By Tim Rohr
Note: I am telling this story not to pick on Luis Camacho. He doesn't need any more grief. No, I am telling this story because the world needs to see how the Neocat Ideology ruins people...many people.
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The (still) Rev. Fr. Luis Camacho, as most readers of this blog know, was arrested in March 2015 after being found alone with a female minor in a car at a beach in Agat. Note: I parenthetically say "still" because he is appealing his "defrocking" (aka "laicization") by a Vatican tribunal and, for now, remains a priest, albeit without faculties.
Rumor at the time of the arrest was that Camacho had been caught engaging in a sexual act with a female minor; however, so went the rumor, the girl's parents (mysteriously) chose not to pursue charges. Meanwhile, since the police had arrested Camacho and there had to be a reason, the charge, which could have been much more serious, was entered as custodial interference.
I have stated several times on this blog that if Camacho had just come clean and begged forgiveness, he would not only have remained a priest in good standing (perhaps after a short retreat), but would have been extra loved and admired by the majority of Guam’s Catholics.
We are all fallen in one way or another, and who among us does not have a list of sins, especially “sins of youth,” that would not only humble us if they were known but may have put some of us in jail?
True, Camacho was no “youth” at the time (I believe he was in his 30’s), and the girl was underage (17 was the rumor), but I still think a simple “I’m sorry” would have gone a long way and might have spared Camacho his years of running and personal agony that not only followed, but continue to this day.
However, at the time, and still now, Camacho was not in control of his destiny. He had handed that over to what I’ll call the Neocat Generals when he joined the Neocatechumenal Way, and especially when he chose (if he chose) to become one of their priests.
I say "if he chose" because I recall a statement he made, recorded in an interview published in Umatuna, the archdiocesan paper, on the day of his ordination, that hinted that Camacho was not absolutely sure he wanted to be a priest.
I was not surprised to read that. During his seminary years, I had gotten to know Camacho and the seminary/Neocat environment he moved in quite well.
As the proprietor of a Catholic bookstore for several years, I had many interactions with NCW seminarians when they visited my store. Additionally, for about a year, several NCW seminarians and some of their priest-professors joined me every Wednesday night at the Chamorro Village Night Market, where I set up a table and handed out Catholic literature. Camacho was one of them.
To further my NCW "credentials," I also owned a company that sold commercial kitchen-cleaning supplies and installed and serviced the machines that dispensed them. RMS, the NCW seminary, was one of my customers. So I was often at the seminary delivering products and servicing the machines. I was good friends with Fr. Ivan then (I believe he was Vice-Rector), and he would always invite me to join them for lunch if I was around about that time, which I often was.
By the way, in case you are wondering how running a Catholic bookstore and selling kitchen cleaning supplies connect, they don't. In those years, I had several businesses, five at one point, because I had no other way to feed, clothe, educate, and house 11 children.
And there's something else. Because my other businesses kept me away from my bookstore for many hours a day, I had to hire help, and my principal employee for quite a while was a nice young lady who was so in love with the NCW that I believe she eventually became one of their nuns.
As an aside, but maybe directly related to the Camacho matter, I sometimes overheard conversations between my NCW employee and other NCW young ladies who hung around my store, conversations that were a little disturbing for an old guy like me. There was a bit of a seminary fan girl thing going on, and a frequent debate over which seminarians were the best-looking. Camacho's name usually got "squeals."
As a "male," I knew that wasn't healthy...for the males, I mean. Girls are gonna do what girls do. And squeals about good-looking guys, seminarians or not, is just what girls do, sometimes anyway. But as a "guy," I knew what those squeals provoked way down deep in those male hormones.
And because I knew that the NCW environment promoted close-knit communities, wherein members, including seminarians, were often prodded to publicly disclose their deepest, and even sinful thoughts and feelings, I just shook my head at the thought of where that was going to end up.
Camacho was not only young (at the time, around 2005), but also decent-looking and a local, a Chammoro, or CHamoru, as it is now spelled. And Apuron, inundated with NCW clerical prospects at RMS from all over the world, was desperate for at least one local guy to be in line for ordination at a seminary locals (us) were constantly cajoled to pay for.
So, Camacho was the perfect prospect: Chamorro, young, nice looking, and reportedly related to the then-bishop of Saipan, the late Tomas Camacho. The trouble was, Camacho had difficulty getting through even the dumbed-down studies at the local RMS, a challenge which delayed his ordination, a frustration for Apuron.
The real problem, though, was Apuron. Pursuant to information from a very close insider (to Apuron), the Neocat Generals told Apuron who to ordain. The insider even told me the name of a seminarian that Apuron did not want to ordain because it was clear, even to Apuron, that given his intellectual challenges, the wannabe priest had no business being a priest (he had already flunked out of another seminary), but Apuron "had" to ordain him anyway.
