Saturday, December 31, 2022

GUAM'S SACRIFICE TO MOLOCH

By Tim Rohr

Moloch, a Canaanite deity associated
with child sacrifice
In the previous post, I made the case that Guam voters support abortion based on the fact that the person voters have now twice elected as governor is "Guam's most vociferous and powerful proponent of abortion for more than three decades."

Some have argued that it is not that Guam voters actually support abortion but that the issue just doesn't factor largely compared to voters' main interest: essentially access to more government goodies and a governor who will "take care of me."

So functionally we are willing to sacrifice unborn children in return for government benefices and the governor most likely to bestow them upon us. 

Such thinking is not new. From the dawn of time there have been "civilizations" who, in return for rain and good crops, regularly sacrificed their children to the gods. 

Substitute "governor" for gods and "quality of life" for rain and good crops, and we fit right in.

It may be true that Guam voters really don't support abortion when they vote for Lou Leon Guerrero and others like her, and that voters are just doing what most voters everywhere do: vote for the politicians who promise the most free stuff. (Note: There is also the matter that she was very weakly opposed. Something for the Republicans to think about and learn from.)

Friday, December 30, 2022

REGARDING THE FAILED OVERRIDE OF THE GOVERNOR'S VETO OF THE HEARTBEAT ACT

By Tim Rohr

Just some thoughts.

It was always known that should the Heartbeat Bill make it through the Legislature that Guam's most vociferous and powerful proponent of abortion for more than three decades and who is now the governor would veto it. And it was also known that there would never be enough votes to override the veto. 

As set forth several times previously in this blog, the Heartbeat Bill, at the time it was introduced was a good move and the best that pro-life advocates could do under Roe. The Heartbeat Bill also followed in the footsteps of eight Esperansa Project backed bills that were enacted into law, all of which incrementally combined to shut down Guam's abortion industry in 2018. 

However, the Dobbs decision overturning Roe changed all that. It is now possible to completely ban abortion and that will be the bottom line for the 37th Guam Legislature. No more beating around the bush. No more half measures. No more "I'm personally pro-life, but..." 

The Heartbeat Act, even if enacted into law, would not have banned abortion after detection of a fetal heartbeat. It simply permitted civil suits against certain persons involved in the abortion. 

Thursday, December 29, 2022

THE FOUR LAST THINGS - AND THE ARCHDIOCESE DOES NOT NEED A "LEADER"

By Tim Rohr


Initially, I had much to say about Troy Torres’ editorial “The archdiocese is a mess and needs a leader.” 

I was very personally involved in much of that “mess;” and, according to some, I am responsible for quite a bit of it. 

So I thought about all that could be said about Mr. Torres’ editorial - especially since I know most of the actual history and the good and bad actors behind the headlines. 

But never mind that. 

The real matter is the Archdiocese of Agana does not need a “leader.” 

The Archdiocese of Agana simply needs, as bishop, a humble priest who will consistently and persistently restate, reaffirm, repeat, and dogmatically reference…what the Catholic Church has already said and has always said relative to the most severe moral challenges of our time and of every time - and in the context of the Four Last Things: “Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell.” 

There is no other outcome. 

 

SHE COULD HAVE PICKED A BETTER DAY...OR MAYBE NOT

By Tim Rohr

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero ("LLG") could have picked a better day to veto the Guam Heartbeat Act.

However, for LLG - who has been at the forefront of killing babies in the womb for at least three decades, and having just been re-elected by popular demand by the majority of her subjects - perhaps there was no better day to veto the Guam Heartbeat Act than on Dec. 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the First Martyrs who died for Christ, and whom were slaughtered by order of Herod the Great.

LLG's veto on this day gives new meaning to "The New Herod's." 

On the other hand, LLG's veto really means nothing in the context of the Dobbs decision which puts the fate of the unborn squarely back with the legislature - where it belongs - and where the real "New Herod"s" will emerge...and the voters who support them.

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

ALINE YAMASHITA VS. DR. SEUSS...ON CHRISTMAS DAY

 By Tim Rohr

Former Senator Aline Yamashita's Christmas Day letter as posted by the Pacific Daily News could have been a real heart-warmer. 

Yamashita begins with a story of how her adult son, who lives with "severe OCD and autism," and who "starts every day watching mass on EWTN." Yamashita then goes on to include warm messages of faith: 

"God has been my main navigator...God, Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Holy Spirit help me breathe minute by minute...I am grateful...I believe...Happy Birthday, Jesus. Thank you so much."

