COURAGEOUS? NOT!

By Tim Rohr

Archbishop Ryan Jimenez has published the court-ordered "Disclosure Statements" naming those persons "named in the sexual abuse lawsuits."

I assume most readers will focus on the names. However, I want to focus on Jimenez' use of the word "courageous" in his "accompanying letter" to describe the abused:

"...the Archdiocese responded to the mandate of the 287 courageous men and women who revealed their childhood suffering at the hands of members of the Church."

There were not 287 "courageous men and women." There were four: Roy Quintanilla, Walter Denton, Roland Sondia, and Doris Concepcion (for her deceased son, Joseph "Sonny" Quinata). 

Just about everyone else hid behind their initials in their court filings. The few who did use their real names - and I can only think of one - Apuron's nephew, Mark Apuron - did so well after there was a law in place to protect them: the law lifting the civil statute of limitations permitting accusers to sue their abusers and the institutions to which the alleged abusers belonged or were employed by.

Roy, Walter, Roland, and Doris came forward well before there was any law to protect them and in doing so wrought the wrath of Apuron upon them as he threatened to sue them both civilly and canonically:

"...the Archdiocese of Agana is in the process of taking canonical and legal measures against those perpetrating these malicious lies." - Archdiocese of Agana, Media Release, May 31, 2016

I have shared this many times, but it needs to be continually shared. These four did not demand compensation, they demanded an apology - only an apology. At that point, Apuron could have put out a statement saying "I'm sorry, but I did not abuse you" and it probably would have all been over. 

But he didn't. While he did state that he did not abuse them, he also threatened to sue them for saying so.

Archdiocese plans to sue for ‘malicious lies’ again - Pacific Daily News, June 1, 2016

(Note: The funny-tragic reality about all this is that Apuron had already run away. These threats were made by the arch-neocats, Adrian and Edivaldo, who had occupied Apuron's throne after he high-tailed it to Rome.) 

That set off the chain reaction which led to all the horror which followed, including the Church's bankruptcy. 

Still, things may not have gotten very far if not for the machinations of "the Red Pope," the Kiko's man in Rome - who, as we would later discover - was the wizard pulling all the levers.

After sending his right hand man, Archbishop Hon, to Guam to put down the rebellion - and it was an anti-neo rebellion as much as it was a rebellion against Apuron's sex abuse of minors, the Red Pope, probably via influence from the Neocat generals (you know who they are), ridiculed the legislation Senator Frank Blas, Jr. had put forward to lift the civil statute of limitations on sex crimes against minors. 

Archbishop Hon: "In two weeks this will die down." - June 12, 2016

Frank's bill, though, did not include institutional liability, leaving little to no reason for lawyers to take up the cause against perpetrators who for the most part had no material assets and several of whom were dead. 

Upon the Red Pope's orders, Hon ridiculed the legislation and that set off the lay-person-run move to amend the legislation to include institutional liability - enabling the abused to sue the archdiocese - or more specifically - the Archbishop of Agana, a Corporate Sole. 

As we know, the bill, after gut-wrenching emotional testimony by Apuron's survivors (the four of them), passed the Legislature unanimously, and, after one last attempt by the Red Pope to stop it via a petition ordered by Hon, was signed into law in September 2016. 

After the neocat-controlled Hon was run out of town and was replaced by the soon to be Archbishop Byrnes, there was no more opposition. Byrnes pretty much threw up his hands and said "I'm sorry...sue me."   

UPDATE ON THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS

By Tim Rohr

In the post IN SAIPAN: THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS, I linked to a letter to the editor as published by the Marianas Variety, a Saipan paper, wherein the author laments the appointment of an outsider to the office of Bishop of Chalan Kanoa and asks: 

Why are our indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian priests consistently overlooked to lead our faith and people? Are our indigenous priests not deemed worthy enough? 

While I think Fr. Convocar is not the right choice for Saipan, and the appointment appears to be a chess move by neocat power brokers (I'll explain later), there weren't a lot of "Chamorro and Carolinian priests" to overlook.

According to a JW reader, there are only 3-4 Chamorro priests and 1 Carolinian in Saipan. It's possible one of them could have been appointed, however, and unfortunately for the local priests, the appointment of local bishops to lead these islands has not worked out well.

The lack of local vocations in both Guam and the Northern Marianas is the obvious sign of failed leadership, even if we overlook that all three local bishops - Flores, Apuron, and Camacho - are credibly accused sexual offenders, a fact now published on the Archdiocese of Agana website. 

The author also laments:

The Church in any Pacific culture, is supposed to protect the language and culture. 

Actually, no. The Church in any culture, not just the Pacific culture, is supposed to protect the flock from the wiles of the devil and lead its children home to Heaven. It's up to the people themselves - if they want - "to protect the language and culture." 

Just a note now to say why I suspect neocat machinations in the appointment of Fr. Convocar to Saipan. It's a long and convoluted story that maybe I'll write someday, but bottom line is that the Neocat empire has never suffered a defeat like it did in Guam when Apuron was ousted and their seminary was canned. 

This is a gaping hole in Kiko's credibility. (I use the name of the founder, Kiko, as a metaphor for the whole Neocat governing apparatus). Much of the Catholic world where the Kiko's have planted themselves has been desperate to throw them out for years now, but have not been able to mount the attack that we did here in Guam. 

(I clarify the "them" as the Neocat generals, not the good Catholics who, while participants in the Neocatechumenal Way, are not part of the corruption at the top.)

To keep the tide from rolling over them and rolling them out, they, the Kiko's, have had to keep up the story that Apuron was the victim of a conspiracy led by "Tim Rohr and his associates" (their words) and that Apuron is not only innocent but will be proven to be. 

"Tim Rohr and his associates launched a vicious and calumnious attack on the Archbishop and the Church." - Archdiocese of Agana, Media Release, May 31, 2016

That has become harder and harder over the years given all that has spilled out in the wake of the first outing of Apuron, but the Kiko's haven't given up. Their next step is to establish a seminary in Saipan and inserting a bishop who they can control is a necessary step. 

I'm not saying Convocar is a pushover or a Neo, but he is definitely non-confrontational - as are many priests who come "here" as "guest priests." It's well-known that Apuron preferred them because he could get rid of them if they didn't fall at his feet. It's also the main reason why he only incardinated the ones he could count on.

Convocar is likely to "work with" the Kiko's in the name of "unity," while the Kiko's rebuild in Saipan. Meanwhile, you may wonder why they, the Kiko's, didn't do this when Ryan Jimenez was bishop. They did.  

IN SAIPAN: THE NATIVES ARE RESTLESS

In the Saipan Tribune:

A betrayal of trust and heritage: Where are our indigenous leaders?