At the order of his Neocat Masters, Apuron ordained both Camacho and the "wannabe" at the same time. So, basically, two strikes on the same day: Camacho wasn't sure he wanted to be a priest (at least that was what was implied in his published interview), and the other guy had no business being a priest, given his intellectual challenges - at least per my source.
(Note: As another "by the way," I almost got around to subpoenaing the wannabe priest for trial in a personal matter. I had reason to believe he was part of a conspiracy to destroy my reputation as part of a larger plan to exonerate Apuron. He's lucky the trial in that matter was unexpectedly terminated. But I still have the evidence.)
Well, all the above is not where I expected to go when I set out to write this post, but that's where the Spirit led me. I believe, even now, that all Camacho needs to do is publicly admit what he did, ask forgiveness, and all would be well. But as a Neocat, he can't do that. They call the shots. Not him.
So, back to the matter at hand.
Camacho's current problem began not when he was arrested, but when Apuron and the Neocats began the immediate cover-up, which ultimately led to his nine-year exile and the problems he is still having after returning to Guam.
Apparently, on the very night of Camacho's arrest on March 17, 2017, or quite soon after, Camacho was swiftly smuggled off Guam. Within a few days, he surfaced in Saipan, where it was rumored he was residing with his bishop-uncle, Tomas Camacho, and then, once discovered, he disappeared again.
QATAR
But why would someone in Qatar be reading this blog? In fact, check the flag counter in the right sidebar and ask yourself, why does this blog have the worldwide audience that it does, and a massive one at that?
It sure "ain't" because the whole world cares about Apuron, or Gofigan, or Benavente, or any of the local squabbles. It's because the Neocats are a problem worldwide, just as they were in Doha, Qatar, which is why the anonymous-picture-sender recognized Luis when he showed up at a church in Doha. She had been following JungleWatch for several months because, at the time, this archdiocese was ground zero for the Neocat Wars, and most of it was happening on JungleWatch.
The Camacho-Qatar thing was absolutely funny. The bishop there, a guy named Ballin, "stepped in it" when Chuck White emailed him to ask what Camacho was doing in his diocese. In short, Balin attacked Chuck for even asking and functionally inferred that he had incardinated him in his diocese: "I am now his bishop," wrote Ballin. (Chuck's email to Ballin. Ballin's email to Chuck)
We blew up the Ballin exchange on JungleWatch and had fun with it for several weeks. Chuck had set the trap, and Ballin, a bishop, had not only stepped in it...he had jumped in it. And Ballin wasn't just any bishop; Ballin was the first Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia with the territories of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia under his jurisdiction.
So what in the world was Ballin doing, getting involved in an email squabble with some unknown guy in Guam? The fact that Ballin not only got incensed over Chuck's inquiry but also responded with knee-jerk viciousness was typical of a guy who was lying. And he was.
Ballin had no authority to incardinate Camacho unless Camacho had first been excardinated from the Archdiocese of Agana, and, of course, he wasn't. In other words, Ballin lied when he wrote to Chuck White saying, "I am now his bishop."
So a bishop, the Apostolic Vicar of Northern Arabia, in writing, LIES to protect this runaway priest from Guam. Makes no sense... unless, of course, it's the Neocatechumenal Way we're talking about. And of course, we are. Like Apuron (and probably Jimenez), Ballin was another bishop beholden to Kiko's Crew, which, of course, is why Luis ended up there.
Exposing Luis in Qatar exposed another Apuron lie: that Camacho had been sent "off-island to a priestly renewal program." This was funny at the time, because the Neocats, via "The Diana," continued to argue that Luis had done nothing wrong, that there had been no sexual contact with the girl, that it was all a made-up story by that terrible Deacon Steve Martinez, and that the charge of "custodial interference" meant nothing more than dear Fr. Luis had given the girl a ride home from school and had forgotten to tell the girl's parents. (Never mind that he was arrested at an Agat beach and not the parents' driveway.)
Well, if that was the case, then 1) why did Luis immediately resign as pastor of the two parishes he was pastoring; 2) why was he surreptitiously rushed off-island; and 3) why would giving a girl a ride home from school warrant his having to be sent away to a priestly-renewal program?
But then, once again, we are dealing with the Neocats here. So lying, deflecting, denying, and ultimately inventing an alternate reality, just as they have invented an alternate "Catholic Church," is in their genes. It's just what they do...and do, and do, and do.
