God is oneDecember 26, 2017 at 9:47 PMDiana look at what I found on the archdiocese website https://aganaarch.org/documents/2017/10/Year-2017-Form-W-2G-Certain-Gambling-Winnings.pdfI took a look at the Archdiocese website and found more than I expected. Indeed, the Archdiocese of Agana website provided the W-2G form for certain gambling winnings. You can see it here. Does this mean that Archbishop Byrnes has now taken a different stand toward gambling? Did he not praise Senator Nelson for passing a law banning casino gambling at the Liberation Carnival? Furthermore, the Finance and Accounting Policies of the Archdiocese stated:
1. A raffle and fund raising committee must be established and is responsible for overseeing and administering the activities, setting up controls to handle finances and preparing necessary financial and government reports. It’s officer and at least one of its member must have undergone a training for administering of raffle on record. Fund raising committee and its members must be trained by Department of Revenue and Taxation (DRT) and approved by the Archdiocese of Agana (AOA).Was Archbishop Byrnes ever informed that Archbishop Apuron had banned raffle drawings because it was a form of gambling? While it is true that gambling itself is not a sin, it is known to lead to sin. And yes, Guam has a gambling addiction problem, which led to the creation of two treatment centers for gambling addiction in Guam. According to KUAM news dated July 21, 2013 (the bold is mine):
Senator BJ Cruz was once a family court judge in Guam. This is what Senator Cruz had to say according to the Guam Daily Post:From June 4th to July 5th GPD received 79 reports of burglaries to residences and businesses and 59 burglaries were reported to vehicles. These statistics are alarming while these crimes happen throughout the island, spokesman Lt. Art Paulino shares that some areas are prone."We are seeing quite a number of burglaries being committed in the central area, specifically Barrigada, but more so in the Agana Heights-Sinajana area but still statistically I think it's in the Dededo area," he shared.While some burglaries are committed by juvenile offenders, according to Paulino often times burglaries are fueled by a drug or gambling addiction and are deemed crimes of opportunity where the payout outweighs the chances of capture.
"The people of Guam have decisively rejected casino-style gambling at the voting booth five times since the year 2000. It's time our laws honestly reflect that fact," said Cruz. "As a family court judge, I saw the human cost of gambling addiction every day. And until you look in the eyes of a child who is forced to sell herself to feed her little brother – because her mother gambled away her paycheck – don't tell me addictive gambling is a victimless act."Is Archbishop Byrnes aware that there is a gambling addiction treatment center in Guam sponsored by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Tamuning and at the Guam Behavioral Health and Wellness Center? If gambling addiction was not a problem in Guam, why then have two treatment centers for gambling addiction? Both the police department and Senator Cruz (who was once a family court judge) have seen the cost of gambling addiction in Guam.
Was Archbishop Byrnes aware of the gambling initiatives that was defeated in Guam? According to the Guam Legislature:
Further, I Liheslaturan Guhhan finds that legalization of gambling in Guam has been the subject of several initiatives, specifically those submitted to the voters of Guam in the 1996, 2004, 2006 and 2008 elections, and all of them were rejected by the voters.Apparently, the majority of voters are well aware of the gambling addiction on this island. What was the Archdiocese of Agana thinking when they made these finance and accounting policies and provided the forms for gambling winnings? Why should gambling forms be made available at the Archdiocese of Agana website? Who is in charge of making these policies for the Archdiocese of Agana?
Basta Diana!
ReplyDeleteThe archdiocese is now about profit and is operating as if they are running a parallel government, with the chancery now acting as the executive office.
There is no room for the ministerial priesthood. The chancery is now dictating how the pastors should Shepherd their flock. They might as well rename all the parishes, ChanceryA, ChanceryB and so on.
Byrnes needs prayers because if they thought Apuron was a puppet, Byrnes is a ventriloquist doll.
With sarcasm intended, Guam is good! We are all fine and dandy!
Pas!
Jokers Wild
I knew all along that it would come to this, namely Archdiocese will support directly or indirectly gambling. But I did not expect it so early.... Many of the people counselling Archbishop Brynes have vested interests in gambling. Love of money is the root of all evil, said Saint Paul
ReplyDeleteAnd Diana this might be connected to some certain property in Yona and ccog might be distracting us to continue Monsignor intentions because archbishop Anthony’s worse fears are coming to life
ReplyDeleteCheck the committee raising funds to build the st. John paul II chapel since they were the ones who may have initially approved the selling raffle tickets.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 9:43 am,
DeleteThese policies are clearly coming from the Archdiocese and are on the Archdiocese of Agana website. Also, the fact that gambling forms such as the W-2G are made available at the website can be construed as an endorsement to gambling.
Please look up the purpose of a W-2G form. Just because it exists on the Archdiocese website does not mean it endorses gambling. The fact that some organization held a raffle or have previously held raffles within the archdiocese makes the archdiocese responsible for ensuring "their community" is responsible for reporting it to the government.
DeleteLet's compare abortion counseling for women who have had abortions. Does the archdiocese or the catholic church support abortion because it counsels and supports women who have had abortions?
