Sunday, January 11, 2015

BECAUSE GIUSEPPE SAID

I don't know exactly how this will play out, but given the absence of an immediately condemnable crime, Archbishop Apuron will probably be given a list of things to do to show good faith on his part for an attempt at reconciliation - as the Apostolic Visit was said to have as its objective.

My guess is that there will be an attempt at making up with the lesser level "offenders", e.g. Fr. Efren, Deacon Steve, etc., but we probably won't see any attempt at reconciliation with Fr. Paul or Msgr. James. 

That's too bad. Anything less than restoring Fr. Paul and Msgr. James to their positions constitutes a reconciliation charade. 

Here's why.

Fr. Paul has been proved innocent on all counts:
  1. He provided proof that he had terminated Mr. Lastimoza within days of receiving the original order - thus he did NOT disobey the order as accused.
  2. Mr. Lastimoza's parole records showed that Archbishop Apuron had permitted him to do the same job at Santa Barbara 13 years earlier as a condition of his parole - thus either nullifying all the "dangers" Archbishop Apuron said Mr. Lastimoza to be, or implicating himself as having himself exposed parishioners and children to the same dangers 13 years previously. 
Archbishop Apuron has tried to pretend that his "hands are tied" on the matter because Fr. Paul has appealed to Rome. But since Fr. Paul's appeal is to be restored to his position as pastor, all Archbishop Apuron has to do is restore Fr. Paul to his position as pastor and there is no case. 

Beyond that though is more insincerity from the archbishop. 

Before Fr. Paul filed his Appeal, his canon lawyer first presented a Motion to the archbishop asking to be restored to his office. Archbishop Apuron only had to restore him at that point and there never would have been an appeal to Rome. Archbishop Apuron's hands were not tied then because it was completely in his hands at that point. (It still is.)

If upon restoring Fr. Paul to his office as pastor, Archbishop Apuron still believes there are other causes to remove him, then let him proceed canonically and with respect for Fr. Paul's dignity and for ours as well. 

Meanwhile, all the conditions for the archbishop's demand for Fr. Paul's resignation on July 16, 2013, have all been proved to be false. (In fact, the archbishop knew them to be false to begin with, but he had to obey Giuseppe Gennarini.) 

As for Msgr. James, his position as Director of the Archdiocesan Development Group and the Catholic Cemeteries is fair game. Sadly, because Msgr. James served in this position at the will of the archbishop, the archbishop did not need a long list of crap to remove him. He simply could have quietly thanked him for his service and appointed someone else to take his place. 

But as we all know, Archbishop Apuron publicly trashed Msgr. James, even going first to the media (and amazingly to the students at FD) before giving the same list of charges to Msgr. James himself...if in fact he ever did. (I don't know.)

As for his position as rector of the Cathedral, Msgr. James could have simply been transferred. Instead, Archbishop Apuron publicly fired him by serving him with a DECREE OF REMOVAL. There was simply no need to do that, unless of course Giuseppe ordered it - which is probably the case. 

Apparently, given the blow back over his illicit removal of Fr. Paul, having initially skipped all the canonical requirements, Archbishop Apuron, or should I say, "Giuseppe", wanted to get his decrees in order this time around. 

There is serious reason to contend that Msgr. James was not the rector of the Cathedral, despite his title, but the pastor, given that all of his duties were that of a pastor, and thus deserving of the protections of the office of pastor under canon law.  I wrote extensively about that in The Canonical Case for Msgr. James.

However, even if Msgr. James could be proved to be only a rector serving at the will of the bishop, a simple reassignment was all that was needed. There was absolutely no need for the big fat DECREE OF REMOVAL and the subsequent crying to the media and blasting Msgr. James over and over again in the U Matuna...unless of course, this too was at the order of Giuseppe Gennaini - which it was, of course.

Remember that Msgr. James has always been seen as the most likely candidate for the next bishop, but not being Neo, Giuseppe had to make sure that Msgr. James was removed from the list of candidates. Thus the campaign to discredit him. 

The damage can never be undone. Archbishop Apuron has lost the respect of most of Guam's Catholics forever. He can of course restore some of that respect, at least for his person (though never his leadership) by properly undoing only what he can undo. 

For Archbishop Apuron there is nothing to lose and everything to gain. He can still transfer Fr. Paul and Msgr. James to wherever he wishes - providing he follows the provisions of canon law, and he will be seen as big enough to admit his errors and willing to set things right - and perhaps accrue some modicum of respect and integrity for his legacy. 

