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| Edwin Cardinal Obrien |
10.10.13: Tim Rohr receives letter from Edwin Cardinal O'Brien, Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem (of which Rohr is a member) demanding that he "desist in this potentially scandalous activity" if he wishes to remain a member of the order. The "potentially scandalous activity" is Rohr's posting of the documents and events relative to the firing of Fr. Paul Gofigan as pastor of Santa Barbara Parish and Fr. Paul's subsequent actions and canonical appeal. In the letter, Rohr is accused of denouncing Archbishop Apuron and "undermining his authority".
10.21.13: Rohr replies to the Grand Master and asks for evidence of the charge. There is no response.
11.04.13: Rohr sends another reply to the Grand Master in which he provides the background and evidence for a serious division in the Archdiocese of Agana which is the backdrop for the Gofigan firing and asks for assistance from the Grand Master. There is no response.
11.15.13: Rohr sends an email to the Grand Master giving him 24 hours to respond or he will begin to go public with his correspondence with the Grand Master.
11.16.13: The Grand Master does not respond. Rohr posts the letter of 10 October from the Grand Master. Rohr's letters to the Grand Master are forthcoming.
- NOTES -
So we are asked to believe that the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem whose office is in the Vatican has nothing better to do so he spends his time surfing the net and comes across this blog. We are then asked to believe that he is so alarmed by what he sees that he takes the time to send the wayward knight, Rohr, a letter, demanding that he cease and desist "denouncing"Archbishop Apuron and "undermining his authority."
First, as you can see by simply accessing the tab labeled Chancery v Gofigan, Rohr did little other than repost what was already in the media. Fr. Paul himself had already appeared on two radio talk shows before Rohr even made his first post documenting the activity relative to the case. Prior to the date of the Grand Master's letter, there is no evidence of "denouncing" the Archbishop as the letter accuses Rohr of doing. This is why the Grand Master did NOT respond.
The more likely scenario is that Archbishop Apuron, alarmed first by the fact that Fr. Paul did not tuck his tail between his legs and go quietly into the night, but rather retained a canon lawyer to challenge the Archbishop, and second, by the fact that the case had caught fire and gone public, started shooting at any target he could shoot at, and Rohr was one of them.
The Archbishop was in Rome just weeks before the date of the letter so it is very likely that he stopped by the office of the Grand Master and urged him to shut Rohr up. It goes without saying that the Grand Master did not stumble upon this blog on his own, so the visit (or a communication) from Archbishop Apuron is the more likely scenario.
As you will see from Rohr's initial reply (soon to be posted), it is quite evident that O'Brien did no investigation of his own, but that the matter was probably delegated to a secretary (as evidenced by the poorly worded letter) who more than likely simply rewrote Archbishop Apuron's talking points.
However, the Archbishop errs in thinking that Rohr values his membership in the Order above the truth. The bigger error, though, is that till now, Rohr had no personal reason to oppose the Archbishop personally and publicly. He now does. And, thanks to Apuron's visit to the Grand Master, Rohr also has another paper trail to go with his collection.
The reading public is reminded that the record shows that through the years, Rohr has been one of Archbishop Apuron's most visible and most vociferous public advocates, defending him and the Catholic Church throughout the debate over the legalization of same-sex unions, the attack on the Church and the Archbishop personally by SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), and the legislative attempt to monetarily target the Archdiocese and the Archbishop specifically through "window legislation" which lifted the statutes of limitation on child sex abuse, which if it had passed in its original form, could have financially crippled the archdiocese. And this does not include Rohr's constant war waged with the legislature in trying to stem Guam's abortion holocaust and the many articles in the local media engaging and defending the faith wherever it is attacked.
But aside from his war against abortion and defending the faith, Rohr now wonders if he should have even bothered. In fact, Senator Cruz, if you are reading this...
Continued at: TIM ROHR'S FIRST REPLY TO THE GRANDMASTER
Dear Mr. Rohr:
ReplyDeleteIt seems that so long as you say or do things that make the Archbishop look good, you are in his favor, regardless of all the unpaid good work you have done for him(as in your case), but to say or do otherwise is at your peril! And If the Archbishop was willing to go that far to “silence” you, one has to wonder what he has done with others that speak out in the name of truth and justice, or worse, those that are simply against his agenda or stand in the way of his agenda (i.e., the one and only Neo), even if his agenda is just plain wrong. Let’s not forget: This is the same Archbishop that told Fr. Paul Gofigan that if he does not resign, he would face or experience an “arduous and painful closure” to his assignment as pastor. “Painful and arduous” are vicious words. They smell of threats and intimidation, and there is nothing paternal in those words. One has to wonder if he has listen to anything Pope Francis has said these past few months about what his bishops should be doing, the exact opposite of what he has done to you (and Fr. Paul Gofigan) with this back-handed and malignant attempt to silence you.
For the good of Guam and the Catholic Church, Archbishop Apuron should retire now. He has completely lost touch with his people and his way as a shepherd.
So... everyone should just roll over and play dead?
ReplyDeleteHow exactly are you undermining his authority?
So no one is allowed to report on the happenings in our church,
except what they want you to hear?
The "division" my dear cardinal, was created long ago, by certain sects of the church.
This really feels like oppression for anyone not affiliated with this sect.
God bless you Tim, for continuing to report the truth, whether convenient or inconvenient.
I suppose you should be thanking them for the opportunity to be persecuted for the truth.