A TALE OF TWO QUITUGUAS, PART II

Posted by Bob                            Part II
           
The Other                                                                                               The Elder 

There are two. Both are Davids. Both are Quituguas. Both are Monsignors. There the similarity ends.  One, The Elder, properly placed on the right side of the page, has distinguished himself by standing up for what is right--more about that later. The other has also distinguished himself by standing up for what is wrong.
    
Part I was posted yesterday and was only a very short summary of the many wrongs of Quituqua The Other. Today we turn to Monsignor David I. A Quituqua, i.e. The Elder, who in contrast to The Other, speaks up for what's right. Some examples follow but first let's examine the some dynamics of group punishment.


When AA Hon, in front of the whole Presbyteral Council, pointed his finger at a priest and gave him a Class A Asschewing, the performance was for the Council as much as, or maybe more, for the priest. The not-so-subtle message is, "You displease me and you'll get the same." By now Hon is familiar with the lack luster performance of priests when Fr. Paul, Msgr. James, Roy and Doris were publicly trashed and perhaps thought he could emulate Apuron.

When Monsignor  Quituqua The Elder stood up against tyrannical archbishops he sent a counter message that  priests shouldn't be cowed by a bishop. Here is what others have said about Monsignor  Quituqua The Elder:

"http://www.junglewatch.info/2016/09/the-wrath-of-hon.html

THE WRATH OF HON... 

Before anyone makes assumptions, let me briefly (yeah, "brief" hardly describes my comments, right?) say something I was told, not from the grapevine but from the "grape" in person. Fr. Mike Crisostomo is a hardworking priest and is a valuable asset in our community. Very few people have my respect, and he is one of them. Realistically there might be issues ahead of him but we must allow the process to take its due course. At any rate, I am standing up for him because he is a brother priest. That is what we do, stand up for people we love and care for.

An outraged Archbishop Hon pointed his fingers at him and banged the table during the Presbyteral Council on Friday afternoon. He accused him of being disobedient for not reading the letter from the pulpit. In full view of the other members at the meeting. Why Archbishop Hon singled out Fr. Mike is beyond me. I heard Fr. Jeff also got berated in private earlier. Many priests, including the NCW presbyters, did not read his letter and did not get a scolding. Truth be told, I DID NOT READ THE LETTER EITHER! Did I get called? Well, not yet. Fr. Mike was forced to write a letter of apology. The sad thing in that scenario was that  NOT A SINGLE MEMBER STOOD UP IN SUPPORT OF FR. MIKE. Except perhaps for the Amko Msgr. David IA Quitugua.Why am I writing this? Because the gesture of Archbishop Hon is not becoming of one who is trying to establish unity and reconciliation. Because he has disrespected a fellow local priest in public and reduced him to a whimpering bull pup because "he has the power and he was sent by the Vatican"! Given the circumstances surrounding his failure to bring resolution, I sincerely doubt that.

If Archbishop Hon continues to quibble and remains duplicitous, he hampers the process. He is better off admitting that he is the wrong person! He may retire to his office where he can push paper and kiss rings! Archbishop Hon is costing us money we do not have, and is railroading the slow progress towards resolution. He has done a lot of damage just this last weekend, splitting our Catholic people into loyalties and confusion by demanding the reading of his letter. He is blaming priests for something he should have resolved on Week One of his arrival. He failed to act, which is why we are in a bigger mess than if we ousted Archbishop Apuron ourselves! I support Father Mike and I protest this indignity. A pastoral bishop should respect his priests and seek out their welfare, not shame or embarrass them in public because the priest does not conform to his agenda. A pastoral bishop does not hide behind people he had appointed and leaves them to do the dirty job. A pastoral bishop seeks consensus and invites laypeople to be part of the discussion. A pastoral bishop is beyond censure, and if Archbishop Hon cannot accept that, then he is part of the problem. He might try out for a popularity contest instead. I am confident that with the newly-minted law, the local Catholic Church will earn integrity and credibility. The action of our legislators sent a clear message that they stand behind the people but, more importantly, they respect the rule of law and justice.

I stand behind this comment and will accept any consequence of my words and actions. I do not speak for my peers who may need to own up to what they proclaim in public. I often speak my mind, and it does not get me a lot of invite to clergy meetings. I am fine with that. As the saying goes, "you are defined by the company you keep." A Spanish saying is even more apt, "Da me con quien andas y te dire' quien eres." St. Michael, protect us in battle."

Father Efren Adversario*

"MEETINGS WITH APOSTOLIC DELEGATE

Minutes of July 14 Meeting. (First Meeting)

• 0:00 - Deacon Dominic Kim: going on about the audit
• 4:10 - Msgr. David I.A. Quitugua (the elder): tells Kim to move on to more important issues with the Nuncio
• 7:15 - Archbishop Martin Krebs explains his role and purpose of trip. Says "Guam is a diocese at war." 
• 11:45 - Msgr. David I.A. Quitugua (the elder): here’s the problem – no unifier. Archbishop Apuron IS THE PROBLEM!
• 16:05 - Fr. Efren Adersario:  frustrated at lack of action, Archbishop Apuron oblivious to problems, Apuron not in charge
• 24:30 - Deacon Bill Hagen: says "action plan" (CARA report) sits on shelf but cannot recall what its main points were
• 27:30 - Deacon Frank Tenorio: I love the Church and the Archbishop
• 32:20 - Msgr. Arroyo: people do not understand, they have a misconception about the NCW
• 40:10 - Richard Kidd: his experiences, felt outcast, not treated the same as RSM boys-medical insurance/clothing allow as an example
• 49:30 - Archbishop Krebs:  need harmony, Archbishop Apuron wants to comment
• 50:35 - Archbishop Apuron: re Msgr. David Quitugua (the elder) says NCW liturgy ok, approved by Rome, re Richard Kidd-hard to recall that far back-need to look at it, RMS following Lateran/Rome, per Richard Kidd, says St Patrick's seminary messed up
• 52:45 - Fr. Richard Kidd: no problems at St Patricks, more should have that opportunity
• 54:15 - Fr. Tom McGrath – 2nd session needed
• 55:50 -  Fr. Efren and Archbishop Apuron – this is internal issue and should stay that way, Archbishop Krebs – yes but there are no secrets
• 59:30 - Fr. Felix Leon Guerrero: what is the purpose of the meeting? We have been working for 6 years and no progress
• 1:00:30 - Archbishop Krebs - suggest we give 20-30 mins for individual comments, but then look at CARA report"

"The minutes of the clergy meeting with Archbishop Krebs, Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Msgr. David I.A. Quitugua (the elder) then pointed out that Archbishop Apuron IS the problem, saying that he is a father who shows partiality, that he needs to change his allegiance to the NCW, that even though the Archbishop chooses the NCW for his personal spirituality that as a bishop he is not a private person and must be a father to all, not just the Neos. He said that the people see this favoritism.

And then there's this:

Father David Quitugua Foundation….735-XXXX The Father David I.A. Quitugua Foundation was established in 1986 to assist the families and individuals in this situation that are experiencing financial crisis due to the severe illness of a family member. Assistance is given to help defray part of living expenses when the patient must go off-island for an emergency medical care not available on island.

Monsignor David Quitugua, The Elder, or better yet, the REAL Monsignor Quituqua.

*Special recognition to Father Efren Adversario.  Father's courageous willingness to speak out deserves special recognition. Thank you, Father!