Nov. 25, 2024, was a heartbreaking and infuriating day for our Chamorro and Carolinian people! Why are our indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian priests consistently overlooked to lead our faith and people? Are our indigenous priests not deemed worthy enough? Last night and today, the pain in their eyes was undeniable—our community deeply feels the weight of this injustice.

The Church in any Pacific culture, is supposed to protect the language and culture. Our Chamorro and Carolinian language and culture have withstood centuries of foreign domination. We survived the Spanish, German, and Japanese cultural purges, only to now face the slow erasure of our heritage by the very institution that should be defending it—the Catholic Church. This is nothing less than a tragedy for the people of the CNMI. CONTINUED

A SMALL GLIMMER OF HOPE, IN A DARK WORLD AMID A DIPLOMATIC ROW

 (posted by Frenchie)

December 8th has a special significance for Guam, it is without a doubt a day of celebration for Catholics on the island, which is marked by a Mass with the Archbishop at the Cathedral, followed by a Marian procession in the street of Agatna.

THE DEATH OF GUAM'S AUSCHWITZ FOR CHILDREN

By Tim Rohr

There was a recent article in the local paper about troubles happening at the now abandoned building which once operated as the Guam Polyclinic. The title of the article refers to the building as a "public safety issue." 

I couldn't help but think of the irony of the words "public safety issue" now that it is abandoned given that it was in this building that thousands of Guam's children were put to death over a period of about 30 years by Guam's most prolific abortionist, a certain Dr. Griley. 

At the time The Esperansa Project began accessing the abortion reports required by law in 2008, even from the incomplete and fragmented records, it appeared that Dr. Griley was averaging close to two abortions per day in this building. 

I often wondered how he disposed of all those bodies. The dumpster?

There's a few more ironic points in the story. 

The Tamuning mayor is quoted as saying how potential buyers for the building are "scared away." The mayor is referring to the loitering and vandalism, however, given the number of deaths in that building, perhaps prospective buyers are scared away for other reasons. I don't know what the owners are asking for the building, but the building is in a high-demand location so maybe something else explains why it hasn't been sold and continues to rot away. (Satan eats his own.)

The mayor also said:

“We have an outstanding community that cares, and so a lot of individuals take part in the neighborhood crime watch chat. We have chats for different areas, so anything suspicious or things like that, criminal activity, they’re asked to report it on the chat."

Apparently killing two babies a day for thirty years wasn't "suspicious or things like that."

The mayor also referenced the bus stop in front of the building:

"Even with the bus stop that’s right there in front by that building, it was just painted, sponsored by Home Depot, and it’s already graffitied. There's just a bunch of people that are just doing the wrongdoings and finding places that have no activity."

Well, once upon a time there was regular activity at that bus stop, and it wasn't people waiting to catch a bus. It was a regular "bunch of people" who actually did care about "criminal activity" in that building, the butchering of thousands of children whose silent screams were never heard and whose bodies lay buried in our landfills.

At the time of this picture (2012), shutting down Guam's bloodthirsty abortion machine seemed impossible. But due to the persistence of a few (2 of them are my daughters), Guam's Auschwitz for Children is as abandoned and forlorn as the former Nazi extermination camp. 

As a "by the way," directly beneath the above-referenced story in the Guam Daily Post in the print edition was another story titled: SaguaMPG clinic to close February 2025. I don't know if any abortions were ever performed there, but given the very public advocacy for abortion by some of Sagua's more well-known doctors, you might say the story was well-timed...and placed.

REQUIEM AETERNAM, GRANDPA

LINK to online version

In my last column, I told the story of an anti-Catholic friend who converted to Catholicism and later died on All Saints Day. In that story I mentioned that November is the month that Catholics especially pray for the dead and said that I would explain why Catholics pray for the dead in a later column. So here goes.

In the Catholic calendar, November 1 is All Saints Day and November 2 is All Souls Day. What is the difference between Saints and Souls?

According to Catholic teaching, Saints are Souls who are with God in Heaven for all Eternity, and Souls, or more specifically, the Souls we remember on November 2, are Souls who are on their way to Heaven but aren’t “there” yet.

So where are they?

The Catholic Church teaches: “All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030)

This state of purification is what the Catholic Church calls “Purgatory.” Its existence or the need for it was at the root of Martin Luther’s revolution in 1517 and it remains a major difference between Catholic and non-Catholic (Protestant) beliefs today.

To support the doctrine of Purgatory, the Catechism of the Catholic Church references several scriptures including 1 Cor 3:15, 1 Pet 1:7, 2 Mac 12:46, and Job 1:5. However, I always like to include Revelation 20:13-14 and 21:37.

Revelation 20:13-14 gives us the clearest indication in Scripture of a “third place,” a “place” which isn’t Heaven and isn’t Hell: “The sea gave up its dead; then Death and Hades gave up their dead. All the dead were judged according to their deeds.Then Death and Hades were thrown into the pool of fire. (This pool of fire is the second death.)”

The context is the End of Time and the Final Judgment. So here we are at the end of time and there are Souls (“the dead”) who are in “Death and Hades.” We know this isn’t the final place of damnation (“Hell”) because the scripture tells us that Death and Hades are “thrown into the pool of fire” - the “second death.” That’s Hell.

So if Death and Hades is not Hell, and certainly not Heaven, what is it? And more importantly, who are these “Dead” and why are they there?

This takes us to Revelation 21:27: “nothing unclean shall enter it.” The “it” is Heaven, and the faithful who die in the grace of God (their sins are forgiven), may still be “unclean” due to what the Catholic Church calls “temporal punishment due to sin.”

A short analogy is the scenario of little Johnny being sorry for breaking a neighbor’s window, whereafter the neighbor forgives him, but the window still needs to be repaired. For Catholics, forgiveness and reparation go hand in hand and yet are two different things.

While Johnny is sorry and forgiven for breaking the window, the window must still be repaired (“reparation”) and because God is both all-just and all-merciful, he gives us a chance to pay for a new window so that we are completely “clean” when we enter into the eternal beauty of the beatific vision.

I am very aware of all the “Protestant” challenges to this point of Catholicism, but my intent here is not to engage those arguments and only to share the Catholic belief.

However, these days the real challenge to the belief in a state of post-death purification isn’t so much coming from Protestants as it is from well-meaning pastors, who, in an attempt to console the bereaved at funeral Masses, sometimes homilize the deceased into Heaven, or at minimum, fail to make any mention of Purgatory or “The Church Suffering” - as the “Poor Souls” in Purgatory are referred to in Catholic teaching.

Unfortunately, this penchant to comfort from the pulpit has lead to the trend where instead of begging prayers for the repose of Grandpa’s soul, we “celebrate his new life, “proclaim “he’s in a better place now,” and smile that “he’s no longer in pain,” - attitudes which deny Grandpa prayers and may keep Grandpa suffering in Purgatory longer than he needs to.

