Wednesday, July 2, 2014

NOTICE IN TODAY'S PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

There has been an attempt to make this whole controversy about me, that it's just my personal issue with the Archbishop. It is not. I've simply been the one to put my name on the concerns that have been voiced by people for decades. The massive kickback by almost every parish to the archdiocesan demand for more money in its annual appeal is evidence that this is not just my personal war. This notice in today's paper is another. I don't know who is behind it and I don't care. Who is behind it should not have to be the issue. The issue should be the issue: financial transparency in this diocese. The Notice speaks for itself. The website has a link to a public form where comments can be made. However, feel free to comment here as usual. 


42 comments:

  1. Janet B - MangilaoJuly 2, 2014 at 10:48 AM

    IF our dear Archbishop has nothing to hide, then this notice should be no problem, but just a gentle reminder of what Pope Francis asks of all his bishops...to be open and responsive to the people, to be loving and caring servants to the flock entrusted to them.

    You can look at nearly any diocese in the world and they have financial information readily available. Why is it that Guam is the rare exception to this openness and transparency?

    Dear Archbishop - we hope you will respond positively to this reminder of your responsibility as our leader to show us the many good uses of the hard earned money we continue to willingly give to the Church.

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    1. Amen Janet well said!

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    2. Let's support this new organization concerned Catholics for Guam. Let the truth prevail.

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    3. I wouldn't know how to support "them". I only had contact with their intermediary who only let me know that they were willing to finance notices in the public media and who asked for my recommendations. Since I had already prominently placed a notice calling for the posting of financial statements on my blog, I recommended that they do the same. They did. Apparently they have all the money they need. They're not asking for any.

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    4. Agree Janet. Archbishop reveals the audit archbishop balvo requested and the matter is closed. But to do nothing allows speculations . Hope he reveals the information to the archdiocese.

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  2. When I saw this post, I thought the notice was the same size as the one on page 9 by the Farmers Cooperative Association of Guam. But when I found it on page 18 of the PDN I was surprised to see how large it actually is. I hope "Concerned Catholics of Guam" will be more successful in getting the information requested than you have to date, Tim. I'm also guessing that "Diana" — or "Bernie" or one of the Kikos/Kikobots — will try to pin this on you as usual, as well as claim that all persons involved in this endeavor are "mocking" the Archbishop OR not being "obedient" to him AND are OUTSIDE the Church.

    "Concerned Catholics of Guam," I pray that the Archbishop will respond by publishing the Independent Auditor's Report of the Archdiocese of Agana, per your request.

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  3. Just goes to show that many concern Catholics out there who do not want to be silent no more. Simple as that. Nothing wrong with that.

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  4. Wow. Archbishop, take note.

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  5. Diana is way too focused on priests and obedience to be woman only walking for eight years. Just sayin.

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  6. IF the financial report is made public, let's hope what is printed is the truth, not a bunch of made up numbers.

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    1. That's why an INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT is required. Also, there is no deadline, so probably the backers decided to give the Archbishop some room on that. But we'll see.

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    2. Only independent audit report will be accepted.

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  7. Whether a for-profit, non-profit or a religious institution, financial transparency is common and normal; mostly, it is expected and required, in today’s world! Dioceses in the U.S. mainland provide it and almost all U.S. parishes (large or small) appreciate the value of submitting a quarterly or annual financial report for their congregation's information.

    I wholeheartedly agree and support this public request for financial transparency of our Diocese coming from The Concerned Catholics of Guam and addressed to the Archbishop, the head of our Archdiocese. I've responded positively to the PDN ad -- it's plainly and simply a Christian moral responsibility and the socially just thing to do.

    If our Archdiocese has nothing to hide, then there shouldn't be any hesitancy nor objections to this request rather, a cooperative compliance of it.

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    1. Patti on the radio K57 wants to know if the seminarians are being fast tracked. Are they? Mediocre education is not acceptable. Here or anywhere. God knows we've had enough problems.

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    2. Archbishop Balvo asked for the audit.

