Friday, September 23, 2016

The Next Step In The Process

As you can see from the Governor's letter to the people, this law dealt more with the devastation of the Church.  Notice that in the Governor's letter to the people, he never mentioned government institutions?  He only mentioned the Church because the bill was set up to go only after the Church despite that sexual child abuse are more prevalent outside the Church.  No one at the public hearing ever questioned whether it was possible to compensate the victims and still prevent innocent people from being punished as a result of parishes and services closing down.  If the bill was truly for sexual child abuse, it would include all institutions and not simply the Church.

According to KUAM news: 
Meanwhile, veto advocate former Guam attorney general Doug Moylan says he believes the law has constitutional flaws, including its retroactive provisions. Moylan says the Guam Legislature and the governor now have the right to request a declaratory judgment from the Supreme Court of Guam, and he hopes he exercises that right.
The 5000 signatures submitted to the Governor within four days includes Catholics walking in the Way and many of those not walking in the Way.  Some people who would have liked to sign the petition were also denied by some priests.  Father Mike Crisostomo, for example, admitted in the Patti Arroyo talk show that he neither read Archbishop Hon's letter nor gave the petition to his parishioners.  You can listen to Father Mike's testimony here.  His reason for not reading Archbishop Hon's letter and not giving out the petition was because he disagreed with Archbishop Hon.  Rather than allowing his parishioners to make their choice, he alone made the choice for them.    

Nevertheless, it is now up to Catholics to petition the Guam Legislature or the Governor to request a "declaratory judgment" from the Supreme Court of Guam.  The Supreme Court is our last chance to have the law declared "inorganic."  

Then we can start over with a new bill that will include justice for ALL sex abuse victims in both governmental and private institutions.  After all, sex abuse victims are not only alter servers.  With this new bill, all sides will be represented and heard.  Bill 326 was not heard by all people.  Why?  Because only one person spoke in opposition to Bill 326 during the public hearing and in a climate of intimidation where people who opposed the bill were called "supporters of child abusers" by the JungleWatch Nation, which consist of CCOG, LFM, and Silent No More.  

The jungle have told you that the Church in Boston is now thriving.  The truth is the Church in Boston was devastated and is still struggling even after a decade of the sex abuse scandal.  The sex scandal in Boston broke out in 2002. As a result of the sex scandal, settlements were estimated to be up to $100 million.  In some cases insurance companies have balked at the cost of the large settlement, claiming the actions were deliberate and not covered by insurance.  And about 67 parishes were closed down.  

They tell you that the Archdiocese of Boston is thriving after the sex abuse scandal.  The truth, however, is that they are struggling and still in the process of rebuilding even after a decade of the sex abuse scandal. According to the article, "Ten years after scandal erupted, Boston Church is still rebuilding":
A decade later, the Boston archdiocese is still struggling to heal. Mass attendance is down. Nearly a quarter of Boston Catholics went to church regularly 20 years ago vs. 16 percent today. Donations are down. Forty percent of Boston-area parishes are unable to pay their bills. Ordinations to the priesthood tick up and down — six were ordained in 2011, for example, and three in 2010 — but are insufficient to meet the archdiocese’s need.  
The archdiocese has about 316 active priests today, but that number is expected to plunge to 178 in another decade. 
Many parishes have closed. In 2004, the archdiocese began an initial round of parish closings which reduced the number of parishes from 357 to 290, with more closings expected. An emerging model is to have a single pastor and pastoral staff at one location serving multiple churches.  
 The Boston Archdiocese has made dramatic restructuring in their church that combine parishes into clusters that share clergy and resources in order to keep the Church afloat.  In September, 2005, three years after the sex abuse scandal broke out, a Redemptoris Mater Seminary was established in Boston.  Cardinal Sean O'Malley, the Archbishop of Boston approves of the Way.  Evangelization also became a major goal in the Church.  In this way, they hoped to bring back more Catholics into the Church so that the Boston Church can thrive again.    

36 comments:

  1. There is no reason for government officials to waste taxpayer funds on a Declaratory Judgment.

    Any alleged deficiencies in Pubic Law 33-187 will certainly be tested in court soon enough.

    Let us remain ever mindful that any claims brought under P.L. 33-187 must, as always, be proven by a preponderance of the evidence.

    And are subject to appellate review.

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    1. Dear CNMI lawyer,

      It is best to get a declaratory judgment, which would cost less, than for the Church to test it in court, which would be more costly to the Church in attorney fees.

