Thursday, August 7, 2014

Entire Interview of Father Pius




The following is an interview of Father Pius to the Pacific Daily News.  This is the entire version.  The one published in the Pacific Daily news was edited by the Staff and can be found in my previous post found here.  The document below is the entire interview. 

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INTERVIEW OF FATHER PIUS TO Pacific Daily News(Integral version)

This is the entire text of the interview given by Father Pius to PDN. PDN has taken it upon itself to filter or simply discard anything in favor of the Neocatechumenal Way. Even this interview was truncated by the PDN Editorial staff.  


What is your response to those who say that theNeocatechumenal Way controls/has a major influence on Archbishop Apuron?

Sincerely I believe that these comments demean Archbishop as if he does not have a mind of his own. I am confident that Archbishop takes his own decisions and he does it after long moments of prayer and consultation with his various organizations.

Many times the media refer to the fact that he did not sell the seminary building in Yona. This seems to be the moot point in many journalistic articles. I think that he did not sell the seminary building, not due to any externalinfluence, but due to the simple fact that a Seminary and a Theological Institute are an immense spiritual wealth for the Archdiocese and Canon Law (the Law of the Church) enjoins all Bishops to open a seminary to form priests. The Archbishop has opened two seminaries, one missionary inYona and one specifically for the archdiocese in Maloloj, and this was possible because the first Pontifical Theological Institute of Oceania was opened in Guam.

There are some people in the Guam Catholic Community who believe that there's a rift between those who are and aren't part of the NeocatechumenalWay, and examples of this divide include the recent removal of Msgr. James Benavente and FatherGofigan. What are your thoughts on this?

The removal of Fr. Gofigan and Mons. Benavente havenothing to do with the Neocatechumenal Way. In the first case the motivation, as far as I know, was that he was harboring a convicted sex offender. Father Gofigan, I believe, made an appeal to Rome and we have to wait for their decision.

In the case of Mgr. Benavente, I believe, it was a matter of putting in order a situation of improper accounting as the recent documents released by the Archdiocese show.

To attribute these decisions to the Neocatechumenal Way seems to me that it is an effort to try to find a scapegoat and not deal with the reality of the problems; to second guess the decisions of the Archbishop is not the way to answer to these problems which seem serious and in need of an answer, especially by the authority who has the responsibility of the Archdiocese.

Going back to the “rift”, we need to keep in mind that many of the people in the communities are people who were not going to Church, or who were in crisis and youth: these people are coming back to the Church. I like the image of Pope Francis where he compares the Church to a field hospital: in a hospital there are many units but there must be a ward also for those who are very seriously wounded or need an emergency room.

If you do not mind me saying this, recent discussions regarding the Neo-catechumenal Way smells of racism, xenophobia and hatred of non-islanders as if they should not be here: curiously enough, those most vocal in this “debate” are people not born in the island! Catholic means universal and I believe that this petty parochialism is not the spirit of Guamanian Catholics.

To the lay people’s understanding, what is theNeocatechumenal Way, and how does its practicesdiffer from Catholic traditions on Guam, including how Guam families pay respect to the dead?

The Neocatechumenal Way has been recognized by Pope Paul VI, Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Pope Francis as a "gift of the Holy Spirit " for the Church. Saint John Paul defined the Neocatechumenal Way as an “itinerary of catholic formation valid for our times and our society". TheNeo Catechumenal Way is an instrument to reach out especially to the people who have left the Church and the youth.

The Holy See has allowed a few concessions in the liturgical celebrations to help especially those who are returning to religious practice after years of being away so that they can participate more actively to the sacraments. 

Regarding the respect of the dead the NeocatechumenalWay teaches the traditional Catholic doctrine and the importance of honoring our dead ones and praying for them.

Did the Neocatechumenal Way attempt to influence the transfer of title to the former Accion Hotel property inYona from the Archdiocese of Guam to an entity whose officers are members of the Neocatechumenal Way?