Here, let me outline a course of action:
  • A public apology for how he treated both priests.
  • A complete restoration of the two priests to their former positions.
  • A private meeting with both priests to discuss the reasons for their reassignments.
  • An Aviso stating their reassignments. 

Simple.

There is only one catch. Both the removal of a pastor and a rector require "just cause". And such a cause will have to be more than "because Giuseppe said." 

And isn't that the REAL problem?

40 comments:

  1. STOP IT TIM!... We need to reconcile and become one in Christ. You are not helping.

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    1. Well then stop reading my blog. However, I am helping. I have outlined the only course of action that could ever evidence the archbishop's true sincerity. I have also taken great pains to show that Archbishop Apuron is not the real problem. The real problem is Giuseppe Gennarini. It's too bad that Apuron has allowed himself to be used by this charlatan, but maybe now that he wasn't able to deliver that red hat, the archbishop will wake up. Of course there is still the issue of a 3rd of all the trash bag money going to .... That will be hard to give up. So if you thought I was going away, think again.

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    2. This spells speculation Gemarrini. How do you know? Did you talk to him and the Archbishop? Were you there? You can convince 50 yet Kiko Arguello can convince million plus not including Otrhodox, Anglican and Jewish commumoties to come back to the Catholic Church. You blow hot smoke who post 8 in one day to keep your audience. I post in this hate blog cause your not all about unity but to destroy the Church. You love flattery which similar to Hitler when regime fell. Have it your way.

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    3. Reconcile? How exactly do you propose a reconcile? Does that mean you want us all to be quit and simply go away so it looks like all is well on Guam? You have clearly underestimated the will and the faith of the Catholic of Guam. Unlike the Neo - who are brainwashed to not ask questions and just do as you are told - we have our own minds and will follow our hearts and our Lord.

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    4. Thanks. I WILL have it MY way. Because the alternative is YOUR way, or actually your WAY. But BTW, Kiko hasn't convinced anyone to come back to the Catholic Church. He has convinced them to join his. And yes, I was there. There are many ways to be "there". And "love flattery". LOL. The only flattery I "love" is insults from people like you. It tells me I'm winning. Bye.

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    5. DO NOT BOYCOTT THE MASS. As good Catholics we MUST continue to love and attend our Masses; and we must continue to love our Church. Boycotting the Mass is NOT the answer!

      A friend of mine had written the Archbishop personally (I had seen the letter myself), beseeching AAA in the kindest of words that that there just might be a way out of all this mess. The fourfold formula he gave AAA was “(1) acknowledge/admit his errors; (2)repent of his misdeeds and revoke his erroneous acts; sever his ties with the NCW; (3) return to the Church, and be at one with us true Catholics again; and, (4) rejoice with the Catholic community when we become ONE FAITH, OUR LORD, ONE BAPTISM. “

      I told my friend that the chances of his “formula” being carried out is 99.9% NO. “At least,” my friend told me, “he (AAA) cannot say that no one ever offered him a peaceful resolution; only bishop bashing. It may be TOO LATE an admonition, but at least it had been made.” Several comments in this website have said that “it’s too late! He (AAA) has done irreparable damage to his credibility and even repentance - should it ever be realized – ain’t going to cut it. He just has to go! I agree.

      But “boycotting” attendance at the Neo Masses is not the answer. There are always nearby churches to which we can go to fulfill our Sunday obligation. In the central area, there are plenty of nearby parishes that are non-Neo (Agana Heights, Maina, Mongmong, Toto, Sinajana, Ordot, Mangilao, Yona and many others). Go there to fulfill your Sunday obligation. Sooner or later, they’ll get the message.

      And to you Neos who obstinately refuse to see the Light (not you good Neo members who have just been brainwashed and programmed to do the biddings of the NCW leadership), “stop the nonsense” as a well-known Neo had told his AFC! Know that we WILL NOT GO AWAY; this is OUR island; this is OUR Church. It is you that need to go away, the whole bunch of you – lock, stock and barrel. Instead of shutting up, we will follow OUR WAY, as outlined by Tim and a few others like him.

      We shall overcome! We shall overcome you!