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    2. The declaratory judgment is a must. It should be paid by GovGuam!

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    3. Here is a valid constitutional concern: the new law does not even specify whoever can file a lawsuit in these cases.

      o The victim?
      o The relatives of victims?
      o The friends?
      o Anyone who knows a victim?
      o Anyone who knows anything?

      What is the scope of the those who can make a valid claim?

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    4. Civil cases require “standing” to sue.

      One can only file a case if the plaintiff (person filing the case) has “standing” to bring the case, that is, has suffered real, proximately caused damages (harm) -- that can be proven in court -- from the conduct complained of.

      Other than the political mechanism of Certified Questions, courts are not generally in the business of issuing advisory opinions.

      To have standing, there must be an “actual case or controversy.”

      One of the leading cases on standing involved an environmental lawsuit, leading to the question, “Do trees have standing?”

      It is possible to have standing, such as in a defamation action, but a jury might find only minimal harm to the plaintiff’s reputation has occurred. So the court could award only “nominal damages” of $1.

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  2. So only now is the NCW concerned about Guam's church because they might not get funding and a secure place to hold their Saturday night get together?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 5:35 am,

      How do you figure that? We have been telling you all along that Tim Rohr was out to destroy the Church. Even Archbishop Apuron said it. But did you listen? Noooooooo!!!

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    2. I wonder what the faithful will say when they hear about the millions and millions of dollars that will be siphoned out of their pockets by Rohr's people. Make no mistake about it: all damages caused to the Catholic Church on Guam will have to be absorbed by the faithful who love their church, love their priest, support and give generously for worthy causes of restoration.

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  3. Let move on now and come together as One Holy Apostolic Church.

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    1. Not with the marauders pillaging the church!

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  4. Where is our leader? Archboshop Apuron. I wish he made a statement on this issue?

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  5. We are one holy Catholic and apostolic. But the church in Guam is being burned by Hon, Jeff, and Mike with lies, disunity, malice, unholy acts of vengeance, envy and retribution. These are not signs of the true church, but are manifestations of evil.

    Everyone know that Pale Mike is envious of the Way and how they bring people to the church. The way does it by announcing the truth. Now the good pale wants to put a moratorium on the way? Reminds me of Ciaphas the high priest fighting against God. LOL.

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    1. Some people very consciously build a lynching atmosphere against the Neocatechumenal communities. Rohr said they launched a civil war against us! Yes, that is what they fight: a bloody civil war inside the Catholic Church. They want to kill us. Spiritually or even physically, I don't know.

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    2. The Rohr,CCOG,LFM are happy... We lean in God that's all we have. Shows Pale Mike not in communion with the Apostolic Administrator. It shows which wolf destroy the church.

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  6. Why are you defending yourself Diana. You should emulate.. Follow christ who is quiet in the midst of persecution.

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 8:33 am,

      What is wrong with requesting for a declaratory judgment?

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    2. A declaratory statement or constitutional check-up of a suspicious law is the very first thing you need in a democracy! We have suspicion that this law is a farce. It makes a joke out of the constitution and the constitutional rights of people!

      If the Guam Legislature misses the chance to submit their law to the Supreme Court, they prove themselves cowards! They prove themselves unworthy of being senators.

      Would you want to vote on cowards to represent Guamanian people as senators?! No, I would not under any circumstances!

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    3. I agree with you, dear Anonymous at 11:41 AM. We should NOT vote on these batch of senators again. We need new faces in the Legislature! Please, refuse to vote on anyone who supported this law 33.

      DO NOT VOTE ON THESE SENATORS EVER!

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    4. I recommend of preparing a "Voter's Guide". All we need to do is to make a list of all candidates running for the Senate and indicate how they voted for the bill, if voted. We may also link this information with voting on the retroactive pay raise bill which is very unpopular among the people.

      Then people could decide themselves if they want to vote on these folks or on some others. This can be done as a non-profit, because we don't make any political statement, we only share publicly available information!

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    5. Great idea, Anonymous at 12:32 p.m. We have to show these betrayers that they have to pay for what they did. There must be consequences! I volunteer to distribute these Voting Guides to the parishioners after Sunday mass.

      Christ is with us! Who can prevail against us?!

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  7. You are resisting evil.

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 9:18 am,

      The law is not evil. It simply needs improvement.

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    2. Dear anon, non-resistance to evil is a very subtle, internal process taught us by our Good Lord. This is something for advanced level Christian pilgrims only, otherwise you would not understand.