However, in between the story about her son and "Happy Birthday, Jesus," Yamashita makes a strange left turn into politics, polls, abortion, and religion with her message essentially being "keep your religion to yourself and out of public life" - though she does it nicely:

"I think our conversations with God are intensely personal and private. As sinners, we need to have a relationship with Him to help us navigate survival, repentance." 

Monday, December 26, 2022

THE FURNACE OF AFFLICTION

By Tim Rohr

Troy Torres of Kandit News has a lot to say in this
editorial:

The archdiocese is a mess and needs a leader

He's right about the title. However, there are some holes in the history and some other missing links that I may fill in at some point. But for now, thank you to Troy for keeping this "mess" in the news.

I do want to address one thing Troy says and it is this:

"BJ Cruz and I both found our way back to the church, despite significant shortcomings of many of its past and present leaders. But, it was a struggle; an unnecessary one for many who grew up sitting on those same pews that now are bleeding parishioners. There has to be a simpler way."

WAS JESUS REALLY POOR?

By Tim Rohr


Per an AP news story, Pope Francis, in his Christmas Eve sermon, reminds us that: 

“Jesus was born poor, lived poor and died poor." 

The pope went on to attack the usual suspects: 

"...men and women...in their hunger for wealth and power;" "human greed" at the expense of "the weak and the vulnerable;" "a world ravenous for money, power and pleasure;" "war, poverty and injustice;" "so much consumerism;" and "the greedy rush to possess and consume."

The AP story, however, rather than slavishly reporting the words of a pope the Media once adored for his "humility" (or rather his socialist-liberal views), appears to take pop shots at their once papal hero. 

Sunday, December 25, 2022

THE NEW HERODS

By Tim Rohr



"The Catholic Encyclopedia estimates that given the population of Bethlehem at the time, Herod probably killed several dozen children. In the United States, abortion kills about 3 children per minute, so we probably kill an equal number of “Innocents” every 15-20 minutes. On Guam, we do that every 40 days or so. And history casts Herod as a monster?"

This is a column I wrote for the Umatuna (the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Agana) for publication on Christmas Day in 2011. While 11 years later we can celebrate the overturn of Roe v Wade, the fact is that there are now many "New Herods" lurking in the halls of government in the states and territories who can now enact laws to slaughter innocents anew. 

FLEEING THE NEW HERODS


Saturday, December 24, 2022

UPDATE ON GOV. LLG'S LAWSUIT AGAINST YOU AND ME

A couple of things about the story in today's Guam Daily Post: "Appeal hearing scheduled for abortion law’s in-person mandate"

The story first references the recently passed Guam Heartbeat Act, and describes it as "the controversial measure that would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, or within about six weeks of conception, when most women may not know they are pregnant."

First, the Act does not actually "ban" abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected but permits a civil suit against certain persons involved in the abortion. Second, the local media continues to echo the pro-abortion talking point: "when most women may not know they are pregnant." It would be better for reporters to write "when, according to abortion supporters, most women may not know they are pregnant." 

Going on to the main story which is GovGuam's "appeal of the injunction placed on Guam's in-person consultation mandate for abortions," via the Office of the Attorney General. The injunction has permitted off-island doctors to tele-consult and prescribe abortion pills. 

The case is an odd one given that the ACLU's suit is against the Government of Guam which is headed by the most public, pro-abortion governor ever elected and now re-elected. 

THANK YOU FOR READING

 


Thursday, December 22, 2022

PAVONNE VS AMERICAN CATHOLICISM'S PACT WITH THE DEVIL

By Tim Rohr

Crisis Magazine has a solid opinion piece on the Frank Pavonne matter: THE SAD CASE OF FRANK PAVONNE.  

While upholding the Vatican's decision to laicize Pavonne on at least partly solid grounds, the author does not let the Vatican off the hook:

"First, it’s obvious we live in a lawless Church. When rules are selectively enforced by authorities, that’s not the rule of law, it’s the rule of dictators. We see countless examples of priests preaching heresies and supporting evil with no punishment coming their way. Also, the irony is too rich when a Vatican that allowed the Pachamama idol to be venerated on its grounds would now suddenly have a problem with blasphemy. It’s hard not to see this action against Pavone as a vindictive act against someone whose politics does not line up with the current regime at the Vatican." 

The counts against Pavonne were 1) "blasphemous communications on social media;" and 2) “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop.”