Actually it is the other way around. The purchase of theAccion Hotel was proposed by the Neocatechumenal Way to the Archbishopbecause in order to start the Seminary and an Institute there was a need for rooms for 30-40 seminarians, 10 Faculty Professors, four classrooms, a library for twenty thousand volumes, a chapel. The money for the purchase of the Hotel was donated to the Archdiocese by an off island benefactor who offered it withthe explicit intention of erecting the Seminary and the Theological Institute. The previous owner of the hotel sold it for just 1.9 millions with the proviso that the building be used as an educational facility. Actually the Archdiocese did not put down a penny.

Regarding the transfer of the title, the legal advisor of the Archdiocese, five years ago, asked that the title be transferred to the Redemptoris Mater Corporation to respect the intention of the donor and to safeguard the property. This Corporation is a corporation sole where there is only one member, namely the Archbishop who hasall power.  He is assisted by a Board of Directors whooverviews the daily administration. The only member, namely the Archbishop, chooses all Directors. Then there is a Board of Guarantors that guarantees that the Corporation follows the original purpose for which it was createdTheArchbishop chooses, confirms or dismisses freely these guarantors.

So the Neocatechumenal Way does not and cannot (by reason of its Statutes) possess the seminary but simply ensures the formation.

The Neocatechumenal Way has helped in fact form one hundred seminaries worldwide, the most recent being in Seoul by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-Jung, Primate of Korea. This means that around 30 cardinals and 70 bishops consider the formation in these seminaries excellent. In the past there were many seminaries conducted by Jesuits orSulpicians and nobody ever thought that entrusting a seminary to a religious order would violate the diocesan nature of the seminary.

The whole discussion on the property of the Accion Hotel began two-three years ago because certain individuals wanted to sell the building to pay their debts. Actually the Archdiocese is only supporting 3 or 4 percent of the seminary’s budget, while the rest is supported by Catholics from all over the world including different foundations and Propaganda Fide.

What message would you like to send to Guam as a community of diverse faiths?

I think that this campaign of disinformation is detrimental to everybody. Hate speech is always bad and does not help. The fact that in Guam has arisen a Seminary, which is helping the formation of priests for Guam and for the entire Pacific, is a sign of the importance of this island in the plan of God.

Father Manuel Solorzano, a Jesuit priest who who was killed in 1684 in Hagatna while preaching the Gospel,wrote to his father who tried to convince him to abandon the mission,“cielo son las marianas” “paradise are the Marianas”.  By this he meant that giving his life to announce the Gospel and being killed for it, was his paradise.

We all need to go back to this spirituality: to save one soul is worth my life. We should help each other in this because our youth and the families are all suffering today in an environment, which preaches relativism and hedonism.Saint Pope John XXIII died sayingsouls, souls, ut unumsint,  that they may one”.

 
 

35 comments:

  1. Pacific Daily new failed to publish. Half truth, evidently Tim Rohr and Chuck White political figures that support them got the upper hand in the media. They control every thing what need to be said. It's obvious. Thanks for the post Diana. Great View!

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    1. Paper trail says the truth. So why haven't there been a rebuttal from the Chancery. If you think that this is the end. Believe more evidence is to follow. There is no where to hide anymore and the truth need to be exposed. it best to show face now than to be humiliated! The Archbishop needs to face up to the fact that he was wrong. In the end the truth shall prevail. So will the lies, deceits, and something else big which is to happen, worth all the pain and sorrow this island is feeling now. The ball is in the Archbishop's hands. He must start with telling the truth!

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    2. Dear Anonymous at 8:40 p.m.,

      Even if the Archbishop came out to tell the truth, it would not matter. You would not believe him because the stage was already set by Tim Rohr to make sure that unity would not happen. He already told his followers not to believe anything the Archbishop says.

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    3. No Diana, I have a mind of my own. I do not need to follow anyone. I am my own person. All this that has been happening just goes to prove that there was some kind of plot within the Chancery to discredit Msgr. Benavente, without giving him se process. As for Father Paul, his life is now in the hands of Rome.

      This has nothing to do with the NCW members anymore. This has to do with TRUTH. The Truth needs to be set right. In the end the Archbishop will have to account to God, and God alone. You as well as I will need to do the same.