My Aunt Rose once told me that my Grandpa’s dying words were: “Never stop praying for me.” He knew he was going to Heaven, but not right away. Requiem Aeternam, Grandpa. Requiem Aeternam.

My paternal grandparents, Elmer and Helen Rohr, at the family farm house near Massillon Ohio, heading off to Sunday Mass. ca. 1936

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    

NEW BISHOP FOR SAIPAN

Archdiocese of Agaña
Episcopal Conference
of the Pacific Press Release

Nov. 25, 2024

Pope Francis appoints Fr. Romeo D. Convocar as Bishop of Chalan Kanoa

---

(CEPAC, Suva, Fiji) - The Holy Father, Pope Francis, has appointed the Very Reverend Fr. Romeo Duetao Convocar, former Apostolic Administrator and currently the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam, as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Northern Mariana Islands.

The appointment was officially published on November 25, 2024 (12:00 noon CET Rome). This appointment was also personally announced in Chalan Kanoa by His Eminence, Luis Antonio Gokim Cardinal Tagle, the Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, who is currently in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, for the celebration of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa's 40th Anniversary of Canonical Establishment. 

The Reverend Fr. Convocar was born in Iloilo, Philippines. He completed both his high school studies and his bachelor of arts major in philosophy with a minor in English at St. Joseph Seminary in Dumaguete City and his theological studies at St Joseph Regional Seminary in Jaro, Iloilo City.

He was ordained into the Sacred Order of Priesthood for the Military Ordinariate on September 17, 1996. Subsequently, he was commissioned as a Military Chaplain in the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the rank of Captain. He completed his Technical Service Officers Basic and Advance Courses at the Philippine Army Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija. He served as a chaplain officer for about ten years and was assigned to various military installations and commands under the headquarters units and the Navy. Moreover, he also served for about five years as the Spiritual Director and Procurator of the Domus Josephi Formation House, a seminary of the Military Ordinariate.

The Reverend Father Convocar moved to Guam and was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Agana. He has served as the Parish Administrator of St Joseph Church in Inalajan, Pastor of San Isidro in Malojloj, and Rector of Agana Cathedral-Basilica. Currently, he is the Administrator of Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Parish in Tumon. Moreover, as he has studied Tribunal Practice at the Institute of Tribunal Practice, which is affiliated with the Catholic Institute of Sydney and governed by the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand, he furthermore serves as an Advocate and Auditor in the Metropolitan Tribunal.

Bishop-Elect Convocar was also a formator of seminarians of the archdiocese before the closure of the seminaries in Guam. He served as the Vicar-General to former Agana Archbishop Most Rev. Michael Jude Byrnes until his resignation on March 28, 2023, due to health reasons. At the time of Archbishop Byrnes' resignation, he was named by His Holiness Pope Francis as the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, the office that he served for more than a year.

Since August 15, 2024, the Very Reverend Father Charlie Borja has served as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa following the appointment of Archbishop Ryan Pagente Jimenez as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Agana.

The Bishop-Elect's Episcopal Consecration will be announced at a later date. 

BIDEN'S "THUMB-IN-THE-EYE" OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

By Tim Rohr

President Biden conferred the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood who oversaw the deaths of an estimated 3.9 million unborn children during her tenure from 2006 to 2018. The Catholic Action League had this to say about it:

LEAGUE CONDEMNS BIDEN AWARD TO FORMER CEO OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD

In a thumb-in-the-eye to the Catholic Church and all pro-life Americans, lame duck President Joe Biden—an alleged Catholic—has conferred the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on the former president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Cecile Richards.

The closed door ceremony was held earlier today in the White House.

According to the Washington Times, “The ceremony was not listed on Mr. Biden’s public schedule, nor was his decision to award the medal to Ms. Richards publicly announced until after the presentation. Members of the media were not invited to watch the ceremony, which was not live-streamed on the White House website.”

Biden hailed Richards for her “absolute courage and conviction,” calling her “a leader of the utmost character,” who “carved an inspiring legacy that endures.”

Without awareness of irony, Biden spoke of “the countless lives she has made better...”

Richards directed the nation’s largest killing machine, and its lobbying and political arm, from 2006 to 2018. During that time, she presided over the destruction of nearly 3.9 million innocent pre-born children.

It was during Richards’ tenure as CEO that Planned Parenthood’s trafficking in fetal body parts was exposed.

The Catholic Action League called the award by Biden “an appalling betrayal of the Faith of his baptism, and a demonically evil act, which celebrates the willful murder of the innocent, the first of the four sins which ‘crieth to heaven for vengeance.’”

Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “At the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, mass murderers received a just penalty for their crimes against humanity.

“In Joe Biden’s America, a mass murderer has just been given the country’s highest award.

“How any priest or prelate at Washington’s Saint Matthew’s Cathedral can give a moral monster like Biden Holy Communion staggers the imagination.

“The Archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton Gregory, ought to excommunicate Joe Biden, but he is far too busy closing down Latin Masses to take cognizance of Biden’s latest assault on the beliefs and sensibilities of Catholics.

“Biden’s embrace of the moral equivalent of Adolf Eichmann should put paid to the pretense that some Catholic politicians are ‘personally opposed’ to abortion, but do not wish ‘to impose their religion upon others.’

“No one who has the slightest ethical discomfort with abortion could possibly honor the killer of nearly four million babies.

“In whatever lucid moments which remain to him, Joe Biden ought to ponder the warning given to political leaders by Pope Pius XI about abortion, who wrote ‘And if the public magistrates not only do not defend them [unborn children], but by their laws and ordinances betray them to death at the hands of doctors or of others, let them remember that God is the Judge and Avenger of innocent blood which cried from earth to Heaven.’”

 

AUTHORITY THEY DO NOT HAVE

By Tim Rohr

This is a Catholic post about the "laying on of hands" by laypersons. It can be read at my Catholic blog here. 

THE CAY - 40 YEARS LATER

By Tim Rohr

I can’t remember the last time I read a book cover to cover in one sitting, but I just read this one. In fact, I think the last time I read a book cover to cover was this same book probably 40 years ago after I found myself similarly “stranded” on a Caribbean island, St. Croix, or at least that’s what it felt like then.

I came across this book, "The Cay" (pronounced "Key") the other day at the local community college in the adult education department where my specially challenged son, William, is being tutored. As we were getting ready to leave, William noticed a table with rows of books on it. We walked over to see what was there. All the books were turned spine up except for this one. It was face up. I immediately recognized the title and the cover. The books were for the taking so I took it.