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

THE POPE DID IT

... imposing dismissal from the clerical state for these offenses would require what happened in this case, that is, the issuance of what Archbishop Christophe Pierre (the apostolic nuncio to the United States) identified as a “Supreme Decision admitting of no possibility of appeal.” Only the Pope, who enjoys “full and supreme power in the Church” (canon 332, 1), can issue such a decision against which there is no possible appeal.

Canon lawyer on Father Pavone's dismissal from priesthood: Only the Pope can issue a decision without appeal

THERE STILL ARE NO DOCTORS WILLING TO DO THEM

By Tim Rohr


Kandit News has published a story titled: "Guam pro-life advocates place their hopes in Douglas Moylan following gubernatorial threat to veto Heartbeat Act" in which I am quoted. Thank you Troy for the reference and the accurate quote. 

AG Moylan's lifting of the injunction on the 1990 "Belle's Law" is the right thing to do, not just because it outlaws abortion from conception, but because doing so will put the whole matter back where it now belongs: before the lawmakers and the people who elect them. 

If the 37th Guam Legislature wants to pass a bill making abortion fully legal then we have a governor eager to sign it. However, even though abortion remains fully legal now, there still are no doctors willing to do them. 

And "why not" is a question that needs to be put to those physicians who publicly advocate for abortion. Maybe we can find out the real reason they won't do them. 

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

OSV: "...IT'S NOT ABOUT ABORTION"

Posted by Tim Rohr

Our Sunday Visitor has a fair article about the Pavonne matter. A key insight is here:

"When a priest becomes a celebrity, he needs a strong support system of people who help keep him humble...I have no insider knowledge on this in particular, but I ran into him frequently over the years, and it was clear some people adored him. And the combination of people adoring you and you and others being convinced you are a victim of persecution can be a dangerous thing."

The Frank Pavone story is not about abortion


Please: Be careful — prayerful — about how you react to the news about Father Frank Pavone now becoming Mr. Frank Pavone by order of the Vatican. Try not to see it through a political lens. Step away of any opinions you may have of the Roman pontiff. Know that abortion is the human-rights issue of our time. The priest who ran Priests for Life is still capable of creating an untenable circumstance for himself to continue as a priest.

CONTINUED

My Note: Unfortunately we (Catholics) are in very strange and uncertain times...IN THE CHURCH! The current occupant of the Chair of Peter, himself, has stated, on many occasions, what some would say are "blasphemous things" - the same accusation made against Pavonne. 

Nevertheless, we, the laity, would do well not to second guess stuff that is above our heads. Pavonne provoked the war that eventually came. Let's let him fight it the way he chooses. 

To be clear though, we, the laity of the Archdiocese of Agana, were not in "over our heads" and completely within our moral right to protest and demand Vatican action against more than half a century of the rape and abuse of our children by certain members of our clergy - all of which the current leadership of this Archdiocese has admitted. 

PRIEST FOR LIFE? MORE ON THE PAVONNE MATTER

This article from The Pillar explains the matter well.

Priest for life? A Frank Pavone explainer

News broke on Saturday that Frank Pavone, the head of a pro-life campaigning organization and controversial political activist, had been dismissed from the clerical state.

A prominent media figure for years, Pavone’s laicization has captured media attention in the U.S., and left many wondering if the Vatican decided to dismiss him from the clerical state because of his stridently pro-life activism and his well-known political beliefs.

CONTINUED

Monday, December 19, 2022

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE PAVONNE MATTER - UPDATED

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1979
Per a Catholic News Agency
story, "the Vatican" has removed Fr. Frank Pavonne from the clerical state: i.e. "defrocked - laicized - no longer permitted to present himself as a priest. 

So some thoughts.

First, amongst the pro-life laity, Fr. Pavonne is an immensely popular priest. He has dared to tread where few other priests - or maybe none - have dared to tread. (The CNA news story has most of the details.) 

Priests like Fr. Pavonne, who break out of the mold - especially in this age of instant Media, and become more famous, more popular, and more respected than their superiors (in this case Pavonne's bishop) are usually asking for trouble even if there is no disobedience the likes of which Pavonne has been accused of.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was probably the first major Catholic media star, even winning an Emmy for his 1950's to 1960's television show, "Life is Worth Living." On top of being brilliant, Sheen was quite the actor and his Emmy Award verifies that. 

Being a bishop, Sheen had some autonomy, but not much. In the political power world of the U.S. episcopate, Sheen was still the underling of the immensely powerful Cardinal Spellman, who, in time, would step on Sheen, and some say, crush him, driving Sheen to his physical collapse and death.