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    6. IS THIS ANOTHER DEMAND OF A NEO? WE KNOW KNW THE TRUH ISN'T HELPING YOU WITH YOUR AGENDA. NOW YOU HEAR THIS. YOU HAVE YOUR NEO SITE WHERE YOU CAN EXPRESS YOUR FRUSTRATIONS. THIS SITE IS STRICTLY THE USE FOR THE REST OF US POOR PEOPLE. NOW IF YOU COME ONTO THIS SITE. IT BETTER BE TO HELP COME TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE RESTORATION OF OUR HOME, AND IF NOT, DON'T COME HERE TO MOAN AND GROAN ABOUT YOUR PLANS BEING DISTURBED BY THE RIGHT. I SWEAR YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE TRAIN IS COMING YOUR WAY DO YOU? WELL IT'S UP TO YOU TO BE A SMART DEER OR... WELL YOU GET THE PICTURE RIGHT? WE JUST HOPE YOU CAN FIGURE THE REST OUT. SEEING THAT YOU MADE IT THIS FAR. NOW GO TELL YOUR HOUNDS THE HUNTERS ARE COMING...

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    7. YOU KNOW IT'S GREAT WHATS HAPPENING IN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. BUT IF YOU HAVEN'T NOTICE YOU ARE LIVING ON GUAM. IT'S FUNNY HOW THE NEO WORKS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, BUT FOR SOME STRANGE REASON IT DOESN'T WORK HERE. AND IF YOU NOTICED THE ONLY NEO TESTIMONY WE HAVE GOTTEN AS PROOF NEO WAY IS FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD, MEANWHILE THE NEO WAY ON GUAM HAS ONLY SEPERATED OUR FAMILY AND HAS DISCOURAGED OTHERS FROM LOVING GOD TROUGH THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

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    8. Actually, there are just as many problems in other parts of the world as there are here with the neo. The problem is Kiko Arguello. This was very evident in the pope's address to them last February. Here's a link to an Italian blog where the problems are far worse than here.

      http://neocatecumenali.blogspot.com/

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  2. We cannot truly be reconcile, be free and become one Church without speaking the truth. Let's face it...we are in this situation because too many people were afraid to speak the truth. Tim is speaking the truth and what people are feeling.

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  3. "given the absence of an immediately condemnable crime..." So, unless AAA commits a crime he cannot be removed? No amount of civil misconduct can ever warrant his removal? He transferred away a multimillion dollar property to a third party. This is not sufficient? Unbelievable.

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    1. Yes, he can be removed and even convicted. But even in the civil process there is a procedure that must be followed. We do not want to disregard the law as Apuron did. Apuron has plenty of "crimes" but crimes must be proved. This is the process. So we continue our work.

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    2. So, Rome is not going to act until a civil court has adjudicated that AAA transferred or attempted to transfer the Yona property to a third party? That's crazy. So, without judicial intervention (either civil or criminal) Rome is going to do nothing? What, then, was the point of the big visit? It would be so easy for Rome to hire its own attorney to analyze the situation with respect to the Yona property and issue a memo that explains everything. It's actually a really simple issue. If Rome requires a judgment from the courts before it will act, then Rome is intentionally avoiding the truth and evading its responsibility. Very, very disappointing.

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    3. I share your frustration 11:30. However, we DON"T know yet what Rome has actually found. They may have in fact found an "immediately condemnable offense." But even so, they would still have to follow procedure. The case with the seminary would necessarily involve both the civil and the church because laws governing real estate are civil laws, and a civil interpretation would be needed before it can be determined if church law was violated. Hang on.

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    4. But Rome does not have to wait for an adjudication before it acts. It can act NOW based upon its own analysis. The legal issues here -- at least in respect to the Yona property -- are very simple. AAA clearly transferred or attempted to transfer a diocesan asset to a third party. Assertions to the contrary by AAA's henchmen are demonstrably false.

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    5. As Tim eludes to....be patient. The old adage of....."Rome was not built in a day..." comes to mind. It took the neo some time to get its footing here on Guam and it will take some time before we can loosen that grip. There is Hope, keep praying as I believe Our God will not abandon us and will deliver us. Tim, as I mentioned before, keep fighting the good fight, my friend. As for the COWARD who keeps interjecting nonsense, Go Away! YOU are the problem.

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    6. Respect to the procedures of the Holy See important. No one knows what the visitors found but the Vatican secretary of state and his staff anxiously await the report for the congregations to study. ultimately, only the pope decides what is best to do for our Island. But for sure the pope knows what is going on.

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  4. Did you read this weekend's Umatuna? Unless anybody can suggest a better use for it, I'll use it to line my cat's litter box.

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    1. Looks like I have my work cut out for me this week.

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    2. Hahaha if you click in the button to see the list of their visits it tells you that you don't have permission to view it. Typical

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    3. Use Umatuna to wrap fish and chips in!

