Tuesday, March 28, 2017

GUAM DAILY POST EDITORIAL

Time to end the boycott, time for Apuron to face problems in Guam

On Friday, the Archdiocese of Agana acknowledged that Guam's mother Catholic church, the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, stands on the brink of financial collapse.

Over the past two years, the Cathedral-Basilica had taken on a $1.9 million debt, and the debt is getting tougher to carry, along with paying the bills to keep the church running. Collections from churchgoers have shrunk to less than half of what they once were, from about $10,000 a week to $4,000 a week on average, the Archdiocesan Finance Council said in a press conference on Friday. A receivership has been named to manage the church's finances. CONTINUED

25 comments:

  1. I have to wonder what Apuron's personal net worth is and where he stashed his money. There's no way that flaming criminal didn't steal archdiocesan funds.

    Looks like Bp. Byrnes will have to consider merging parishes and selling the closed properties. Either that, or sell RMS for the $75 million+ it's said to be worth.

    St. Patrick's Seminary in Northern California sold a chunk of their land to luxury home developers for an undisclosed amount. Houses to be built there will start at $2 million each, so they probably made out like bandits.

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    1. Isn't the Agana Cathedral-Basilica worth a lot more than the Yona RMS property?

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    2. Hard to say. RMS-Yona is a picturesque resort hotel overlooking the ocean. Remodeled and multi-purpose. The Cathedral isn't an ocean view property and it can only be used as a church.

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  2. I disagree with this article that the time has come for the people in the pew to start filling the coffers again. I completely disagree. Let the church officials be more creative, they are expert at finding "solutions" to thorny problems. Let the Vatican take the faithful of Guam more seriously. This issue with the cathedral finances warrants a closer look at the dealings of the prior rector with regard to bookkeeping and the NCW. 800,000 dollars didn't just disappear. Don't make it so easy for those in charge! And I'm sure the beautiful and generous people of Guam will not let the hungry suffer at Kamalen Karidat. They will find a way to feed the hungry without lining the church pockets with money that can then be redirected away from the needy. If Catholic schools are struggling I'm sure the community would come together with positive actions like paying a GPA bill in person (without just blindly turning over sums to church/school administration)if that's what it takes. There HAS to be accountability because the abuses and outright theft have been way too egregious. And Apuron is still Archbishop of Agana for the record.

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  3. who was in charge of the Archdiocese of Agana's finances these past two years when the Church took on a 1.9 million dollar debt?

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    1. Apuron must have signed off on the refinancing before he was suspended.

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    2. Mary Lou Garcia-PeredaMarch 28, 2017 at 11:41 PM

      Anonymous at 1:52 PM, during the two years when, per the article, the Cathedral-Basilica took on the $1.9 million debt I believe the person who took over — after Msgr. James was removed in July 2014 — was none other than KikoBot Msgr. David (Lurch) assisted by KikoMinion Presbyter Jucutan.

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    3. then the Church should question and, if necessary, sue Msgr. David Quitugua (Lurch) for financial mismanagement and return of the missing funds.
      And, if Archbishop Byrnes wants us to trust him, this action should be made public.

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  4. People here normally boycott the lousy bishop's beg-a-thons and donate to social services directly.

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  5. Apuron, Apuron, Apuron! What a stupid fool who placed us all in this predicament! Why does he walk away unscathed while we are left holding the bag? How about letting the gullible neos who defended him like hell to put up the amount needed to pay these unnecessary bills? The NCW benefitted from the "largesse and preference" under Apuron as they were feted to gala dinners, hotel soirees, trailing the Pope at World Youth Days, worldwide trips and gifts to presbyters and their families, and huge donations to kiko handlers, among others. Let the "Diana" go over her bank accounts to bail the Archdiocese from its excessive and misplaced generosity.

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    1. You stop the money stupid 3:38 pm

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    2. He won't walk away unscathed.

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  6. 3:38 You placed yourselves in this mess by sucking up to Apuron for 30 years and letting the Neos run wild.

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  7. The Catholic faithful in Guam remain faithful and strong in their love of the Church. It is because of this love that we take to the streets and march in protest against the corruption that plagued the Church for too long. We are thankful for the many positive actions that have been accomplished so far. But the decades of abuse and corruption will not be cleansed in a few short months. And while there is still the slightest chance that Anthony S. Apuron could return as Archbishop of Agana a dark cloud will hang over this island. Until that dark chapter in our history is closed and sealed for all eternity the faithful will not pour out what they have been withholding.

