Monday, January 13, 2014

HOW TERRIBLY SAD!

On December 6, 2013, Fr. Paul Gofigan sent the following letter to Archbishop Apuron demanding a retraction for defamatory statements made against him by the Archbishop in front of at least thirty members of the clergy at their recent retreat in the Philippines.





NOTE: How terribly sad. Apart from the ugliness of these accusations, what should have been a sacred time devoted to prayer, renewal, and reconciliation for a bishop and his priests and deacons, was used by the Archbishop to slander Fr. Paul in his absence. How terribly sad.

And lest the issue get sidetracked with some taking offense over the accusation of a "homosexual" affair, let's be clear that the accusation or implication of any sort of sexual impropriety is slanderous of either man on the grounds that Fr. Paul is a priest and Mr. Laztimoza a married man. 

The letter is downloadable as a PDF here.


14 comments:

  1. I would think that the retreat in Manila would be a time of reflection on their lives and how it would better themselves spiritually and better serve the people of God.

    For an Archbishop to make such a statement is pure malicious gossiping. Is this part of the new evangelization that we should follow. I think the Archnishop need to go on a retreat away from the NCW atmosphere and reflect on his life and why he has become so vindictive against Father Paul.

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  2. It looks like Archbishop Apuron will go to any lengths to destroy Fr. Paul and to win his case. He will sacrifice anyone just to get what he wants. I pity and will pray for all those people that he treated in the same way. I understand that the former pastor of Maina was dismissed without any thought as to where he can go and what he will do and how he is to support himself! Well, he was not incardinated here(although he spent over 20 some years here) so just get rid of him to make room for a Neo priest. This seems to be the way the archbishop operates. How sad indeed, for Guam and the Church.

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  3. This is beyond sad — this is SICK and goes to show the state of mind of the person who is supposed to be the spiritual leader of this island. It was one thing for Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron to be under the control of the NCW but this statement is one that he cannot blame on them. He will have to take responsibility for this calumny, before God and man.

    Although I doubt that he would pursue it, I believe Fr. Paul has grounds for a lawsuit for defamation of character against the Archbishop. Someone will need to come forward to corroborate the statement. Given the Climate of Fear that clearly exists among the clergy, it would take a tremendous amount of courage to do so. But I hope someone does, if not for a lawsuit, then in a message to the Apostolic Nuncio to hasten an investigation into the goings-on in this Archdiocese.

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  4. Wow, how terribly sad. It is really terribly sick and tragic. But it not only confirms your post "Breaking Priests", it also confirms what many people have known for years: Archbishop Apuron uses psychological fear and power to bring about what ever end he chooses. Once again we readers should contact the Apostolic Nuncio immediately to report directly any information they have concerning the Archbishop of Guam and the Chancery.

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  5. "All rise, Archbishop of the Diocese of Agana, Island of Guam, Department of the Chancery, the Honorable Judge Anthony Apuron presiding, is now in session. Please be seated and come to order."

    Judge: "This session will be as ordered. I am the judge, the jury, and I will impose the sentence. Do not question my authority. Under the advicement of my council I can do what ever I please, with their approval of course. What say ye, Father Adrian? And ye, Father David Quitugua?

    We advice you to put Father Paul on time out. Very well done councilmen. I so ardently admire you both and will continue to follow your advice and then implement all that you wish.

    This is what is happening! Wake up Catholics of Guam.

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  6. I am saddened and frightened for you Archbishop. You have been entrusted to bring us closer and united to a God of Love. Your recklessness with words and actions is hurtful to all of us. It is not from a source of Light...it cannot be...it is creating chaos and pain on top of pain and more pain.

    Father Paul, your good reputation and your ministry to God's people supersedes lies.

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  7. I am brother of the NCW. In the Way, as much as possible, we do our best to live the teachings of our Lord Jesus. We reflect on His teachings and apply it in our daily lives. I still do question the kind of Mass we engage in. It is quiet different from our regular Catholic Liturgy. But with this incident regarding Fr. Paul and the Archbishop, it has to stop. I know Father Paul, and I have the utmost respect for him. He is a very good priest and I will stand by him. Archbishop Apuron is a brother of the NCW, and being part of it, he should do his best to live up the Gospel. Jesus' greatest commandment, to love one another. I believe he is not living up to that, as a brother in the NCW. I guess he needs to reflect more on his actions and ask more guidance from God because of this very highly irregular issue. God bless us all in this Archdiocese of Agana. Let's pray for each other.

