NCW was not meant to be brought over to our shores, yet an opening was created by Adrian Cristobal in his naivete or stupidity about the true nature of this cult. He introduced this cult to spineless Tony Apuron who needed the adulation and without the concurrence of the Board of Consultors. It was a perfect fit for his unmistakably huge ego. Of course it involved young, impressionable, fresh and submissive men from an international pool so he bought the idea (and the ludicrous financial responsibility) hook, line and sinker. That these boys and men were seeking the priesthood made it an even sweeter deal. Never mind that most were "rejects" from the holes they crawled out from. As a consequence, our local vocations were squelched and denied the quality education required of the priesthood. Instead our own boys were forced to adhere to RMS (NEO) formation and education in that pseudo-seminary factory. I suspect that this was particularly intentional so that real seminary education will not place their "rejects" at a distinct disadvantage. Doing so also obviated the possibility of a legitimate seminary not recommending any of the NEO boys for ordination. Arguello needed the numbers.
Apuron, Quitugua and Cristobal never realized the nefarious NCW intent, and when they did, it was too late: they were too deeply entrenched in the deception that they became part of the Rome-defiant establishment. Hence, the lies over lies, over lies, and the usual "no comment" or "not available" responses that we got from the Chancery Office. The vacuum of leadership was deliberate so that these three Chancery officials can remain placid in their defense of their neo masters and under the radar of scrutiny from Rome. Unfortunately, when they did make decisions and statements in public, they were epic fails and comedic amusements. It further revealed cracks in their secretive society, and the choice of Edivaldo Oliveira as spokesmonkey for the Archdiocese was at dead-center in the multiple faux pas that resulted in the present stalemate of their existence.
NCW on Guam ought to be on precarious standing right now, because their continued presence and influence in a revitalized Archdiocese without Apuron, Quitugua and Cristobal will result in even worse backlash from the laity in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. A reinvigorated Archdiocese of Agana is possible only with the eviction of the NCW in Guam. The fracture is so great that the usual rhetoric of reconciliation and unity is not going to cut it unless the concrete issues are brought to the fore, explored and decisively acted upon. It behooves the CCOG, LFM, JW and all the other organized entities to keep up the intensity of fact-finding diligence even with the assignment of a new administrator. While we welcome a representative of the Pope himself in the person of Archbishop Hon Tai Fai, we need to do our part in assisting future investigation and dialogue. The laity of the Archdiocese, with the support and prayers of the clergy and religious, will do well to trust their instincts and vigilance that have served them well when everything seemed so dark and no silver lining was in sight. We are "not out of the woods" yet, as the metaphor goes, and it still is a long journey ahead. We link our arms and hearts, in the meantime, with those who have suffered terrible abuse, neglect, confusion and other negative actions that nobody in Church should have to go through. God bless us all.
NB: Tim, I apologize for the "anon" moniker for now, but I trust that your readers will understand why some sincere individuals choose to do so.
You have outline and fully covered the situation as it exists. I agree that we this is the time that we have to be vigilant. While we welcome Archbishop Hon, we also have to remain alert that the efforts to identify the issues facing our Church is not hi-jacked by the same Cult who have taken over our Church. This is the most important period of our Faith. Join the protest at the Cathedral we have to send a very loud message that the Archbishop Apuron has lost his moral authority and has to step down.
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