Today, William and I had some challenges and afterwards I decided that I was just going to sit down and catch up on some reading. I had forgotten that I had this book but noticed it on the table when I sat down. So I said, "why not?" I picked it up intending to just read for a few minutes. That was four hours ago and I just finished the last page.

The story had great meaning for me 40 years ago, and it had great meaning for me today. 40 years ago I was the young boy on the island, but today I was the old man with the young boy (William). In fact, the boy, like William, is handicapped and initially dependent on the old man, whose name, by the way is Timothy. Timothy dies in a hurricane, leaving the boy, Philip, blind and alone on the island. But before he died, Timothy had taught Philip how to take care of himself. Philip does take care of himself and is eventually rescued. 

And that’s my plan for William.  

SENATORS FAIL US - PART 1

By Tim Rohr

Recently, Bill 355-37 has been in the news, probably more for Senator Parkinson's "sexually explicit gesture" aimed at Senator Joanne Browne than anything else. But before Parkinson's simulated sex act (which is what it was) took the stage, Bill 355-37 contained a provision that was of concern to me. 

By the time the bill went to the floor for a vote, the concerning provision had been removed - a matter I will discuss later - but in the process, I "noticed" the public was not "noticed" about the public hearing for the bill. 

So, on Oct. 22, I delivered a Freedom of Information Act Request to Speaker Terlaje for "All public records relative to all public hearings relative to Bill No. 355-37 demonstrating compliance pursuant to 5 G.C.A. §8104 (5) and §8108."

Speaker Terlaje replied via email on Oct. 25 and directed me to the Committee Report. While copies of the requested documents were in the Committee Report, Speaker Terlaje functionally blew off my lawful request by directing me to a 185 page document with the implied message of "find it yourself." 

Nevertheless, I did find the pertinent documents and I also found that Senator Joe San Agustin, Chairman of the committee which held the hearing, had violated the Open Government Law by failing to send public notice to "each newspaper of general circulation and broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam,” as required by 5 GCA §8108. 

Here are the screenshots of the addressees of the two notices:

At this point, I will copy my Nov. 4 email reply to Speaker Terlaje:

Timothy J. Rohr

PO Box 9001, Agat, GU 96928
671-483-0467
timrohr.guam@gmail.com

November 4, 2024

Therese M. Terlaje
Speaker, 37th Guam Legislature

RE: Request for Records under The Sunshine Reform Act of 1999

Greetings Speaker Terlaje:

On October 22, 2024, I delivered to you a Freedom of Information Act request for “All public records relative to all public hearings relative to Bill No. 355-37 demonstrating compliance pursuant to 5 G.C.A. §8104 (5) and §8108. (EXHIBIT A ATTACHED)

On October 25, 2024, you sent me an email directing me to the Committee Report on Bill No. 355-37 (COR), and also directing me to contact Senator Joe San Agustin. (EXHIBIT B ATTACHED)

This letter is in response to your email and Senator San Agustin is copied.

Pursuant to 5 GCA §8108. Special Meeting: “Notice shall also be given to each newspaper of general circulation and broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam.”

Pursuant to the Committee Report for the subject bill, there is no evidence that you complied with 5 GCA §8108.

Per the list of addressee's for both the first and second “Notice of Public Hearing” there is no addressee which is either a “newspaper of general circulation” or a “broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam.” (EXHIBIT C ATTACHED)

Among the addressee's there is only one news organization, Kandit News. Kandit News is neither a “newspaper of general circulation” nor a “broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam.”

Moreover, KUAM is a “broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam,” and there is no evidence of KUAM having been sent the required notices. And, even if you were to construe Kandit News as a “broadcasting station,” the law requires you to send notice to “each” station and there is no evidence that you did.

There are two other addressee's whose names are associated with the media: Haidee Gilbert and Robert Klitzkie. However, their addresses are redacted so it cannot be determined if the notices were sent to Gilbert and Klitzkie in their personal or media capacity.

And, even if the notice was in their media capacity, Haidee Gilbert is managing editor of the Pacific Daily News, which is not a “newspaper of general circulation,” but a website. And even if you were to define it as a newspaper, the law requires you to send notice to “each newspaper of general circulation,” and there is no notice addressed to the Guam Daily Post.

Moreover, Mr. Klitzkie has not been active with the “broadcasting station” otherwise known as "The Point" for several months, and even if he was, Mr. Klitzkie hosted a talk show during which there was no segment which “airs a regular local news program within Guam.”

Therefore, you must send me documentation demonstrating that you complied with 5 GCA §8108. Failure to do so will cause me to take further action.


Respectfully,


Timothy J. Rohr

CC: Senator Joe S. San Agustin, senatorjoessanagustin@gmail.com
Chairperson for the Committee on General Government Operations and Appropriations

+++++

As of today, Nov. 18, 14 days after the date of my reply, both Speaker Terlaje and Senator Joe San Agustin have "failed to do so." 

It's quite easy to see why. They failed to do so because they don't have anything to send. They (and I include Speaker Terlaje because she is the Speaker) violated the Open Government Law by not properly noticing a public hearing.

The failure doesn't seem to be because they were trying to sneak anything through - as legislatures have attempted to do in the past. The failure seems to be simple negligence. 

But how hard would it be to add the addresses of the Guam Daily Post (the only "newspaper of general circulation") and KUAM (the only "broadcasting station which airs a regular local news program within Guam") to the email addressees? 

Now that the election is over and both senators were soundly reelected, I'm not expecting any action from either of them. But it doesn't mean I'm done.

NOTES FOR NINO

By Tim Rohr

It is now public news that "a serious allegation of clergy misconduct involving Rev. Fr. Antonino Caminiti, also known as Fr. Nino is under investigation."

According to a letter released by Archbishop Ryan Jimenez on Nov. 12, 2024, the incident occurred 11 years ago and involved "a boundary violation with an adult female during Fr. Nino’s time as pastor at Nino Perdido Y Sagrada Familia Church in Asan."

If the allegation is true, Fr. Nino should immediately publicly apologize. Given that the "violation" was with an adult female, and assuming that the violation wasn't forceable rape, an adult male, priest or not, being sexually attracted to an adult female, is a "natural" attraction, vs the "unnatural" attraction of a violation with a minor child or a male adult.

Yes, yes, I know. Some will think me a homophobe, but I'm just being realistic here. Given that this is a priest, if he was sexually involved with an adult male vs a female, it would be much worse going for Fr. Nino given the advice I am about to give. 

If it's true

Going only by the tone of the letter referring to the incident as a "boundary violation," I am going to assume that the "violation" had more to do with Fr. Nino violating his vow of celibacy and that the incident was probably at least somewhat consensual.

