman when you’re not a policeman. 

However, the real issue is not the actor in the video but those who permitted this at what appears to be a school function. On a larger scale, the real problem is the abuse of the permit for extraordinary ministers who are employed at seemingly every Mass even when there are not a “great number of the faithful” and ordinary ministers (priests and deacons) are readily available to help. This is wrong. 

 

EXPEDITE DIVORCE CASES INVOLVING MINOR CHILDREN

LINK to online version

In 1997, Guam enacted a law authorizing no-fault divorce (P.L. 24-134). The legislative intent was “to reduce the pains that such turbulence causes in the lives of our people, especially our children.” In other words, if we let couples divorce more easily then we will have less conflict and healthier children.

The opposite has happened. Just read the news. Busted families and damaged children abound, with much of the burden falling to schools and teachers to try to put children back together again before they are able to teach them anything.

While I can’t prove causation, there is at least a demonstrable correlation between the rate of family fragmentation and the increasing number of children diagnosed with an ever widening array of dysfunctional behaviors and developmental disorders.

Since the legislature is never going to rescind the sacred cow of no-fault divorce (aka “irreconcilable differences”), there is something the legislature can and should do to address at least part of the fallout: expedite divorce cases involving minor children.

Right now, the only thing expedited is child support - wherein one parent is forced to pay the other simply because “the other” has the kids.

Because our society assumes that Mommy has the kids because Daddy left, our system has no problem immediately punishing Daddy. However, statistics from Divorce.com show that women initiate 69% of divorces, and in cases where a parent makes off with the children, MissingKids.com says that “mothers are the most common abductors.”

Contrary to common opinion, stealing your own children is not a crime if there is no custody order. A parent can simply pack up the children, abandon the marriage, file for divorce, and hold the children hostage.

Once divorce is filed, the child support law is mobilized and the parent without the kids is forced to pay the parent with the kids regardless of why the other parent has the kids in the first place.

The abandoned parent can fight to get his or her kids back, but that fight - usually an expensive one - is fought in the divorce court, not the child support court. And because the divorce is not expedited (as is child support), it can take months or even years for final custody to be determined.

It is ironic that among the stated purposes of our current Child Support Guidelines there is this:

“To eliminate the animosity associated with financial incentives to take sole custody of children (and) to prevent the Guidelines from being misconstrued as an income redistribution tool.”

It’s ironic because this is precisely what the Guidelines inadvertently encourage. Because the law immediately penalizes the abandoned parent and rewards the abandoning/"kidnapping" parent before any fault is determined, there exists the incentive for the abandoning parent to financially punish the abandoned parent so that he/she runs out of money and is unable to pursue the actual case.

Add to this the constant pressure by both attorneys and the courts to “settle,” and the abandoned parent is on a fast track to giving up - which is usually what the abandoning parent wants.

We already have a law on the books which mandates the best possible legal recourse in such sad situations. 19GCA§8404 requires “that children spend as much time with each of their parents as possible, when the parents are not living together.”

However, we first have to get into court to get the order, and as already mentioned, this can take a long time - precious time for a child whose psyche is being damaged by the day.

To make things even worse for an already traumatized child, in cases of parental “kidnapping,” there is usually also the manipulation of the child by the “kidnapper” parent to despise or even forget the other parent - otherwise known as “parental alienation.”

This happens, as one expert says, “when a parent hates the other parent more than he or she loves the child.” The more time the alienating parent has to do this, the more the child will be alienated from the abandoned parent, and, given the aforementioned correlation, the child becomes increasingly prone to developing dysfunctional behaviors and developmental disorders.

In “the best interest of the child” - a judicial mantra, the only way forward at this point, given the irreversible damage permitted by our divorce laws, is to expedite divorce cases involving minor children so that the child - as the law already requires - “can spend as much time with each parent as possible” - and as soon as possible.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com     

GUILTY OF DELICTS AGAINST THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT WITH MINORS

By Tim Rohr

I'm sure Apuron - wherever he is - would like to tell The Diana to "JUST SHUT UP" because she (if it's a she) is the only one keeping Apuron's name in play - giving us at JW something to talk about and to keep our millions of views going (which average 1/4 to 1/2 million per month).