      We all need to reflect and pray because things will not be what anyone would expect. Many things will be coming down and it is not going to be very pleasant. I encourage you to seek and really look beyond what is going on.

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    4. Dear Anonymous at 11:52 p.m.,

      What kind of truth are you seeking? There is half truths, whole truths, and your own truth. The only truth I seek is Jesus Christ. He is the Truth.

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    5. "This has nothing to do with the NCW members anymore."

      So then tell me, what as it all about? The NCW or the Archbishop? because it seems to me that the only reason why the NCW was attacked was because the Archbishop was apart/member of it. Pick and choose.

      Even Tim Rohr has said, if it was not for the Archbishops involvement in the NCW, he wouldnt have mentioned the NCW.

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    6. Yes, Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Light. Archbishop Apuron is a representative of Christ as soon as he was ordained. His mission was to spread and BE an example of how Christ Lives. In order for others to SEE the LIGHT, there must be TRUTH that comes out of his mouth.

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    7. Dear David G.,

      In my opinion........for Tim Rohr, it is about the Archbishop. I see personal revenge because he mocks everything the Archbishop say and do even as something simple as his Gospel homily. But he targets anyone whom he feels supports the Archbishop. Look at recent events. Father Pius was interviewed by PDN, and Tim Rohr and Chuck White starts a petition against him. What is that all about?

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    8. Dear Anonymous at 6:02 a.m.,

      We are all called to imitate Christ, to be the salt of the earth, and the light of the world. That is a mission that belongs to all of us, not to the Archbishop alone. The Archbishop has a huge responsibility. I do not envy his position.

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  2. THANK YOU FATHER.
    On PDN they presented you as someone taking advantage of the poor people.(which is FALSE)
    I am glad DIANA publish your entire interview.
    The media are trying to confuse the facts..
    Thank God there is a possibility to say how things really are.

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  3. How did you get his whole interview? did you steal it? if it was sent only to PDN when where did the rest come from?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 4:20 p.m.,

      I was given permission to publish it.

      Delete
  4. I sent this link to PDN to view cause I am sure they won't like what you accuse them of. But PDN was so good to you to give you a grade "A" and publish those lies in yesterday's opinion (that no one believed or cared). Why the sudden change of heart and belief in PDN.

    Joy!

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 5:09 pm,

      I am sure that PDN believes in freedom of expression.

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    2. Dear anonymous,
      In that case I hope you are sending the PDN more links also dealing with all other issues. If you fought to seek the truth you would've realized years ago that the PDN has been very biased and continues to report misinformation. Also in retrospect of the military buildup and decolonization. Not to mention misquoting people they interview for political issues. The list goes on... but I'm almost positive you're aware of this being you're so "in the know." Lastly, the PDN has no governing power as to watch is being posted online because of our amendments. Educate yourself darling.

      Delete
  5. There's virtually no difference in the full transcript anyway. What's the big deal?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 6:53 p.m.,

      If one is really concern about Truth, one would want to see the entire and whole truth and not just half or part of it. It makes a lot of difference. Some pertinent information was left out, and this information shows the Way and the Archbishop in a favorable light. For example some of the things not printed by the PDN were:

      1. The Archbishop has opened two seminaries, one missionary inYona and one specifically for the archdiocese in Maloloj, and this was possible because the first Pontifical Theological Institute of Oceania was opened in Guam.

      Why was this not printed??? This part shows the Archbishop in a favorable light.

      2. Regarding the respect of the dead the NeocatechumenalWay teaches the traditional Catholic doctrine and the importance of honoring our dead ones and praying for them.

      Why was this not printed? It shows that the Neocatechumenal Way does follow Catholic doctrine in honoring and praying for our loved ones who have passed away.

      3. The Neocatechumenal Way has helped in fact form one hundred seminaries worldwide, the most recent being in Seoul by Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-Jung, Primate of Korea. This means that around 30 cardinals and 70 bishops consider the formation in these seminaries excellent. In the past there were many seminaries conducted by Jesuits or Sulpicians and nobody ever thought that entrusting a seminary to a religious order would violate the diocesan nature of the seminary.