Mother Angelica ("Mother"), who launched the largest Catholic Television Network in the world (EWTN), is probably the most well-known and beloved modern Catholic media star. And for good reason. Like Sheen, she was brilliant, even though, unlike Sheen, her brilliance was in her ability to "not act," and just be "Mother" to millions who loved her...and needed a "Mother" to lead them home...to the Catholic Church which they loved...but - post Vatican II - did not recognize anymore. 

In the eyes of the U.S. Bishops Conference though, Mother became too popular and powerful, especially as their own competing television network failed; and she became a target, especially of the then very powerful Archbishop of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahoney. 

Note: All of this is detailed in "Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles,"  by Raymond Arroyo

Mahoney would later retire in disgrace and even go into a sort of hiding * after he was linked to a monster clergy sex abuse scandal that cost the Catholics of his diocese more than a billion dollars. But before Mahoney was taken down, he took down Mother Angelica. 

Mahoney had no direct control of Mother as she was not operating in Mahoney's diocese; but Mahoney used his weight to go after Mother's bishop and everyone and anyone in the Church's political scheme who could make Mother's life hell. 

Whether or not it was Mahoney's actions and the stress Mother suffered at his hands that brought about the final stroke that silenced her in 2000 and eventually led to her death, we can only presume. 

As Mother went down to her own physical stroke, EWTN survived Mahoney's onslaught due to Mother's signing EWTN over to a lay corporation which the bishops could not touch. 

And it is here that there might be a lesson for us...and for Fr. Pavonne. 

Pavonne's "right to life" political and secular activities - which made him both loved and famous - are really the proper domain of the non-ordained - the laity - us. But because we laity are mostly cowards and don't want to put ourselves "out there" because we are "waiting for father," otherwise good and faithful priests get caught up in taking leadership in activities that are not properly theirs - such as heading up lay organizations, despite its name, is not an organization of priests but lay persons.

Pavonne, and his fellow clerics, from the pope down to the lowliest deacon, should know that they already have the largest and most powerful stage in the world: the Catholic pulpit at the thousands of Masses that are offered each and every day at every minute and every hour around the world. 

All Pavonne and every Catholic cleric ever need to do is cite the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

There is nothing more for them to say other than to develop what the Church already says, e.g. what are the eternal consequences of living (and dying) in a state "gravely contrary to the moral law." 

I'll come back with more later after I see how this plays out a bit. 

FATHER FRANK PAVONNE RESPONDS



 Fr. Frank Comments on Latest Developments

My Note: In the 90's, several U.S. Bishops, particularly then-Cardinal Roger Mahoney, Archbishop of Los Angeles, tried to oust Mother Angelica and shut down EWTN. The same cabal is going after Fr. Pavonne. However, it may be that Pavonne has purposely picked a fight with the Vatican for the purposes of drawing its corruption out into the street where everyone can see. 

In some ways, if this is what Pavonne is doing, the Vatican should take note of how Apuron went down. 

Had Apuron (or more likely his handlers) quietly sat down and worked things out with first, Fr. Paul, and then, Msgr. James, JungleWatch would not have much to report about and Apuron might still be the man on the hill. Instead, Apuron issued damning decrees and went public, giving JW huge opportunities to draw the fight out into the street. 

Even those who first accused Apuron of sexually abusing them did not want to go public. They just wanted to meet with him privately and get the apology they had been waiting their whole lives for. Instead, Apuron threatened to sue them and then ran away. 

And then "there was Hon," that is the Apostolic Administrator, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who can be directly credited for driving this archdiocese into bankruptcy, when, instead of accepting the fact that there were real problems here, he mocked and belittled Apuron's accusers - most likely upon orders from his boss in the Vatican (Filoni) - leaving those accusers and those who supported them no option but to pursue a secular remedy. 

And even then, Hon continued his campaign to silence the accusers by using the pulpit at Sunday masses to lobby the governor to veto the bill that eventually would lead to our church's bankruptcy. The abuse of the pulpit in this way drove the supporters of the bill to be even more extreme in their support. Then-Governor Calvo saw this and signed it into law. 

All of this could have been avoided had pastors actually been pastors instead of the power-driven bureaucrats like the ones that are now going after Pavonne. But they better watch out. Pavonne has his own version of JungleWatch. And if they really are kicking Pavonne out of the priesthood, then his power to expose them will multiply exponentially. 

Sunday, December 18, 2022

MEANWHILE...IN ROME

While the Vatican apparently wages war on the "rigid" faithful and "priests for life" - or at least one of them, the same Vatican is happily moving forward to canonize Carmen, the co-founder of what at least one bishop has called a "Jewish-Protestant heresy...with a Catholic decoration only." 

