MORE QUESTIONS FOR ARCHBISHOP JIMENEZ: IS HE OR ISN'T HE?

By Tim Rohr

Upon being found guilty by a Vatican Tribunal in March 2018 "of certain of the accusations," Apuron appealed the verdict. 

He lost. 

On April 4, 2019, then-Archbishop Michael Byrnes announced: "Rome upholds guilty finding against now Bishop Apuron."

And this time, the Vatican made it clear what Apuron had been found guilty of: 

"...the Tribunal of Second Instance upheld the sentence of First Instance, finding the Archbishop guilty of delicts against the Sixth Commandment with minors."

The Sentence:

"...the privation of office; the perpetual prohibition from dwelling, even temporarily, in the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese ofAgaña; and the perpetual prohibition from using the insignia attached to the rank of Bishop."

However, Archbishop Byrnes had some questions for Rome, questions that are still unanswered:

"Byrnes said he would be seeking clarification from the Vatican, including whether Apuron can still lead Mass, ordain priests, or be buried on Guam when he dies."

Maybe Archbishop Byrnes did receive the clarification. If he did, he didn't tell us. So it's now on Archbishop Jimenez to tell us. 

And there is another thing, an important thing. The title of Archbishop Byrnes' April 5, 2019, press release was: 

"Rome upholds guilty finding against now Bishop Apuron."

At the ensuing press conference, the news reported:

The Vatican said the penalties imposed on Apuron are: "the privation of office; the perpetual prohibition from the dwelling, even temporarily, in the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Agana; and the perpetual prohibition from using the insignia attached to the rank of Bishop."

Byrnes said this means Apuron no longer holds the title of archbishop of Agana and, correspondingly, no longer has a title of archbishop. "Neither can he use the insignia of a bishop, including ring and mitre," Byrnes said.

Apuron, however, wasn’t defrocked or laicizied. Byrnes said as he understands it, Apuron went from being an archbishop to bishop, but is prohibited from doing certain bishop duties or wearing certain insignia of a bishop. -emphases added

However, at Catholic-Hierarchy.org, Apuron is shown as Archbishop Emeritus of Agana.

This is a problem. And we need Archbishop Jimenez to clarify. Is Apuron still an Archbishop? And, is he Archbishop Emeritus of Agana? 

Emeritus" is a title normally reserved for a person who has retired honorably from office. As we know, and as the above table shows, Apuron was REMOVED from office on April 4, 2019, and REMOVED in disgrace. 

I have seen this webpage many times over the years, and I do not recall seeing the last line indicating that Apuron is "Archbishop Emeritus of Agana." It appears to be a recent addition. And, as many others and I have learned over the years, when things are "fishy," the Neocats aren't far away.

So, how about it, Archbishop Jimenez? Is Apuron "Archbishop Emeritus of Agana," or not?