Friday, August 28, 2015

THE BISHOP OF BLING EPISODE COMES TO AGANA

By coincidence (?), an email from the website Canon Law Made Easy (to which I subscribe) showed up in my inbox this morning. 




The email links to an article about the infamous "Bishop of Bling" episode: a German bishop recently removed by Pope Francis for what was thought to be "excessive spending" (though there may have been other reasons.) 

In discussing the Bling episode, the article continues to a topic that is very relevant to the Archdiocese of Agana and specifically the actions of Archbishop Apuron and the RMS property scam. 

Below are some relevant excerpts from the article with my comments in red. Also emphases and highlights are mine. 

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"...canon 1277 lists some cases where the bishop’s okay is not enough. For those financial actions which are of major importance, the bishop is required by law to consult the diocesan finance committee and the college of consultors. And for acts of extraordinary administration, the bishop actually needs their consent."
"...what constitutes “major importance”?
"...canon 1277 observes that Episcopal Conferences are to determine what will constitute extraordinary administration in their respective territories."
In our case, the Episcopal Conference is CEPAC (Conferentia Episcopalis Pacifici)
"Expenditures requiring consent can of course be blocked, leaving a bishop who’s eager to make a large purchase legally out of luck. In short, for extremely large purchases, a bishop cannot act entirely on his own—if he does, he is violating the law."
The article is referencing only "expenditures" because it is addressing the German case which involved extraordinarily large expenditures. However, as we shall see, the same restrictions are in place for what Canon Law calls the "alienation of goods." 
"...if a diocesan bishop unilaterally spends a sum of diocesan money so high that he was required by law to run it by his finance council and college of consultors first, he shouldn’t be surprised if Rome calls him to account for this. Since the numerical amounts involved aren’t a matter of subjective opinion, there isn’t necessarily a lot of room for him to argue." 
At the time the Yona property was alienated (November 2011), the bishop was "required by law" to seek the consent of his consent of his finance council and college of consultors for any transaction involving over One Million dollars. The Yona property is thought to be valued between 40 and 75 million. 

Here is the relevant canon regarding the alienation of property:

Can. 1292 §1. Without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 638, §3, when the value of the goods whose alienation is proposed falls within the minimum and maximum amounts to be defined by the conference of bishops for its own region, the competent authority is determined by the statutes of juridic persons if they are not subject to the diocesan bishop; otherwise, the competent authority is the diocesan bishop with the consent of the finance council, the college of consultors, and those concerned. The diocesan bishop himself also needs their consent to alienate the goods of the diocese.

§2. The permission of the Holy See is also required for the valid alienation of goods whose value exceeds the maximum amount, goods given to the Church by vow, or goods precious for artistic or historical reasons.
"Bishops have a lot of power in their dioceses—and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. But when it comes to spending diocesan funds, there are some strict legal limitations on their buying-power. Canon law provides diocesan bishops with plenty of leeway when it comes to their purchasing decisions, but nonetheless there are clear boundaries which they cannot cross without the advance consultation and/or approval of others. If they do, they may be forcibly reminded that they are ultimately under the supreme authority of another Bishop, here in Rome."
As per the recent Opinion of Counsel obtained by the CCOG, according to Guam law, Archbishop Apuron in fact alienated the Yona property from the Archdiocese of Agana and granted it completely free to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary which is under the control of its own board and a board of guarantors. It can no longer considered to be part of the patrimony of the Archdiocese of Agana even if Apuron says he controls it (which he doesn't). 

Also, not only did Apuron NOT get the required consent of his finance council, the same finance council - as well as his own legal counsel - thoroughly warned him of the consequences of deeding the property to RMS and advised him not to do it. Yet, Apuron did it anyway

Read about that here and here

It must be remembered that while in the Bishop of Bling case it was the Pope who removed the bishop, it was the PEOPLE who first made the problem known and demanded action. We can do the same. And the CCOG will soon be releasing its plans to do just that. 


15 comments:

  1. This is a very thorough and detailed account of the situation regarding the Yona property. Thank you Tim. The attorney or canon lawyer who eventually handles the case will be very pleased with all of the preliminary work done.

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  3. There is no such thing as coincidence. It is always in God's time.