Process of beatification begins for Carmen Hernández, co-founder of Neocatechumenal Way

APURON REMAINS A BISHOP BUT "PRIESTS FOR LIFE " FATHER FRANK PAVONNE IS NO LONGER "FATHER"

BREAKING: Vatican dismisses Father Frank Pavone from priesthood


Father Frank Pavone, a well-known pro-life activist and national director of the organization Priests for Life, has been dismissed from the clerical state for “blasphemous communications on social media” and “persistent disobedience of the lawful instructions of his diocesan bishop,” CNA has learned.

CONTINUED

NOTE: After Apuron was found guilty by the Vatican and thereafter losing his appeal which was handled directly by Pope Francis, Apuron was banned for life from Guam, but retains his clerical state as a bishop...somewhere. 

Saturday, December 17, 2022

HOLLY RUSTICK'S TYRANNY OF THE MAJORITY VS AMERICA

By Tim Rohr

Notwithstanding Holly Rustik's abortion supporting views in her Dec. 16 letter to the Pacific Daily News, Ms. Rustick founds her argument on a particularly common erroneous assumption, i.e. that lawmakers' first duty is to "represent constituents."

Ms. Rustick begins by calling on Guam's lawmakers to live up to their "job description, " beginning with "represent constituents." 

One wonders where Ms. Rustick found a copy of said lawmakers "job description." The only official job description for lawmakers is set forth in their oath of office:

“I solemnly swear (or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God that I will well and faithfully support the Constitution of the United States, the laws of the United States applicable to Guam and the laws of Guam, and that I will conscientiously and impartially discharge my duties as a member of the Guam Legislature (or as an officer of the government of Guam).” (Aug. 1, 1950, ch. 512, § 14, 64 Stat. 388.) 

Aside from the fact that elected lawmakers' Number One job description is to "faithfully support the Constitution of the United States" - which now permits states and territories to make their own own abortion laws (like the Heartbeat Bill which Ms. Rustick opposes), there is nothing in the oath that says they are to "represent constituents.

ARCHDIOCESE OF AGANA STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF THE HEARTBEAT BILL

 


Friday, December 16, 2022

LET'S SEE WHO WILL DO IT

By Tim Rohr

Congrats to the author, sponsors, and backers of the Heartbeat Bill. It passed today in a vote of 8 to 7. 

The Heartbeat bill was conceived, authored, and introduced at a time no one could have imagined Roe being overturned; so legislation, like the Heartbeat Bill, was the best we could constitutionally hope for. 

And, even though Roe was overturned by Dobbs in June 2022, opening the door for a complete ban on abortion, by then the Heartbeat Bill had already been introduced and deposited into the legislative machinery.

Meanwhile, opponents have nothing to worry about. Governor LLG is eager to veto it and there are not ten votes to override her veto. So everyone wins in the end. The supporters get to claim a victory and the opponents get to shut it down. In fact, the probability of this scenario was probably always known by the smarter heads in the Legislature which may be why they just let it go through. 

Thursday, December 15, 2022

AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE NOT HAD IN 50 YEARS - WHO'S IT GOING TO BE?

By Tim Rohr

In the previous post, I addressed what St. Pope John Paul II calls "a particular problem of conscience" which "can arise in cases where a legislative vote would be decisive for the passage of a more restrictive law, aimed at limiting the number of authorized abortions, in place of a more permissive law already passed or ready to be voted on."

John Paul II clarifies that a lawmaker, in supporting a law that does less than fully ban abortion "does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects."

HOWEVER, the pope says, this is only true "when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law..."

Prior to the Dobbs decision overturning Roe, it was "not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law...," and so it was entirely licit to support abortion legislation that attempted "to limit its evil aspects." In fact, The Esperansa Project spent ten years doing exactly this and saw eight of its bills enacted into law. 

A MORAL CONUNDRUM ANSWERED and "BOTH-AND" or "EITHER-OR" ??? - ABORTION IN GUAM


During his talk show on The Point on Dec. 13, the show's host, Bob Klitzkie, brought up an important moral conundrum, which, paraphrased, goes like this:

  1. Abortion is currently legal up until birth.
  2. A bill is introduced to ban abortion with no exceptions.
  3. There are 15 senators who will vote on the bill.
  4. 7 senators are in favor and 7 senators are opposed.
  5. One senator, the deciding vote, is in favor of the ban so long as there are exceptions for rape, incest, and life of the mother.
  6. The senators who support the full abortion ban believe life begins at conception and abortion at any stage of pregnancy and for any reason is always wrong. (1)
  7. Can the 7 senators who believe life begins at conception and abortion under any circumstance is always the killing of an innocent, defenseless, human being accept the holdout senator's exceptions in order to at least limit abortion, or is their acceptance of those exceptions morally evil in that they would materially cooperate in the killing of an innocent, defenseless human being?