BACK TO GUAM
Amazingly, nine years later, when Luis returned to Guam, apparently seeking restoration, Fr. Romeo Convocar, then the Apostolic Administrator for this archdiocese, intentionally or not, repeated the same lie: "Former Archbishop Anthony Apuron sent the priest off-island to a priestly renewal program after the incident in 2015." (Archdiocese of Agaña statement regarding Father Luis Camacho, May 7, 2024)
Even more amazing, not only was Camacho never sent to a priestly renewal program (which is the norm for priests who are having problems, usually sexual), but Camacho surfaced in Doha, Qatar, as a youth minister: "Priest Accused of Sexual Contact With Minor to Host Retreat for Youth This Month," (J. Carrera. Pacific News Center, April 12, 2016)
The real story here, once again, is the Neocatechumenal Way and the extent of the problem it poses worldwide. We didn't have spies in Doha. We didn't even know he was in Doha. We didn't even know where he was...at all! But because the Neocats, with their abrasiveness, aggressiveness, and narcissistic sense of superiority, create enemies wherever they go, there were plenty of enemies in Doha who joined the crusade on JungleWatch to expose the crooked Neocat leadership, which was clearly acting as a clandestine underground railroad for priests on the run.
In his May 7, 2024, statement on Camacho, Convocar said something else worth noting:
"Rome opened a canonical investigation on Father Luis following the incident in 2015. Though the Vatican has not been able to make a canonical ruling due to insufficient evidence, the case is not closed. The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith informed then Archbishop Michael Byrnes on Nov. 18, 2022 that the case is filed in the archives at this time as it is not possible to proceed with any canonical action."
Compare the foregoing with "A Pastoral Update to the Faithful Regarding the Case of Luis Camacho," from Archbishop Jimenez, Dec. 11, 2025:
The Archdiocese of Agana has received official notification that on September 19, 2025, the Congresso of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith completed its review of the case involving Rev. Luis Venancio B. Camacho, who was ordained a priest for our Archdiocese on November 9, 2013. The Congresso confirmed that Mr. Camacho was found guilty of delicta graviora cum minore - grave offenses involving a person under the age of eighteen- and it upheld the penalty previously imposed: dismissal from the clerical state.
The Dicastery’s review included the 2015 arrest of then-Fr. Camacho, the canonical investigation that followed, and a subsequent petition for recourse that he himself submitted in an effort to have the penalties removed and to be restored to priestly ministry.
Following the canonical investigation, a Penal Decree was issued on May 6, 2025, finding Rev. Camacho guilty of delicts contra sextum, meaning violations of the Sixth Commandment (sexual misconduct) committed with a minor, and imposing the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state.
So, per the May 7, 2024, letter, in 2022, Archbishop Byrnes was informed by the Vatican that "due to insufficient evidence," it was "not possible to proceed with any canonical action." But almost to the day, one year later, May 6, 2025, the Vatican found Camacho "guilty of delicts contra sextum, and imposed "the penalty of dismissal from the clerical state."
WHAT HAPPENED?
So what happened? Apparently, sufficient evidence was provided, enabling the Vatican to proceed with canonical action. Who provided the evidence?
Jimenez's update dated Dec. 11, 2025, notes that "he himself" (Camacho) petitioned the Vatican for recourse "in an effort to have the penalties removed and to be restored to priestly ministry. Apparently, Camacho had not done this before. But when he did, he opened the door for the Vatican to investigate, including calling witnesses.
I can't prove this, and the Vatican will never publish its findings, but given that there was only one witness, the girl, it appears that the Vatican questioned the girl, and the girl told the truth. Now, it is also possible that the Vatican may have questioned the police. Obviously, they were witnesses. But even if they did, it appears that it was the girl's testimony that did Camacho in because the Vatican verdict was: delicta graviora cum minore - grave offenses with a minor. Delicta, the plural of delictum. Thus, grave "offenses," plural.
The police would not have known if there were other offenses. Only the girl would have known that. And the plural finding also comports with the rumors (now proven true) that Camacho and the girl had been going at it for a while.
So, if Camacho had petitioned the Vatican to investigate his case to be restored to priestly ministry, it appears he was very sure things would go well. They obviously did not. So what went wrong?
Certainly, Camacho had the assurances of his Neocat handlers, probably Kiko's people in the Vatican, high-up folks. This would be typical Neocat operations. They know how to do this sort of thing. Since there were no other witnesses besides the police, the only weak link was the girl.
The girl was said to be in the NCW, in fact, the same community as Camacho. The Neocat catechists and responsibles have a tight hold over their community members, so there were probably assurances from them that the girl wouldn't be a problem.
Maybe she was. Maybe she wasn't. I don't know. But what we do know is that somebody talked. Somebody told the real story, and it wasn't the story that Apuron, Ballin, The Diana, or hordes of Neocat defenders have been telling us for more than ten years now, and mocking and spitting at those of us who always knew otherwise.
If it was the girl who told the truth, then God bless her. Now, it's time for Luis to tell the truth. The Catholics of Guam, the real ones, are waiting to welcome you back, Luis, but not if you persist in the lies your Neocat Masters have forced you to tell. Break free from them. It's time.
So true. Repent.
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