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    3. Patti do you have a number ?

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  8. I can't find the site? Anyone see it? Concerned Catholics of Guam?

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    1. http://www.concernedcatholicsofguam.com/

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  9. Let the truth prevail.

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  10. Seminarians are fast tracked. Kiko has asked each seminary produces so many ordinations a year.

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    1. Not true. Yona property produced high academic seminarians from pontifical university. Top students.

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    2. @1:08 pm....get out of the Jungle and go to your room. We are not kidding around today.

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  11. Approval of the Holy see is required for any any seminary to shorten ordination courses. Certain seminaries have approval to conduct four year programe of study . Not aware rm s Guam has obtained approval.

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  12. Very simple to produce an audit report. Cannot understand why the archbishop dos not just order the audit, publish the audit. all the clouds surrounding him will then be lifted. Archbishop just take the honest road and you be ok.

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  13. Not about Tim Rohr never has been. Tim Rohr just became a voice of concerned Catholics. What is happening past weeks is groups forming around Guam studying what Tim Rohr has made public. New groups framed to look at neo. Groups formed to look at the abuses, groups met to look at the finances. What we have now on Guam are very unhappy catholic parish communities with serious concerns over archbishop Apuron and the chancery. Pdn announcement is a bold move but manifests the thinking of Guam Catholics.

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  14. My husband and I have given archbishop substantial donations some in cash for retire sick priests. No sick priests so he will keep money safe until there are sick priests. Ok just record the donations.

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  15. Honestly believe the finances of the archdiocese will show that the church is in substantial debt of around ten to fifteen million. This may be die to loans, and the money now pouring into the neo. Best to sell this yona seminary, clear the debt and maintain one small neo community on island which has the same status as Christian mothers . Archbishop has built financial concerns . Has been badly advised sad to say. When you do get the audit, if it is not a fake audit, you will see the debt.

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  16. Publish the audit. Simple!

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  17. How does the Archbishop spend our money? If the archdiocese is a charity he must publish the accounts. Long believed the archbishop is not crystal clear on financial matters.

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    1. Churches are not required to make financial records public as are most other charity organizations. This is why the Catholic public, the people in the pew, must demand it. Sad to say I think the Chancery is just going to say what they need to say to get rid of the story and then go back to business as usual. They know that the Catholics in the pew will lose interest soon enough. They count on the cultural penchant for not wanting to be confrontational. They count on your silence. So they are silent. Sad to say, they're probably right. Until someone starts standing up and putting their name on these things. Waiting.

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    2. How does he spend your money? Well honey he spends it as gifts to buy silence. Change he supports the seminary and supports air line to buy his travel. Twenty thousand USD a year for his air tickets is nothing to him. Could be greater amount but we stick to conservative estimates.

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    3. More than 20,000.00.

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    4. According to billings we collected so far this year his billings for personal items come to near 30,000 and it's only July 4th. This is only what we can trace. Much we do not know.

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    5. Anon. 11:58, who is "we"?

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  18. Individual churches must turn in a financial report to the Chancery. Since the churches fall under the nonprofit organization of the Archdiocese of Agana, it is the responsibility of the Archdiocese to compile all the financial report and like all other nonprofit organization publication is required

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    1. I wish it was required, but it's not. That's why we have to expect our religious leaders to do the right thing. Imagine that.

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  19. Archbishops brother pays for his travel. Archbishop does not need money his family pay all personal needs.

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    1. @12:11 we have gone over this before....not true. He books according to his schedule; not according to economy prices. Just like Gov. Guam! Funny, huh? Not loyal frequent flier ....doesn't make any difference.

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    2. Archbishops family pays for nothing for him. His high end life style is paid by Guam Catholics who he gives no accountability. A law to himself he spends on himself and not accountable to anyone but the pope. So he get away with so much. So we must demand and call for his accountability and stop wasting our money on this seminary. Make your voice heard.

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    3. Plastic like his credit card. Never met a guy as plastic as our archbishop.

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  20. Archbishop make a public statement to media today.

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