Fortunately, at least for Catholics, this conundrum has already been answered. Pope John Paul II addressed this very issue in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life - 1995):

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

PLAN "D" - "D" FOR DOUG

AG-Elect Douglas Moylan

Post-Dobbs, much is being made of "Belle's Law," a 1990 law introduced by the late Senator Elizabeth Arriola banning abortion and a law that still remains in the Guam code, but enjoined pursuant to Roe v Wade

In the wake of Dobbs (overturning Roe) controversy over Belle's Law was recently heightened after the incumbent Attorney General, Leevin Camacho - who opined that the injunction should remain, was defeated by incoming Attorney General, Doug Moylan, who has stated he will lift the injunction making Belle's Law outlawing abortion the law of Guam. 

For pro-lifers, the late senator is a saint, and she in fact may be. However,  as history and government abortion reports show, Belle's Law and its aftermath inadvertently opened the door to unopposed and unregulated abortion in Guam for the next 28 years.

The short version is this. 

Belle's Law provoked a constitutional challenge which GovGuam never had a chance of winning and cost Guam taxpayers millions of dollars. The legal mess and costs created a chilling effect on any future efforts to legislatively address abortion in Guam for nearly the next three decades. 

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

RIDGELL IS RIGHT

By Tim Rohr


On Dec. 2, I posted the following on an FB post

I heard that the Heartbeat Bill has been reported out of committee and is on the current legislative agenda. I’m going to predict what is going to happen. The bill will come up on the floor. The sponsors will say something supportive. The senators who oppose it will say nothing. So there will be no debate. They will vote to place it in the 3rd reading file - which means it will go to a final vote. At the final vote it will get voted down. The sponsors get to say they tried and the opponents will avoid the negative publicity that a debate on the floor would bring.

Per the latest news, ten days later, I was proved right that the bill would be placed "in the 3rd reading file - which means it will go to a final vote," but was wrong about a couple other things. 

First, it appears from the news that there was at least a bit of a debate, and perhaps because the senators who opposed the bill still wanted their voice on the record. One of those senators was Clynt Ridgell - of whose comments I will say more later. 

Monday, December 12, 2022

AND SO THEY CRUSHED HIM. PART II. WHY AND HOW.

By Tim Rohr

This is Part II of AND SO THEY CRUSHED HIM

In the wake of the Archdiocesan announcement about Archbishop Byrnes being away on extended medical leave, and the otherwise probing report by Kandit News suggesting a bit more sinister scenario (to which JW responded “And so they crushed him”), perhaps its time to look back on a few questions that some of us have had from the outset of Byrnes’ appointment to Guam. 

Given the scandals that began to break in 2013 and which eventually led to Byrnes’ appointment as coadjutor archbishop to the Archdiocese of Agana (“AOA”) in 2016, it was always a suspicion of those of us close to the action that the Byrnes’ appointment was not just odd, but smelled of meddling by “The Kikos.” 

Note: “The Kikos” on this blog refers to the political hierarchy of the Neocatechumenal Way and not its ordinary members, who otherwise are usually just regular Catholics looking to deepen their faith. 

FIRST, at the time of Byrnes’ appointment, AOA was perhaps the most troubled diocese in the whole Catholic world.

Let’s review: 

1) Apuron’s surreptitious deeding away of the “Yona Property” * to The Kikos had been uncovered; 

2) Four people had come forward publicly and alleged sexual abuse by Apuron beginning the exposure of what would become the largest sex abuse scandal in the Catholic world; 

3) Apuron had fled Guam and had surfaced at the Vatican under what appeared to be the protection of Pope Francis; 

4) the Vatican had appointed an Apostolic Administrator (Savio Hon Tai Fai), a lieutenant of "The Red Pope," of whom we will say more later; and 

5) due much to Hon’s mismanagement - or The Red Pope's directions to Hon, lay Catholics had risen up and had pushed through legislation lifting the civil statute of limitations on sex abuse of minors, opening the door to litigation and bankruptcy for AOA. 