In a Jan. 18, 2025 post, "Responding to Anonymous," The Diana attempts - once again - to declare Apuron innocent of child sex abuse charges, stating:

"The Vatican never specified the offense Apuron was found guilty of." 

The Diana's argument is based on the nebulously worded Vatican verdict of March 16, 2018 which stated that the Vatican had found "the accused guilty of certain of the accusations."

The Diana and the Kiko-ites have hung on to this as proof that Apuron was not found guilty of sexually abusing minors:

"...the Vatcan press release never listed those "other accusations" nor did they specified (sic) what offenses they found him guilty of. As many canon lawyers pointed out, the offense could not be child sexual abuse because Apuron still retained his title as Bishop. Other bishops, such as Cardinal McCarrick, who was found guilty of child sexual abuse, were laicized."

This may have flown for awhile, but Apuron sunk himself when he appealed because the Vatican decision denying his appeal made it very clear what he was found guilty of:

PDF

P.S. Dear Diana. You're welcome. 

IF DID NOTHING WRONG, THEN WHY DID HE RUN?

By Tim Rohr

The Diana has a new post titled THE TRUTH ABOUT CCOG (Concerned Catholics of Guam). It's been nearly seven years and two archbishops since Pope Francis removed Apuron and banned him from Guam, so why is The Diana posting about this now?

There are lots of reasons, but it probably has nothing to do with love for Apuron. Apuron's removal was a black eye for Kiko and his Klan, so it's probably more about fixing that black eye so the NCW can reinsert itself back into Guam as well as continue its expansion around the world.  

The Diana, as usual, does a lot of jumping to conclusions by trying to connect very distant dots. Ultimately, her story is the same: Apuron was framed by Tim Rohr and the CCOG, blah, blah, blah... Supposedly we did this to cash in on a Chinese casino, or massive real estate deals, or whatever. 

Well seven years later and I have yet to realize a single cent and no one from the CCOG has either. So much for that theory. 

Despite The Diana's best efforts to resurrect Apuron and "untarnish" him, the bottom line is that Apuron ran away after one - just one - accuser came forward: Roy Quintanilla in May 2016. Apuron was on a plane to Rome the very next day and never returned. 

If he had done nothing wrong then why did he run? He pronounced himself guilty when he did that. 

-----

NOTE: By they way, the article from the Catholic News Agency where I pulled the above picture refers to Apuron as "Emeritus Archbishop..." Hmmmm. 

Vatican City, Apr 4, 2019 / 10:01 am

Emeritus Archbishop Anthony Apuron of Agaña said Thursday that despite the failure of his appeal and the confirmation of a conviction against him, he is innocent of sexual abuse against minors.

YOU GOTTA STAY AT THE PARTY

By Tim Rohr

This will be a little different post than the JW usual. In fact, I should post it over at my other "Catholic" blog. Nevertheless, I'll post it here since this blog has a higher readership and this view may help someone that isn't necessarily looking for a "religious" perspective.

This past Sunday's gospel reading was the familiar "Wedding at Cana" whereat Jesus performs his first miracle. I'll copy the reading in full before sharing my thoughts:

Gospel. John 2:1-11

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee,

and the mother of Jesus was there.

Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.

When the wine ran short,

the mother of Jesus said to him,

“They have no wine.”

And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, how does your concern affect me?

My hour has not yet come.”

His mother said to the servers,

“Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings,

each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus told them,

“Fill the jars with water.”

So they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them,

“Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.”

So they took it. 

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine,

without knowing where it came from

— although the servers who had drawn the water knew —,

the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him,

“Everyone serves good wine first,

and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one;

but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee

and so revealed his glory,

and his disciples began to believe in him. 

The usual sermon following this Gospel usually revolves around the unique roll of the Blessed Mother - even getting God the Son to do something he didn't want to do. In fact, it could be said she got him to do something that he wasn't supposed to do: "My hour has not yet come." 

Much can be said about this Gospel passage and much usually is. I particularly like this Gospel because it says so much about who the Blessed Mother is and what she can do for us poor creatures.

It was a few years ago when I suppose I finally matured enough to see something in this story that I've never heard before, and it's sort of a shame that we don't hear something said about this.

The key verse is when the headwaiter says to the groom: “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.”