There is also the fact that while we could expect a child to not come forward about being sexually violated - which is why we passed a law permanently lifting the civil statute of limitations on sexual assault on minors - the other person in this case is an adult female, and for whatever reason, has only now come forward after 11 years. 

True, if she was sexually violated against her will, trauma could have played a role. But, as mentioned, unless we learn otherwise, for now, by the use of the term "boundary violation," the incident does not appear to have been the result of force.

Even if it wasn't consensual, Fr. Nino has everything to gain and nothing to lose by publicly saying "I'm sorry. I fell. I failed. Please forgive me." 

This was the same advice I gave Apuron on this blog back in 2016. Even though the accusations against him were much more serious - sexually molesting and raping boys - had he apologized, I think he would have found some measure of sympathy and forgiveness amongst the faithful of this archdiocese and might still be ensconced on San Ramon Hill, not to mention sparing the archdiocese the years of trauma which followed. 

Fr. Nino's violation, again according to the report, is exponentially more forgivable, not just by the faithful of the archdiocese, but by the general public, given that sexual unfaithfulness or at least an attraction to an adult member of the opposite sex, outside one's marriage or otherwise committed relationship, is common.

What Fr. Nino did, if he did it, is still wrong, just like adultery or even extra-marital flirting is wrong. But because it is so common, a public apology, I think, would be well accepted, and would do more for rehabilitating Fr. Nino than any "intensive renewal program" the archbishop said Fr. Nino would "undergo."

If it's false

Now, if the allegation is false, then Fr. Nino should spare no resource in proving it so. I say this out of experience. A few years ago, my name was all over the news of having abused my wife and sexually molested my daughters. You have only to google my name and the news stories, beginning with Krystal Paco's (KUAM), will come up. 

I have no problem telling you this because all of it was false and I eventually proved it to be false. Meanwhile, the most important thing I did was what I didn't do: I didn't run, run like Apuron did. I didn't run and hide and make up stories about being framed - as Apuron did.

While I was being drug through the news for a full week in 2018 (my lawyer at the time refused to permit me to publicly defend myself - I eventually fired her by the way), I continued to do my regular business and at each meeting I acknowledged the news about me to set the other person at ease. I also personally sought out all my friends and neighbors, advised them of the news - if they hadn't heard it - and let them know what was going on. 

Because the internet is forever, those stories will always be out there. But eventually, because people still saw me everyday and because I didn't flinch or hide, the lies, with some court work, died. 

In Fr. Nino's case, if the allegation is false, it is even more important for him to immediately, publicly, and openly say so and begin his journey to prove it false. And I recommend this to protect the integrity of the real victims and survivors of clergy sex abuse. 

Unfortunately, so many people are questioning the integrity of the real victims and survivors because it is quite possible that the aforementioned law and the actions of the Archdiocese have opened the door for abuse. 

I say "actions of the Archdiocese" because contrary to the characterization that the church had to be "dragged kicking and screaming into court," after Archbishop Byrnes took over, he functionally threw up his hands when he declared bankruptcy and the stream of subsequent accusers were mostly lightly vetted and eventually not vetted at all. In other words, Byrnes said "we give up, sue us." 

While it was somewhat honorable for Byrnes to do this, it opened the door for further abuse of the real victims by those who made false claims, not only by diluting the integrity of the real victims but also by diluting "the pot," meaning less money for the real victims. 

So many of the victims, real or false, hid behind their initials in their filings. "Shame" etc. was used as the reason. But I say B.S. While the violation may have happened when they were minors they weren't minors when it came time to sue. They were adults and should have acted like adults. 

Not only did Apuron's initial accusers stand up publicly to challenge Apuron when there was no law to protect them, they also publicly testified at the public hearings which led to the law. And I believe that had they not publicly and personally testified and put their faces in front of the Legislature and in the news for many months that there would be no law for anyone to sue.

Don't hide

True of false, the worst thing in the world right now for Fr. Nino is to hide in the Archbishop's house. And the worst thing for the Archbishop right now is to hide him. Come on out, Fr. Nino, either apologize or declare the allegation false and that you will prove it. Don't run and hide. That's what Apuron did. 

One last note

Nino is a product of the fake seminary (RMS). It was well known that RMS was basically a catch-all place for prospective presbyters (that's what they call them), who either couldn't be ordained elsewhere or were clearly kicked out of other seminaries. Guam's RMS was the place they ended up because Apuron would ordain anyone he was ordered to ordain by the Neocat generals who were only interested in upping their numbers of ordinations to increase their influence in Rome. 

So it's no surprise that there is another problem with a neocat product, Luis Camacho being the first. And who knows what we don't know. Several of these guys have mysteriously disappeared as I wrote about here. 

And I also know that the Neocat generals were at least partially behind the plot to publicly trash me in 2018. Apuron was found guilty by the Vatican in March 2018. Those stories about me came out in May 2018 as Apuron filed his appeal, an appeal based on the allegation that I had been behind a plot to remove him. So discrediting me, the prime - or at least most public - antagonist in the takedown of Apuron, was critical to the survival of his appeal. 

In November 2019, my case went to trial but was mysteriously interrupted after the first day and was never continued. I ended up having to take over my own case, and through court filings alone, prove the allegations against me to be false, or at the very least, unsubstantiated, which permitted me to gain custody of my son and access to a still-minor daughter. 

Apuron's personal trial is again in the news and is apparently moving forward. I find it interesting that I have never been named or subpoenaed in his case given that his primary defense was that I framed him. Maybe he knows what I know. 

Good luck Nino. Do the right thing. But don't hide. 

IGNORING THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM...YOUR ROOM

By Tim Rohr

In a recent self-described "rant," Kandit News host, Troy Torres, "ranted" about how "the church" systematically used its power and influence to cover up decades of sex abuse within its ranks. 

In my opinion, and as the one primarily to blame for uncovering this "coverup," Troy gives "the church" too much credit and the people and culture of Guam not enough.

To illustrate this we need look no farther than what has continued to occur in Guam nearly a decade after the church's sins were exposed.

According to a 2021 story in the Guam Daily Post, the Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence, a local organization, "the percentage of minors sexually assaulted on Guam has risen from 69% of reported cases in 2018 to 71% in 2019, and to 75% in 2020," and  "about 1,000 child abuse cases were referred to Child Protective Services in 2020, an increase of nearly 5%."

According to the same story, the rate actually decreased a bit in 2020, but according to Governor Lou Leon Guerrero, that dip was an "anomaly" which the governor credited to underreporting due to the Covid lockdown at the time. 

Remember now, Apuron had already been ousted in 2016 and was found guilty and permanently banned from Guam by 2018. Given the "scare" we put into the church leadership, there have been no reported cases of child sexual abuse since then (other than old claims), but meanwhile, the local population has continued to abuse its own children at an increasingly devastating rate.