* The “Yona Property” is in reference to the former Accion Hotel Property that was converted in the RMS seminary in or about 2002. The property was estimated to be valued at or around 75 MILLION DOLLARS by then-AOA counsel, Edward Terlaje. 

Saturday, December 10, 2022

LIFE IS A GIFT FROM GOD

By David Sablan, President, Concerned Catholics of Guam, Inc.


Life is a gift from God.  We should nurture and cherish it and live it to its fullest in accordance with God’s laws.  

When the first sin was committed, Adam and Eve “hid” from God.  Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent for tempting her to disobey God’s only commandment in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8-13).  

Pro-abortion advocates “hide” the reality of what abortion is and how it is performed in the removal of a developing human being in a mother’s womb.  They use soft terms like “Pro-Choice” to describe the killing of an innocent, developing human being so you do not focus or visualize what truly is happening.  

THE HEARTBEAT BILL AND THE REAL MATTER BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE

By Tim Rohr



As our own lawmakers currently debate Guam's Heartbeat Bill, a story in today's PDN relates a news story from Texas wherein a lawsuit under the Texas Heartbeat Act, from which the Guam bill was modeled, was thrown out of court. 

Texas ruling raises questions over private enforcement of abortion ban

Per the details of the story, the whole deal in Texas seems to have been a setup. A doctor performed an abortion in clear defiance of the new law and a lawyer filed a lawsuit against the doctor "with the intention of having the court...declare the law constitutional."

Friday, December 9, 2022

BY TROY TORRES: THE ARCHDIOCESE TEACHER WHO RAPED ME AND THE CHURCH THAT SAVED ME

This is quite a testimony by Troy Torres of Kandit News, and not because he mentions me. Link to Troy's post on Facebook and Kandit website. The JW post that Troy refers to is here

The archdiocese teacher who raped me, and the Church that saved me • By Troy Torres

Twenty nine years ago today, a St. Anthony School teacher raped me for the first time. I was 13. When he was done taking my innocence, he showered as I put my school uniform back on, then stared at the salt-water aquarium he kept in his living room. 

His ruse for taking me to his house from the school campus was he needed to pick something up at home before taking me to eat. So, when he was done doing as he pleased - the hour on that December 8, 1993 afternoon approaching the start of the procession to Our Lady of Camarin - my consolation prize was one of those microwaveable treats. I think it was a pizza bagel or a pepperoni hot pocket. As he handed it to me, he said, “You better stop eating these. You’re getting pimples.”

I published this story along with many other details this day last year. I struggled with the idea of retelling this story today, and decided instead to focus on what happened after the first rape.

He took me to Agana for the procession, but dropped me far from where people could see me leaving his car. I’m pretty sure it was the parking lot, where Winchells is now. As I walked to the Cathedral grounds, the music became louder, and families leaving their cars to assemble began walking with and past me. I was with so many, but ironically very much alone in my first night as a prisoner of my own mind.

Thursday, December 8, 2022

IT'S DECEMBER 8 AND TIME FOR MY SOMETIMES ANNUAL MINI-RANT

By Tim Rohr


Today is December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and time for my sometimes annual mini-rant about translations, and in this case, a particularly terrible translation in that it kicks Mary out of the plan of salvation. 

CONTINUED

SOUNDS FAMILIAR: PERHAPS THE VATICAN HAS LEARNED SOMETHING FROM GUAM



A new scandal involving a Cardinal in Honduras and a close friend of Pope Francis has surfaced:

Vatican Awaits Developments as It Investigates Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga and Honduras’ Catholic University
- LINK


The Honduran scandal is very reminiscent of our own RMS property scandal from a few years ago:

In 2015, JungleWatch discovered a document which functionally deeded an Archdiocese of Agana property, thought, at the time, to be worth approximately SEVENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS, to the Neocatechumenal Way. You can read about the RMS scandal at the above tab "Certificate of Title Fiasco," and/or get the larger story at the tab "Orchestrated." 

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

KANDIT NEWS PUBLISHES ROHR'S LETTER TO THE EDITOR. COMMENTERS GO NUTS.

By Tim Rohr

Funny. Looks like almost all the commenters (if not all) did not even read the post before commenting. I think they just saw my picture and went nuts.  😂😂


AND SO THEY CRUSHED HIM

Five years ago, this month, the infamous Redemptoris Mater Seminary was closed by Archbishop Michael Byrnes. 

Coincidentally, today, Kandit News ran a story about the absence of Archbishop Byrnes and his suspected health issues. 