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  5. Anon 6:54, you stop it. Stop believing liars. Tell the archbishop to stop listening to the Neos and start being the shepard of all the Catholic Faithful on Guam. Stop your denial and start believing that evil people are manipulating our catholic leaders. Start telling the archbishop to follow the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, which he tells all Confirmation Candidates to do when he adminsiters that Sacrament. Stop trying to deny truth. Truth shall set you free, not Neo. Thanks Tim for again speaking what we are thinking. Please never stop.

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    1. Thank you Joseph we pray for the Archbishop that he will work to reconcile the entire western pacific and stop the disunity which has evolved from his leadership.

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  6. Anon at 6:54AM, have you told AAA to apologize and make things right? Telling Tim to stop while hoping that Apuron will come to his senses is wishful thinking.. Once again, Tim continues to make some sense to what's been happening and in fact has come up with proposed solutions. He also has identified the main problem with Giuseppe being the "puppet master" pulling all the strings and manipulating AAA to wreak havoc in our Church. No, Anon at 6:54 AM, it is you who needs to stop coming here and stop being an ostrich with your head buried in the sand. In case you're Adrian, you know where your head is buried.

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  7. Fr. Matthew Blockley.January 11, 2015 at 10:07 AM


    There will never be pace in Guam while Apuron remains.

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  8. enough said, dedicated to AAA.

    Lowrider Oldies-I'm Your Puppet (with lyrics): http://youtu.be/BKt1DdRWw0o

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    1. Yup, AAA is a puppet and pappit etgui for the NCW leaders.

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  9. 7.45am. This blog speaks to millions of people all over the world. The posts made by Tim Rohr represent the world. He is an international Journalist with such high readership 8 posts a day is not enough for readers of the page. Greater posts we have the better for readers.

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  10. Tim is helping. In fact, the replacement of Apuron is the only way to reunite this Church. Any action that Apuron takes at this point to "reconcile" would be viewed as being compelled by the pope. He had his chance to make things right of his own will, but remained obstinate. I confer no authority on any matter to Apuron. Even if the pope lets him remain, I will consider myself "archbishop-less" until a credible replacement is made. Apuron is just another guy running around in a costume impersonating one of the clergy. His doing, not mine.

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    1. You could always do what I do- attend mass on base, and your bishop world be the archbishop of the armed forces.

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    2. You are right Jayke no Hassle on base masses.

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    3. Mary Lou Garcia-PeredaJanuary 11, 2015 at 3:04 PM

      Jayke at 12:47 PM, luckily that's an option available to you BUT would you be willing to "sponsor" a bunch of Catholics who have left their parishes after the NCW takeover to join you and attend Mass on base? Or maybe the better question is: Would you be allowed to "sponsor" groups of people to attend Mass on base? (I'm not asking for myself, but for others who might be interested.)

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    4. Correct 12.47pm. Some of us already consider the see of agana Guam vacant.

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    5. Correction to above comments regarding Mass attendance and affiliation on base. The Archdiocese for the Military Services USA considers only active duty and their dependents under their jurisdiction. Not even retirees are members of the Military Archdiocese, but simply given "consideration." In matters of paperwork and sacraments, the military chaplain will defer to the local diocese, a further complication even if one is a regular attendee at a base chapel. In other words, attendance on base will not make one an automatic member of the Military Archdiocese.
      Father Efren Adversario

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  11. Where are all of old priests from our churches? Today's service had a neo priest and two RMS missionaries taking the place of the regular altar serviers that were present. The homily was about that "there's no division in the church" ! My spouse looked at me and thought that I was going to get up and leave, but I don't go to mass for their interpretation. I go every Sunday to pray to The Lord in His house and hear His Word. Looks like AAA is sending out his army to pass out his message instead of hearing God's word. The Word was good but the homily was sad.

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    1. 12.22pm. Archdiocese is divided Apostolic Visitors very much aware of this.

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    2. Division all over Guam and will continue because people are hurting. Division grows when people are hurting.

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  12. Anon 11:18AM The Faithfuls' sentiments, EXACTLY!

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  13. The irony of it all is as power hungry as Apuron is, he chooses to be a puppet...

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  14. Correct 12.52am. Archbishop Apuron became auppet because he believed it was the way for him to become Anthony Cardinal Apuron. Notice that the bishop of Tonga pacific islands was appointed cardinal. Apuron was well on his way to becoming the new pacific cardinal until The summer of 2014 when Pope Francis began receiving complaints about him. Possibility of creating Apuron a cardinal came to an "abrupt end."

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