Despite there being an occasional clergy abuser from the outside (e.g. Louis Brouillard), they were only "occasional." The majority of abusers over all these decades were local clergy from local families. In my opinion, what happened in the Church, and especially why it was never exposed, is because it was just an extension of what was already happening in local families for generations, and, as the above facts demonstrate, is still happening. 

(Note: This observation should be no surprise. I've lived in Guam for nearly 40 years and have heard of this sort of thing happening many times. Guam isn't unique. Most sex abuse cases, especially of children, no matter where, are by someone known to the victim, and almost always a family member.)

Of course, this excuses no one, and I am glad we've at least been able to get rid of some of the more cancerous clergy. However, aiming only at the mostly past sins of the church and crediting its leadership for masterminding decades of coverup when all they were really doing was stumbling along is ignoring the elephant in the room...your room. 

And then there is one final fact that the governor loves to ignore: A culture which slays its own while still in the womb is more likely to abuse them once they leave it.

LINK

 

ALLEGATION OF CLERGY MISCONDUCT

Only 6 days ago, a happy sacerdotal anniversary was published on the Facebook page for the Archdiocese of Agana. It appears from the date of the Archbishop's letter and what he said about the investigation that the alleged misconduct had been known for awhile. So why publish this?

NEWS RELEASE: ARCHDIOCESE SELLS CHANCERY

 Nov. 14, 2024

NEWS RELEASE

Archdiocese sells Chancery property,

Archbishop’s House to Government of Guam

On September 13, 2024, the Archdiocese of Agaña formally accepted an offer by the Department of Administration, Government of Guam, of $2.38 million to purchase the Chancery property which includes the Archbishop’s Residence.  Expected closing of escrow is December 12, 2024. 

The sale of the Chancery property is a major part of the settlement terms enumerated in the 5th Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan agreed upon by both parties and approved by the Court. From the overall sum, $500,000 of the sale proceeds will be used to renovate the museum space at the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica for the new Chancery. 

An additional $250,000 will be applied to administrative claims as allowed by the Court.  Less commission and closing fees, the rest of the sale proceeds, expected to be close to $1.6 million, will go to the Archbishop of Agaña Settlement Trust for the claimants. The Joint Plan also calls for six months delayed possession by the buyer to accommodate the renovations and move.

Archbishop Ryan P. Jimenez understands the urgency for the claimants and prays that the Chancery sale will help provide a small measure of justice for the deep harm they endured at the hands of members of our Church.

The Chancery site has historic, spiritual and cultural significance to the people of Guam. Then Pope John Paul II stayed overnight at the Archbishop’s House during his historic visit to Guam on February 22-23, 1981.

Sent by Tony C. Diaz, Archdiocese of Agana Director of Communications, (671) 562-0065, tony.diaz@archagana.org.

NO BETTER DAY TO DIE

LINK to online version

November is the month Catholics especially remember and pray for the dead. Why we pray for the dead is a topic for another column. The subject of this column is a short story about a friend who died three years ago on November 1, our Feast of All Saints or “All Saints Day.”

I first met Tim Wood sometime in the early 90’s at the old Kings Restaurant when it was still in what was known as “Gibson’s.” Someone had brought Tim to a business presentation I was doing at a nearby hotel and a few of us had gone for coffee afterwards.

I was in my suit and tie and sat across the table from Tim, who, at the time was probably in his mid 40's, sported a pony tail and sandals, and smelled of marijuana.

We became the weirdest of friends. I never met anyone who despised Catholics as much as Tim. Tim would get crazy angry whenever the word Catholic was even mentioned. He even kept Jack Chick tracts (anti-Catholic pamphlets) in his bathroom for reading material.

Tim really believed that the pope was the anti-Christ and the Catholic Church was the "whore of Babylon," and he would assail me with near-violent harangues about Catholics going to hell at every opportunity.

But for some reason we became really good friends as well as business partners. Our business together took us on some of the craziest adventures of my life.

In the 1990's we worked on expanding our business in the Philippines. The "lahar" was still thick and deep back then and it was a real struggle to drive our little rented car from Manila to Angeles City.

The “lahar” was the gigantic lava and mud flow from the volcanic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. The lahar had buried whole villages, and as we drove across that burning gray dirt and sand I remember seeing church steeples and rooftops peaking through the surface. Sometimes we'd have to get out and push the car through the streams and mud when it rained.

Eventually our business adventures came to an end and Tim moved to Hawaii. Many years later - I think it was 2014 -  Tim called me one night to let me know he would be passing through the Guam airport around 4am and asked me to meet him.

We met and I found out why he wanted to meet. He wanted to tell me he had become a Catholic and told me that he loved to pray the rosary and go to Mass.

I won't say that I was in shock because I wasn't. Tim, despite his drug-fueled hippie past and hatred of Catholics, was a deeply genuine person who loved Jesus and wanted to always know him more.

 About a year later Tim called to let me know he had cancer. Over the next few years we continued to chat every once in a while. He was always deeply grateful for my companionship just as he was all those years ago when we pushed our little Toyota through the burning lahar.

About a week before he died, Tim called. It was about 3 am and I happened to be awake. I couldn’t sleep. I got up and prayed for a while and still couldn't sleep. And then I got his call. He had called me by accident and apologized for waking me up (as he had thought). We spoke for about two hours. He told me he was dying. I tried my best to "stay by his side" over the phone.

Tim's cancer was in his nasal passages which affected his speech. He had to hold his nose while he spoke so I could understand him. He apologized to me for being so hard to understand. I don’t remember what I told him. What do you tell a man who tells you he’s dying?

A few days later I learned of Tim’s death from a post by his daughter on Facebook. I looked through the photos of Tim that his daughter had posted and recalled our strange friendship, even stranger adventures, and the story of his conversion that he shared with me at 4:am in the Guam airport.

Then I noticed the date - November 1, All Saints Day, and I remember thinking: “No better day to die, Tim. No better day to die.”

I turned off the computer and said a prayer that where he went there was no lahar.

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   

SOME NEWS ON APURON'S TRIAL & MY NOTE TO JACKIE

By Tim Rohr

PACIFIC DAILY NEWS: Attorney to judge: Apuron has no money, could have heart attack if deposed for hours in clergy sex abuse cases

Former Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron, now 79, has no money for any settlement and is also in a bad state of health that he could have a heart attack if he is deposed for several hours a day for weeks in Guam clergy sex abuse cases. CONTINUED

MY THOUGHTS

If Apuron has no money, and he probably doesn't at this point, then the question is what can the court, if he's found liable, do to him? 

I say "liable" because this isn't a criminal trial. The 2016 law which did away with the statute of limitations permitted survivors of child sex abuse to pursue civil action, not criminal. 