We will have more to say about the Kandit story later, but there is little doubt that the “crushers” ("The Kikos") who run the Neocatechumenal Way have made Archbishop Byrnes pay for daring to be the first bishop in the world to close one of their fake seminaries.

And so they crushed him.

Go here to a local media interview with Archbishop Byrnes about his closure of the seminary in 2017. 

Go here for Part II of this story. 

Monday, December 5, 2022

ATTY ANITA ARRIOLA AND THOSE EVIL MEN

By Tim Rohr


This morning on K57, Patti Arroyo interviewed Attorney Anita Arriola regarding the current status of the Heartbeat Bill. The whole of Arriola's position was functionally: "those evil men," specifically Doug Moylan, Bob Klitzkie, Peter Sgro, and Tim Rohr. And Arriola's charge against said "evil men" was 1) that said men "write letters to the editor," and 2) they are men.

Meanwhile...

  • Never mind the fact that the aforesaid letter writers have no public power other than to voice an opinion.
  • Never mind the fact that the Heartbeat Bill was actually introduced by a woman lawmaker. 
  • Never mind the fact that 4 of the 8 senators who voted to place the bill on the current legislative agenda are female senators.
  • Never mind the fact that the real reason abortion is not available in Guam is because women doctors who openly advocate for abortion (and write their own letters to the editor) like Dr. Ellen Bez, an OB-GYN from Sagua Managu, will not provide abortions or even abortion information as required by the informed consent law. 
  • Never mind the fact that the current governor, a woman, and a registered nurse - and as such a "qualified person," chooses not to provide informed consent information to women seeking abortion and instead forces women to access the required information via teleconference with doctors in Hawaii who they don't know and who will not be in Guam to care for them should something go wrong with their do-it-yourself, mail-order abortions.

Saturday, December 3, 2022

ARCHDIOCESE OF AGANA SENDS WRONG MESSAGE: OKAY TO KILL UNBORN UNTIL HEARTBEAT IS DETECTED

By Tim Rohr

The following was sent to the Pacific Daily News as a Letter to the Editor. It has not yet been published. Given that the subject bill is expected to come up on the floor of the legislature this week for a vote, JW chooses to make the letter public via this forum now - with supporting links and references. Note: the Letter was published by the Pacific Daily News on Dec. 5, 2022. 


Per a recent news story in the Pacific Daily News, the Archdiocese of Agana, specifically its vicar general, Father Romeo Convocar, has called on Vice-Speaker Barnes to place the Guam "Heartbeat Bill" on its session agenda.

Unfortunately, Fr. Convocar's support of the "Heartbeat Bill" inadvertently implies that killing a child in the womb is okay up until a fetal heartbeat is detected. This is in direct contradiction to universal Catholic teaching which holds that life begins at conception and that the direct killing of an innocent, defenseless human being is always intrinsically evil. 

2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.

Prior to the Dobbs decision overturning Roe, incremental pro-life legislation like the "Heartbeat Bill" was the best that could be hoped for, and advocating for such legislation was even officially encouraged by Pope John Paul II in his encyclical, Evangelium Vitae.

"...when it is not possible to overturn or completely abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects." - Evangelium Vitae 73 Note: Between 2008 and 2018, the Esperansa Project did precisely this in backing eight pro-life bills into law and functionally shutting down Guam's abortion clinics in 2018. 

However, since the Dobbs decision has opened the door for a full, legal ban on abortion, Fr. Convocar would have better served the church he represents by writing a letter of support to Attorney General-elect, Douglas Moylan, who has stated his intent to dissolve the injunction placed on Guam’s 1990 abortion ban.

Fr. Convocar’s letter to Vice-Speaker Barnes is yet another example of Guam’s Catholic Church leadership continually stepping on itself when it wanders into the public arena - usually after being baited - and without proper counsel. Unfortunately, as recent history has demonstrated, said leadership’s public missteps are not paid for by the Catholics on the altar, but by the Catholics in the pews. 

Friday, December 2, 2022

HAPPY HOLIDAYS (AND NOT "MERRY CHRISTMAS")

By Tim Rohr



In 2011, I wrote a column for the Umatuna, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Agana, as to why Catholics (and all Christians) should - prior to Christmas - say "Happy Holidays" and not "Merry Christmas." 

It's an issue that comes up almost every year under the generic Christian banner of "keep Christ in Christmas" ... even though the "mas" (Mass) part of Christmas is absolutely ignored. 

I re-share that column here as posted on my other blog:

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Friday, November 25, 2022

JUNGLEWATCH STATCOUNTER - 11/20/22



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