      First of all, you cannot go out to the public with non-resistance to evil, because it is happening in your soul. You cannot talk about the non-resistance to evil of other people because it is a intimately personal thing.

      One thing I can tell for sure is that when you come to get us wielding you machetes, we won't resist the violent killing that you commit on us. We will give you our blood free so that you see yourself as you are, a sinner.

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  8. How come only Pale Mike? Where are all these other priests?? Are they are hiding ? Nothing to say or take a stance on any issue? They (Priest/Deacons)are suppose to be our leaders of the faith? They have Abandoned us!

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    1. Anon 9:50 Pale Mike is connected with Tim Rohr as far leaking many things. They got away with everything. We are not afraid but in the near future all Catholic churches, schools, cemetery will be gone.Statute of limitation is legal way of blackmail.

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    2. Dear Anonymous at 9:50 am,

      Are you sure you got the right blog?

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    3. Yes, I'm on the right Blog Diana! I want to hear from the others and not just my Catechis. Where is Fr. Eldivado and the others NCW priests? Everyone is quiet now. And I hear those Other Catholics are gonna protest again at Cathedral? We need to have our own protest against Fr. Jeff and Mike! And defend Brother Tony.

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    4. Fr. Mike and the other priests who shun order should be stripped from all their priestly faculties. They are poisoning the flock with disobedience. They are no heroes, they are cowards! They contribute to and actively contribute the demise of the Catholic Church on Guam!

      Be courageous for Christ, not against His Church!

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    5. Pale Mike disobeyed instruction from Archbishop Hon at a time most crucial for the future of our Catholic Church. It is like disobeying command during war time: treason against the church!

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    6. That is right, dear anon at 2:45 PM, we have to show our sheer numbers to the people. Everyone should march bringing one or two additional family members, relatives, friends. We should show them that we are great in numbers.

      Imagine the 5000 people who signed the petition lining up to the Sunday jokers, who picket at the Cathedral? They would sprinkle and run home scared leaving behind their shameful posters.

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    7. All talk but no action and at 6:03 let's not talk about disobedience

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  9. Bill 326 is a bad law that is unjustly biased against the church. We have the right to question any bad law and work to improve it. This is our civic and religious responsibility as Catholics. Laws are ordinances based on reason for the good of the community. Bill 326 is not based on reason but vengeance and is therefore not just because it's intended target is the church. It is not indented for the good of the community because in the end the innocent are made to be victims of the greed of a few. Now, anyone can bring a case against the church and the ones accusing are not bound to verify the truth of their allegations. You are guilty simply because someone said so. On this island you cannot defend your innocence. Is that justice?

    We are moving in the direction of Nazi Germany when the Jews were targets of hatred and vengeance. In the end we end up destroying one another; we end up destroying the church which will become burnt ground.

    All this because two priests decided in 2014 to defy archbishop Apuron. In the end, their plan to destroy Apuron entailed the destruction of the church! May God help us and deliver us from the evil rage and vengeance of these 2 priests.

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    1. "It is not indented for the good of the community because in the end the innocent are made to be victims of the greed of a few."

      Very accurate assessment, dear Anonymous at 10:00 a.m.

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    2. The only valid claim is that of Tudela. The stories of the others are not convincing. The problem with Tudela is that Brouillard did not admit his particular abuse. He only admitted abuse in general, but could never recall the case of Tudela. How could Tudela prove that he is telling the truth? Also, Bouillard's "confession" was made to the media and in court. Therefore it is inadmissible.

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 6:08 pm,

      Father Brouillard is about 90 years old, so it is no wonder that he cannot remember. With age comes memory loss. He may not remember the names of the boys he abused, but he remembered that he was the perpetrator who did those horrible acts.

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  10. The reading ties in so well with Luke’s Gospel of the Rich Man and Lazarus.

    When the Rich Man died and was sent to the netherworld, he suddenly noticed Lazarus being cherished in heaven. Even from his misery in flames, the Rich Man saw Lazarus only as a servant to bring him water. His request for water was declined as Abraham told him “between us and you [is} a great chasm.”

    Today’s readings invite me to look at the chasms I create in my own life, the false boundaries between Us and Them. Where do I fail to reach out to those who need me because of my own protectiveness of my time, my money or simply my own fears? Are there people in my own life or maybe beyond my daily life that I am being asked to tend to, to feed or to forgive?

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