All the original accusers - the one who were brave enough to stand up in public and make their accusations when there was no law to protect them - all they wanted was for Apuron to apologize. 

So, note to Jackie (Attorney Terlaje), convince your client to apologize and we can close down this circus. 

SALE SUBJECT TO 6 MONTH DELAYED POSSESSION

By Tim Rohr

There are rumors that "the church" worked out a backdoor deal with the Government of Guam to allow the church to continue to use the chancery property for six months after it is sold to GovGuam. 

I wouldn't be surprised if GovGuam worked a backdoor deal on something but it wasn't the 6 month grace period for the chancery to move. 

It was a condition of the purchase as set forth in the listing agreement:

 

SO THAT THIS SH*T NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!

By Tim Rohr

Troy's post (or here) titled "The Archdiocese is being dishonest, feigning remorse but now blaming their rape victims" provides much to comment on, everything from the accusation in the title to the other side of the story to the real reason to attend Mass in the first place. 

So let's give it a go.

Troy is upset over an announcement at a recent Mass wherein parishioners were asked to contribute money in order to purchase a parish property which was forfeited as part of the archdiocesan bankruptcy settlement to compensate victims of clergy sex abuse. 

Upon hearing the announcement, Troy writes:

I sat there embarrassed, feeling bad. I felt ashamed. And then I thought, fuck you. I was ashamed when my St. Anthony School vice principal raped me for the first time on December 8, 1993, and then scores more over the next several months. I was 13. I’m tired of the shame that I was raped by a Catholic school teacher when I was a kid. I’m tired of the Catholic Church covering up for its holier than thou pedophiles and pedo sympathizers. Sick miscreants. Piss off, and then when your little penises scrape the last pieces of shit stuck in your degenerate and pedophile  anal canals, piss off again. 

I can somewhat empathize with Troy. Several months ago as the bankruptcy case came to a close, there were several announcements after many Masses about the financial hardship my particular parish would be facing. And there I stood in my pew, feeling like all eyes were on me, since after all, the bankruptcy had its genesis on this very blog.

Given what the fallout of my actions to expose the largest clergy sex abuse machine in the whole Catholic world (per capita) cost me, I've often second guessed myself, especially since, other than ridding the church of Apuron and closing down the fake seminary, nothing much has changed. 

The Neo's are still here and going strong. The Neo-priests, one of whom appears to now be Troy's new hero, are still here. And several who aren't here are still on our payroll. And the sordid moral culture which gave both rise and cover to the sexual perversity that spawned the worst record of clergy sex abuse in the whole Catholic world is still here. 

So while standing there at Mass, all alone in my pew (because I lost my family), and hearing how the church and parish is now suffering as a result of my actions...well...let's say I certainly did feel singled out. But I stopped short of feeling "embarrassed" or "ashamed" as Troy relates. 

I can also relate with Troy on another thing. I don't talk about it much but I have referred to it in previous posts: I was also "abused" by a priest in my teens. (Note: Troy was abused by a teacher, not a priest.) He didn't get very far with me because I ran away. But just the "approach" violated me, especially since the priest had showed such interest in me - which I thought was genuine, but turned out to be "grooming."

And that was just the beginning of the damage. The only way I can explain the damage that followed is to refer to that scene in Fiddler on the Roof where Tevye sings "And one little time you pull out a thread, and where has it led? Where has it led?"

Tevye was referring to "tradition," tradition as the thing that keeps everything together. In the family I grew up in, the Church and the pastor were everything, especially for my father who was not only the head usher, the president of the Holy Name Society, and the parish troop Boy Scout Master, he was also the pastor's right hand man - the man who the pastor called in the middle of the night when the rectory roof was leaking or the toilet wasn't working.

I didn't tell my father what happened to me. I didn't really know what happened to me. I just knew something was wrong and I had gotten away from it. But a few years later I inadvertently discovered the pastor in a sexual situation with an adult man who lived next to the church in a house that the parish owned, and a house my father had often worked on free of charge. It turned out that the neighbor man was not only in a sexual relationship with our pastor but was living in the house rent free and helping himself to the parish funds as a perk for being the pastor's boyfriend.

Learning all this, especially way back in the 70's before any of this was known, devastated my father. He stopped going to Mass, developed a hatred for the Church and especially for priests, and things went downhill for him from there. As things descended for my father, so did they descend for the rest of us, leading to the death of my brother which my father blamed on himself, causing him to descend ever further. 

"One little time you pull out a thread, and where has it led? Where has it led?"

In the meantime, all this caused me to become a warrior, not against the Church, but for it. I hated what the Judases were doing to my faith, my religion, my Church, and my family, and it made me hyper-vigilant to anything that smelled of the smoke of Satan, particularly in the sanctuary. 

I ran into it again when I was a teacher in the U.S. Virgin Islands. No need to go into that story here, but it was almost a replica of what happened in my home parish years earlier. So I wasn't new to this stuff when the Apuron thing showed up in my face. In fact, it had been showing up ever since I moved here in 1987, especially living in Agat with all those stories about "the Agat boys."

In January of 2015, I related these experiences to an Apostolic Visitator (aka "Inquisitor") named Archbishop Savio Hon, the then-Secretary for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The same Hon would be appointed Apostolic Administrator to this archdiocese after Apuron fled Guam over one year later. 

I don't remember how those stories came up when Hon interrogated me, but they did. And upon telling Hon of my past experiences with the likes of Apuron, Hon accused me of carrying out a personal vendetta against Apuron. 

There were others in the room, including Archbishop Martin Krebs, the then-apostolic nuncio. Upon being accused by Hon, I stuck my hand in his face and said "Stop! I am the father of eleven children and all I'm trying to do is get them into heaven, and I'm having to fight against clerics like you to do it."

Hon adjourned the inquisition and showed me the door. Archbishop Krebs walked out with me. When we got outside, he put his arm around me and said "good show." Krebs knew what was going on. And I believe he knew that Hon had not been sent to Guam to get to the bottom of the problem, but to save the Neocatechumenal Way, which is exactly what we would find out a couple years later.

(At the time Hon was taking orders from Cardinal Filoni, the "Red Pope," and the Neocats main man in Rome.)

And this is what makes this thing with Troy weird. As mentioned, his apparent new priest-hero is the neocat priest, Harold Colorado Prieto, who Troy is now defending (I wrote about it here and here), yet Harold was not only Apuron's right hand man and constant companion for several years, but he was also part of the cabal that worked to shut me up and shut me down so that the same clergy abuse that Troy hates so much would never be exposed.

Weird.

Now, let's get back to the thing that Troy is mad about.