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  8. Amen, Concerned Catholic of Guam.

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    1. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)March 31, 2017 at 2:54 AM

      Double Amen!

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  9. Can no one, not even the Pope, really tell apuron to come back to Guam and face the music?

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  10. As the military would put it--AWOL.
    Desertion is a possibility.
    Then again, it's the catholic church.

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    1. Desertion is Not JUST a possibility ...APURON BETRAYED US...HE STOLE OUR MONEY AND LEFT..

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    2. Can't use the AWOL argument any more. The US military hasn't prosecuted deserters since they caught a couple of them in Vietnam donkeys years ago.

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    3. okay so desertion is out....I'll just call him a THIEF..I can't say Apuron is Robin Hood of Modern times either...He did just the opposite..He stole from us and help himself and Rich coonies..

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  11. Rome can't force Apuron into returning to Guam, but civil Courts can if his victims' lawsuits go to trial. If he bolts, Federal Marshals will hunt him down.

    Last year a homosexual Filipino priest in Oregon, Ysrael Bien, hid a camera in the men's church toilet. It was found by a 15-year-old boy who gave it to his father. An arrest warrant was issued for the young pervert priest, but he had already fled back to his family in the Philippines.

    His Oregon bishop ordered him to return and face civil misdemeanor charges, but he refused and got away with it. To date, nothing has been said about him being laicized. His whereabouts and clerical status are unknown.






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    1. Nope. Apuron's is a civil case, not a criminal case. Apuron does not have to show up at all.

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  12. Rose de los Reyes (Seattle, WA)March 31, 2017 at 3:25 AM

    This plea form the Guam Post Editorial is premature. Some of us would first like to see additional “trust building” steps put into effect as outlined above by Concerned Catholic of Guam 10:11.

    Another view from which to solve this situation is to have the local NCW step up to the debt elimination plate. They were in charge, after all, of the cathedral during the debt accumulation period. From my readings, I understand that since 2014, the year of the removal of Msgr. James as rector (and pastor-in-effect) of the cathedral-basilica and the firing of the archdiocesan finance council that same year, the local NCW leadership (with the patronage of Abp Apuron) took over the full-on management of the cathedral-basilica with key leadership and support staff positions. Of those NCW leaders, clergy members Msgr. Lurch Quitugua (then-rector) and Cristobal (Chancellor then and now --- can’t he get taken off that position now, please? He us undeserving of it) together with Presbyters Uduvaldo and Jucatan ran the operations of the cathedral-basilica. This situation is yet another example to hold up about the NCW’s uncanny ability to produce rotten fruit. The picture: when the NCW is “in charge” of a parish and a seat of an archdiocese as in the case Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, the place will be drive to debt to the tune surpassing a million dollar range.

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  13. I’m with you, Rose delos Reyes; and with the concerned Catholic at 10:11pm; with Andrew Camacho and with everyone else who find the editorial “advice” quite premature but mostly, presumptuous. Why? The realities that have not changed and in fact, continue as of today are these:

    - Apuron CONTINUES to hold his title and “leadership” position in our local Church and CONTINUES to be acknowledged and identified in the prayers during Consecration at Mass as our “Spiritual Shepherd”!

    - Apuron CONTINUES to smugly and cowardly hide away -- protected by the very foreign entity (ncw) whose goal and quest was to underhandedly erode authentic Catholicism and manipulatively replace it with their heretical inventions, with the willing assistance and cooperation of Apuron!

    - The ncw (a non-member of our Archdiocese) CONTINUES to enjoy a physical existence and presence in our local Catholic Church, and continue their physical residence in our Archdiocese’ building and property in Yona -- the Church building and property whose financial worth could easily be used as a source to cover part of the current debts from the sexual abuse cases but also, of debts incurred by the ncw’s illicit existence and take-over of power, authority and financial thievery from our Church.

    Our love for our Catholic Faith is what sustains our continued resistance to the superficial value placed on money -- flimsily touted as “necessary” for authentic Catholicism to survive on our island. Our local Church is not “on the verge of collapsing” as the editorial claims. The Catholic Church has existed and survived bigger crisis and persecutions for over 2,000 years, after all. Are we really now going to acquiesce to this editorial claim that this miniscule financial crisis in our local Church will be the cause of the toppling of the Church that Christ, Himself, instituted?

    That same level of love for our Faith is what also keeps our stance firmly focused, uncompromising and unrelenting with our weekly protests where we publicly and prayerfully seek the laicization of Apuron.

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