Of course, neither the headwaiter nor the groom knew at first what really happened, though I suppose later everyone found out because the gospel goes on to say "and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him."

As is usually the case, a single scripture passage or an account like this one can hold many meanings, and the great meaning for me is "you gotta stay at the party." 

When the wine ran out, probably some people left. There was obviously a disturbance in the party because the Blessed Mother was troubled enough to go to Jesus to fix the problem. And for those who stayed at the party, well, they got the best wine.

So, in short, and this is nothing new, God saves the best for last - for those who "endure to the end" as St. Paul tells us. And since this miracle occurs at a wedding, I believe it is a special message about marriage: endure to the end because God saves the best for last - for those who endure to the end. 

Stay at the party - even after the wine runs out. 

HANDLING ESTRANGEMENT

LINK to online version

In my previous column, I addressed what a Time magazine article calls the “epidemic of estrangement.” According to the article, one in two Americans is estranged from a close relative with estrangement usually occurring between a parent and an adult child.

I shared how I had personally experienced estrangement with multiple adult children and promised to share how I dealt with it.

At first, I didn’t. I was in shock. Without getting into personal details, I’ll just say it was sudden and incomprehensible. There was no fight, no disagreement. After many years of a normal and mostly warm parent-child relationship, there was a sudden “I never want to see you again.” And then I was blocked, cancelled, erased. It’s been nearly eight years.

A couple of my daughters actually did their “I never want to see you again” message on social media and included some pretty terrible accusations. As horrible as this was at the time, it turned out to be helpful.

Friends who saw those postings - even though they were as shocked and saddened as I was - reached out to me. One of those friends was a social worker who recognized the elements of the associated phenomenon of “parental alienation.”

I say “associated” because alienation and estrangement are two different things. Alienation is the manipulation of a child (adult or not) by one parent to turn on the other, whereas estrangement is the adult child (or other relative) acting on his or her own. In either case, the end is the same: the sudden and baseless isolation and estrangement of the “target,” who is usually a loving parent.

Thanks to the article that my social worker friend sent me, I quickly recognized that I was not alone. Understanding you are not alone is probably the most important thing since the sudden shock of being cut off, cancelled, and erased by a loved one can lead to a most intense loneliness that can quickly descend into self-harm.

So that’s one of the reasons I am writing this column: to let you - if you have experienced this - know that you are not alone.

In my case, the shock was exponentially intensified by my daughters trashing me on social media, and later, some very hurtful accusations filed in court which the local media picked up and blasted all over the news for nearly a week in May 2018.

It is coincidental (?) that all this happened just weeks after the Vatican had found then-Archbishop Apuron “guilty of “sexual abuse of minors,” a matter in which “Tim Rohr and his associates” (Apuron’s words) had played a "conspiratorial" role. But said “coincidence” is a topic for another column.  

Through it all, though, I was surrounded and supported by people who had known me for many of the thirty years I and my family had thus far lived in Guam.

Part of this support was a result of my own action and I would recommend you do this. I immediately contacted friends and neighbors and calmly assured them that the accusations were false. The fact that I didn’t hide or run away had much to do with my own self-confidence and also brought relief to those who wanted to have confidence in me.

It helped that I had no history of being or acting anything like what I was being accused of, so, as the saying goes: “don’t do in the dark what you wouldn’t do in the light.” You never know when you are going to need your “history.”

So, establishing support is number one. The second thing is educate yourself. Starting with the article my friend sent me, I soon found ever more information and support in every possible format - especially on YouTube where I heard the stories of other parents who could have been telling my exact same story.

The third thing - and this was hard - was for me to go “all business” - to see the whole affair objectively and to deal with my accusers as accusers and not loved ones. In a way, the absurdity and falsity of their accusations helped. They left me no hope of reconciliation, and it’s the false hope of reconciliation that keeps you paralyzed and leads to self-harm.

Lastly - and I’ll have more to say about this in another column - was understanding that once my children reached age 18 I had no right to them. My job was done. So I forgave them, gave them back to God, and moved on. I recommend you do the same.

Tim Rohr has resided in Guam since 1987. He has raised a family of 11 children, owned several businesses, and is active in local issues via his blog, JungleWatch.info, letters to local publications, and occasional public appearances. He may be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com