    Mechanisms are in place to protect the people who support the Church. Only emperors hold supreme powers. And all of us, in the end, will answer to our Supreme Power. Arch will have his day of reckoning, as will we all. Lord, help us!

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  4. Simple alienation of goods? You are kidding, right? What apuron ha done is not just alienation. But grand theft and grand larceny, a crime of utmost shameless stealing! What makes him think that he can simply wave away this church regulation of norms to suit his needs? This dastardly foolish action is punishable by law. Bishops do not have unlimited power to abuse at will!

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  5. All is forgiven the bishop of bling. Back at work in the vatican!!!

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    1. A priest told me the bishop of bling's position at the Vatican is a relatively low one. But you're right-he shouldn't have been given a "golden parachute."

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  6. I look forward to the CCOG's plans and, in the meantime, let us all pledge a monthly donation to them however small. How else can they pay the lawyers? Does their website have a link for us to make donations?

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    1. Maria PE asked me to spell out her full name: Mary Perez Espinoza

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  7. Tim you still trying to get your Casino ???

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    1. So when you can't, for the life of you, offer an intelligent rebuttal to all the evidence presented, your brain goes to defense mode and spews stupid comments that have no merit?

      Typical deflection from the RMS fanatics. #pathetic

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    2. To Anon at 11:34 PM (Aug 28). This probably should not be read by you, but rather by someone who can do something about it. If you have the guts, forward this message to your “boss” or “bosses”? I’ll be happy to communicate with him/her/them - provided they are non "Anon" or "pseudo" as well!

      In lieu of the stupid suggestion you are making that all this problem we are having (division within our Catholic Church; blatant violations of Church directives; harms and damages to both people as well as property; etc.) is all about Tim Rohr “not having his casino” (how childish!), why don’t you suggest to your boss or bosses (NCW leadership, I assume) to challenge Tim Rohr, CCOG, and the Catholic Laity to an open forum PUBLIC DEBATE to present your case or to debunk our assertions?

      Why be afraid of the truth – unless you have something to hide? Come out in the open so we can see who this "smart" (or brave) “Anon” is! Are you someone credible or just a pawn being used? Speak for yourself, my friend. “You got nothing to fear, but fear itself!” - jrsa. (8/29/15)

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    3. Wow. What amazes me is the fact that you read kikozombie comments such as the one above about a casino, and they sound exactly the same in Guam, Nairobi, Venezuela or Poland. All these poor kikozombies were cut by the same scissors, modeled with the same kaka dough and, apparently, lobotomized by the same "doctor". The problem is they actually think they're funny.

      I totally agree with JR San Agustin, this should be read by the "doctors" who implanted such a sense of humor in poor 11:34's empty brain case.

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    4. Well said, Joe!

      If Tim were making all this up wouldn't it be easy to prove him wrong? What better way to put a stop to all of this arguing back and forth than to put all of the facts on the table for all to see. I will gladly apologize for anything put forward that is false.

      May God open our eyes so we see the truth.

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  8. Mr. jsra,
    You bet he has something to fear. If his bosses find out that he was playing in the jungle, he will be chastizedand shamed in front of the community. This is what they are all about. Scaring their members into submission.

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  9. Fr. Matthew Blockley.August 29, 2015 at 11:31 PM

    The archbishop has created a deep spiritual and moral poverty not only on Guam but in the pacific region. He has sacrificed the integrity of the island culture and heritage the minds and nobility of the spirit of the peaceful loving Chamorro nation. Does he represent the Chamorro people. Does Putrid Pius represent your culture ? Do any of them represent your loving nation. If the answer is no then you need to sign up for CCOG and protect your island culture and heritage. if not these people will kill your island culture, you will not have a culture , you will be foreigners in your own land. They will first take your family, then they will take your parishes, your church, and then yes they will slowly take over the private sector, they will take over your banks, then they will take over your politics, there will be no republican or democrat, there will be only neo dictators. Your children and your grandchildren will be slaves . One day you will all wake up and you will all see Tim Rohr CCOG were right. Cults are very subtle. You suddenly wake up and see you are ruled by communist dictators. Their philosophy is built on the principles of communism a communism which destroys humanity and destroys people. As a nation you must stand up united and bring an end to the evil. By allowing them to control property and finances you empower them. Save your church save your island save your cultural identity heritage support CCOG and Tim Rohr.

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