Usually when I see a post from Troy about church, it's about Mass at St. Anthony's in Tamuning. However, the thing Troy describes happened at San Juan Bautista in Ordot. So I don't know if Troy was visiting or not, but per a comment by Ron Eclavea on Troy's FB post, if Ron's account is true, then Troy missed the Mass where there was more context to the announcement. Here's what Ron says:

+++++

Ron Eclavea

I go to 6:30pm mass on Sundays at Ordot.

Can you provide a transcript of exactly what was said regarding blaming of the victims? If that is really the case it is definitely wrong.

A few months ago the parishioners were informed of the land parcel in question being up for sale as a “result” of the “court litigation”.

Everyone in the world is basically aware off this sad scandal in the church here on Guam.

The truth regarding the land is that the Ordot Parish put out a questionnaire asking the parish members what to do whether to simply let the process go as is ….or to attempt to re-acquire the property.

The overwhelming response was to re-acquire.

So this is what the parish will attempt to do based on the parishioners wishes.

We have to be very mindful and well informed regarding priests ….

Zechariah 13:7

“Strike the shepherd and the sheep scatter.”

Scattered sheep are lost sheep.

Satan’s time is short now and is brilliant today at discrediting the priests & the priesthood and he is using every method available to him to do this!

God established the priesthood in Leviticus and it is perpetual and everlasting!

No priests …no forgiveness of sins.

People abandoning the church and the priests is EXACTLY the aim of Satan in his quest to take souls

It is quite evident…he’s winning around the world. 🙏🏻⛪️🙏🏻

Divide …& conquer

+++++

So according to Ron's account, it was the parishioners who decided they wanted to purchase the property back. This is both allowed and reasonable. For properties for sale in the settlement trust fund, there is a provision in the listings which gives the "Archbishop of Agana" (the Church) the RIGHT TO REPURCHASE.

And, per Ron's account, it was the parishioners of this parish who decided they wanted to raise the money to repurchase the property, and not "the Church" acting selfishly or insensitively as Troy seems to perceive it. 

That piece of land isn't going to do the victims any good. The only good that land is going to do for the victims is if it gets sold. The bottom line is that the money for the purchase of the property, regardless of who purchases it, ends up in the trust fund for the victims. So why does Troy care who buys it?

As an aside, even though I was at the root of the stuff that led to the bankruptcy, after the bankruptcy proceedings were finalized, I advocated for parishioners to do exactly what these parishioners are doing: come together, organize, and buy back their properties, but this time keep the title under an entity separate from the "Archbishop of Agana." 

There's a few other things Troy says that I want to comment on:

TROY: "Just like hundreds of religious and lay people within the Archdiocese of Agana said and did nothing while hundreds of boys and girls were being raped by priests and Catholic school teachers for decades."

ME: Yes, that's true: "hundreds of religious and lay people...did nothing." Why did they do nothing? And I don't want to hear about fear or respect for the priest, blah, blah, blah. Here's what I think it was. I think it was the same bullcrap that goes on in families all the time, the same thing that shuts you up about what Uncle Bill is doing to your daughter because you don't want to shame the family or cause trouble in the "familia." I think it also has to do with some of these lay people (maybe a lot) getting favors from Fr. Whoever, maybe greasing the skids for an annulment or overlooking the fact that your cousin isn't a practicing Catholic and letting him be the godfather anyway. 

TROY: "The archdiocese is going to blame me and the other victims for what they did? They sound like government of Guam elected officials. At least elected officials aren’t child rapists dressed in desecrated garments. At least corrupt politicians aren’t covering for a system that perpetuates sexual assault against children."

ME: Actually, Troy, that's a bit laughable. This stuff happens in public schools all the time. In fact, when we were working to get the bill passed which gave Troy and others the right to sue the archdiocese, the main concern coming from certain senators was whether or not the law could be used to sue the government. I forget the details but there was something like "sovereign immunity" which protected government entities, or at least limited the extent of the suit. Once the senators were assured the public schools and GovGuam wouldn't suffer, they were all for it - since they knew it was really just aimed at the archdiocese.

And that brings me to something else before I forget. And it's something I said before. The initial victims, those who had the courage to take a public stand before there was any law to protect them - and did not hide behind their initials but used their real faces and names, did not want money damages, they wanted an apology, an apology from Apuron. 

But Apuron ran away after the first public allegation from Roy Quintanilla in May 2016. And that's when Harold's "Red Pope" sent Hon out here to kill the uprising. I say "Harold's Red Pope" because it was the Neocat master, Cardinal Filoni, who was calling the shots. I point out "Harold" because, as already referenced a couple of times, Troy is now his best buddy. 

Hon failed to put down the uprising because of a very few faithful people, mostly older, who refused to sit down and shut up. And, on orders from Filoni, Hon made a last gasp attempt to sink the bill lifting the statute of limitations after it received unanimous support from the legislature and made its way to the governor's desk, when Hon put out an all points bulletin to all the parishes to sign a petition demanding that then-Governor Calvo not sign it.

Remember now, Hon was acting on Filoni's orders, and this was all about saving Harold and the Neocats, and particularly the fake seminary. 

Thanks to the people who wouldn't shut up or sit down, which did not include Troy at the time, Filoni and Hon failed, Governor Calvo signed the bill into law, and victims like Troy had a path to $$$$, be it via private settlement, as it appears to be the case with Troy, or those who stuck it out for the full-fledged lawsuit and bankruptcy proceedings.

I'm actually disappointed that so many "settled" for out of court settlements. By doing so they kept their names and an account of what happened out of the public record. And those of us who fought so hard and lost so much would have really liked to see those records. 

Yes, yes. I understand about the need for privacy and to avoid further shame and all that. But people, other people, many people suffered and lost much to win justice, not just for you, but for this whole archdiocese. And the only way to insure that justice was really done was to run up all those names and details on a flagpole so that this sh*t never happens again! Private settlements took that away from us and leaves the door open for it to happen again and again and again.

Troy also takes a slap at Archbishop Jimenez and the church's anti-abortion stance saying that if life is so important why not use the money to support the fight for life instead of buying the property.

That's sort of a stretch, but it's not uncommon to hear something to the same effect, i.e. "if you care about the unborn so much then why don't you do this and why don't you do that, etc." I'm not going to go there on that. The bottom line is what I've already said. According to Ron Eclavea, the parishioners decided to do this, not the archbishop, not the pastor, and not the church. 

Lastly, I want to address some stuff in the comments where people, agreeing with Troy, say that this is why they still believe in God and love Jesus, but don't go to church anymore. 

I can only say what I've said many times before: Don't leave Jesus because of Judas. And while I can love Jesus and pray to him anytime, anywhere, there is only one place I can receive Him, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. And that's at the Catholic Mass. And to be received Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity by YOU is why he was born to this world, suffered, died and rose again. 

Next time, just don't stay for the announcements.