      Why was this left out? It showed the contributions of the Neocatechuemenal Way. Also, in light of what the jungle kept saying about the RMS seminary not being a diocesan seminary, Father Pius made a point. In the past, the Jesuits have built many seminaries and no one ever question whether these seminaries were diocesan or not. So, what standard was the jungle using to determine whether a seminary is Catholic....and does any standard even exist?

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    2. The difference is that now we are going to say it thousand times. As someone said thousand times the same lies so we are going to say the truth thousand times.

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    3. All editors reserve the right to edit your content for wordiness, etc..its not a conspiracy that a piece is edited. if you own the newspaper then you can print as many words as you want but since the PDN and others need the advertising space to keep them afloat this is likely what has happened.

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    4. Well Diana, if its about truth, why not let the world see the thirteen volumes of the NCW catechesis?

      After all, "one would want to see the entire and whole truth and not just half or part of it. It makes a lot of difference."

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    5. Dear Anonymous at 11:03 a.m.,

      Some of the things in the 13 volumes consist of the Catechesis of the Way. That would be like allowing the person to see the questions and answers before taking their Driver's written test. Although you may not have seen the questions and answers of the Driver's written test, they do not make it public. It is the same reason why those 13 volumes are not made public. The Vatican has already approved those volumes, and you simply have to trust that the catechists are following what the approved books. After all, isn't that what faith is all about.

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    6. Dear Catholics United,

      All media are biased to some extent because they are managed by people. Some newspapers are more liberal and some are far more conservative depending on what you read.

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    7. ...."Some of the things in the 13 volumes consist of the Catechesis of the Way. That would be like allowing the person to see the questions and answers before taking their Driver's written test."

      -This is a ridiculous reason to suggest why it's not public. How about this argument: I'm a freshman in college studying BIOLOGY 101 therefore i am not allowed to go to the library and pull out BIOLOGY 401 because i haven't passed my freshman biology yet?

      Will my feeble freshman brain explode if i open BIO 401?


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    8. i dont put my faith on questionable people.....only on God alone....

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    9. Dear Anonymous at 2:17 p.m.,

      The people of Israel also did not put their faith on questionable people. They put those questionable people to death. Those questionable people were their own prophets whom God sent to them.

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    10. Dear Catholics United,

      You can check out the biology book, but you cannot look at the biology test questions and answers.

      Delete
  6. I wrote a script as to how all these events have transpired....
    http://thewayguam.blogspot.com/2014/08/a-father-speaks-to-his-sons.html

    Enjoy!

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  7. Very good article on PDN (section opinion) written by Pablo Aglubat.
    If you have a chance read it.
    Maybe Diana can publish it.

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    1. Elia - I agree but at the same time he was already discredit, reminds me of how the saints were damned by authority. Pray for our dearly loved Archbishop. Is my Archbishop.

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    2. Dear Mercurius,
      I am glad first of all for your prayers. Archbishop needs all our support and prayers.
      I would like to remind you that most of the saints were big sinners. It is a characteristic that unites them. A saint, first thing he would tell you is "I am a sinner, I deserve hell".
      Saints always obeyed even if Popes were against them.

      Delete
  8. Love the comments even more in the article. It shows the truth!

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  9. Clearly you've never worked in the media. Very rarely is an entire interview published in print or in audio/video formats. Only the highlights are featured. On TV sound bites are common, but the PDN has more leeway. The fact that most of what Fr. Pius said was included shows that PDN was really trying to give him as much news space as possible. Also, these days most news organizations provide a link to the entire interview for those who are interested.

    Instead of complaining and encouraging speculation that Tim Rohr and Chuck White have control over what the PDN publishes (which they don't), why not be grateful that the words of those in the NCW are being read and that the NCW message is going public?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:54 a.m.,

      Then perhaps, you can explain why the Pacific Daily News constantly edits the Archbishop’s Press Statements and fully published Monsignor James' and John Rivera's comments. I think that is very imbalanced journalism.

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    2. I've looked and looked but I can't find any comments by John Rivera. When were they published?

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 12:42 a.m.,

      Actually, it was Richard Untalan. I posted the wrong name.

      Delete