"The fact that gambling forms such as the W-2G are made available at the website can be construed as an endorsement to gambling."
DeleteBased on your conclusion the following would be true:
The Catholic church provides services for women who have had abortions. The fact that such counseling exists can be construed as an endorsement for abortions.
Dear Anonymous at 10:39 and 10:45 am,
DeleteOn the contrary, if the Archdiocese provided counseling for gambling addicts, that is seen as helping those to overcome their addiction to gambling. In the same way, providing counseling for women who committed abortion is not an endorsement to abortion but seen as helping women who went through the trauma of the abortion.
Raffle drawing is a form of gambling and the church approves of it. We have already seen the reaction of some people when Senator Nelson passed a bill to ban gambling at the Liberation carnival. According to the Mayors Council, it was the gambling that was the money-maker at the carnival. It was the gambling that made the carnival a successful event; therefore, many were upset over the bill. The fact that gambling was the money-marker in the carnivals only proves that this island has a gambling problem, and the Archdiocese under Archbishop Byrnes is only contributing to the problem.
no. no. no. my dear everyone you have it all wrong! remember how Byrnes said that it would be a disaster if the Archbishop were to return? this is what he meant! Byrnes is fixing the diocese! he is collecting money, selling properties, creating a diocese that is a business institution. gambling is good! it's going to bring money to his coffers! selling property is good! more money! he in bringing the mainland model to our shores so that our diocese can be as dis-functional as those in the USA mainland. watch how he will combine parishes, close down schools, reduce number of Masses, send fundraising letters, pay PR firms to teach us how to increase Mass attendance. He is here to improve our diocese! and ultimately destroy it. Thank you Coadjutor Archbishop Byrnes. What would we have done without you? we would have continued to be provincial and relying on personal contacts. why deal with person to person? we need efficient not pastoral methods. what post have you been promised to destroy Guam?
DeleteWow. Lower the heat friends. Getting disrespectful. Thought you guys respected the Coadjutor the Pope saw before he came to Guam. Well????
DeleteDisrespectful your saying what about the disrespect of archbishop Anthony that Byrnes is causing and how about the disrespect of Pope Francis when he talks about money when he hates money can I explain more
DeleteDear Anonymous at 1:32 pm,
DeleteI believe that it is the acceptance of gambling by the Archdiocese that people are disappointed with. And if Archbishop Byrnes approves gambling on an island already known to have gambling problems would also be a great disappointment.
Diana,
DeleteArchbishop Byrnes already accepted it. He gave permission to some parish priests to do raffle fundraisers and said that because he is in charge now, he is willing to omit Archbishop Apuron's banned on all forms of gambling. I know that Monsignor James had some influences on this issue. Wanting to make more money!
-Guamboy
Stop silliness! Gambling is when your are so compulsive you cannot stop playing. When you are so addicted you cannot control your bet amount and risk your living. That is gambling! You see these addicted folks strange sparkles in their eyes at casinos and gambling salons. You don't see them at raffle fundraisers and bingo parlors.
DeleteDear Joanne,
DeleteYou stated: " Gambling is when your are so compulsive you cannot stop playing."
This is incorrect. The correct term is "addicted gambler". Gambling is the act of playing a game in which one can win or lose money or possessions.
You also stated: "You see these addicted folks strange sparkles in their eyes at casinos and gambling salons. You don't see them at raffle fundraisers and bingo parlors."
According to the article I posted:
"The habits developed by church-sponsored gambling feed societal enthusiasm for more insidious forms of gambling and all their associated dangers. We saw this with William Bennett, the Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan, who lost millions gambling. Bennett’s gambling problem began with church bingo."
http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2017/12/church-gambling.html
Could it be that a parish in the diocese has started a Bingo fundraiser, and that explains the gambling form?
ReplyDeleteRegardless, it is clearly written, you can not serve two masters, you can not love one without despising the other, that's why love for money has always been considered adultery in the eyes of God.
The Great Babylon has successfully infiltrated the diocese and is drinking of her wine.
Again, we should pray for the families of those involved as they are hurting themselves and their innocent children in their compulsive/obsessive love for money. May God have mercy on them.
As for Byrnes, we will know him by the fruits he will reap.
Arch Bishop Apuron lived through the church bingo days and realized that money through these events served only the superficial church.
ReplyDeleteHe saw the importance of filling the church with people rather than a new coat of paint.
We have closed the seminary whose birth came through the SPIRIT of CHRIST.
It seems more important to pay for power; paint so people can be comfortable.
Making catholic's on Guam comfortable is more important than the living the SPIRIT of CHRIST.
What's next, prostitution???
ReplyDeleteThe oldest profession. Still here on Guam and under guise of some the massage parlors.
Delete
ReplyDeleteAnonymousDecember 28, 2017 at 6:15 PM
What's next, prostitution???
Wake up my brother....it is already here
Old but worth reading: http://www.uscatholic.org/gambling
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 11:23 pm,
DeleteIt may be old, but it is still a great article. I will use it in a post. Thank you for sharing.