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    1. I finally need to reply after reading your response. You are a NCW and I wish to say to you that when the NCW started here on Guam most of us were happy to see them come because they were another aspect of bringing Catholics back to the Church. I encouraged those who were seeking more from the Church to join the NCW. Unfortunately down the road things turned on use. It has nothing to do with the Seminarians, who I have met and think they are truly wonderful religious men, as well as the families that come on mission to help them. The problems stem from other things like the Archbishop listening to wrong advice and those who are advising him have bad intentions. Sadly those advisors are local priests and high ups in the NCW. It's almost like the leaders in the Church that Jesus preached against and those same leaders cruxified my Lord Jesus on the Cross for their own purposes, and not for their religion. This is happening now and please Anonymous NCW, know that we believe the majority of you and your brothers/sisters in the NCW are good Catholics as well as the Seminarians. We have no issues with you. We must Pray Together as CATHOLICS. I am a Catholic and I love my Church.

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    2. I don't know how long you have been in "the way", but I again have to ask the question, when do you or any other member of "the way" plan to return to the larger community (the parish community)?
      As you said the focus is supposed to be about bringing people back to the church, but come on, it's not happening.
      What is happening is that the NCW is bringing people to the NCW.
      Now, you may argue that they have many good fruits, however so does the Mormon church! This does not mean they hold to the truth. Now again you may say that you are part of the catholic church, but if you really dig deep into the teachings of the NCW you will find that it is not the same. I know members of the NCW who have swindled their family out of inheritance, who have been encouraged to leave their spouses because they are not members, who have left the church because they were scandalized by the NCW etc., etc., etc.You say that you are Catholic, I encourage you to return to the normal community of the Church, the recognized family of the church, the parish, and participate in the life of the parish. The only reason that parish life seems broken is because many are pulled away from it in one way or another. The parish is the norm and has been for hundreds of years.

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  8. I've been a Parishioner of Santa Barbara church all my life, and I've seen Priest come and go ,I've always enjoyed Father Paul Sermon, and his leadership. I just want everyone to know that I and the rest of the family Stand behind Father Paul 100 % , I've notice the changes of Arch Bishop Apuron leadership, and how much we as Catholics here on Island our beginning to change there religion to other believes, I don't know if I'm the only one who notices this, but I really think the ceregies of our Catholic Church should look into this....................Is there such a thing as an Impeachment ?

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    1. I believe only Rome can put him of Leave or maybe better yet on TIME OUT!

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  9. It's too bad the Catholic faithful can't hold a vote and decide whether or not Archbishop Apuron should be required to take a leave of absence and have another bishop appointed in his place. If nothing else, a vote of confidence should be taken to see what proportion or percentage of Guam's Catholics feel he should go or stay. With everything that has been going on from the "Fr. Paul affair" to the major division in the local church between the NCW and the regular church, its a wonder that there's still a functional church. It's only going to get worse if nothing is done to address the current major problems affecting our local church.

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  10. Even if he were to go on a leave of absence, the next in line is Msgr David Quitugua, then Father Adrian. We will still be up shit creek no matter how you look at it.

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  11. What is going on here? The man on the hill needs to stop this! I have definitely lost my respect for him and no longer see him as the leader of our church here in Guam. I know my brother and I have seen him care for his people, his parishioners, and those in need. He has the biggest heart and all this is just affirming his belief in following our God in helping all those who is need. We are all human, and yes the man on the hill is human also...but I guess the Position of "Archbishop" makes him think that he has the power to destroy any who refuse to follow him. ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE AND YOU ARE NOT GOD!

    I am appalled by how the man on the hill treats our local priests who really want to serve their people, but fear that they will be "black balled" like Fr. Paul. Let me tell you, man on the hill, YOU DO NOT KNOW WHO YOU ARE MESSING WITH, WHEN YOU MESS WITH MY BROTHER, OR ANY MEMBER OF MY FAMILY!

    COME ON GUAM .... WAKE UP... WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING QUICKLY OR ELSE WE WILL ONLY HAVE "THE WAY".

    I am blessed that I still have my FAITH... I believe that God will bring the truth to light.

    Why announce these statements at a retreat? What a coward! Do you believe that these priests have no brains or backbones to believe what is the truth? Come on, they deserve more credit than that, if not, our island is truly in TROUBLE!

    You are the Father of these priests, obviously, you need lessons on how to discipline children. A parent never leaves his child out in the cold, a good parent tries to help their children when they make a mistake and loves them unconditionally. Oh I get it...Father Paul is undeserving of your love and care. Is it because he does not support the Way at Santa Barbara Parish?

    I am sick of this, my brother has come a long way in his decision to be a Priest. The Priesthood is his life and I have never seen him happier when he helps people and tries to help his parishioners come back to the church.

    Stop this now!!!!!

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