Setting The Record Straight

Bob Klitzkie and the jungle had always claimed that Archbishop Apuron gave away the seminary to the NCW or RMS.  They believed that the Yona property did not belong to the Archdiocese of Agana.  Because they believed that the seminary is not under the Archdiocese, CCOG drafted a quitclaim deed to be signed by the RMS Board of Directors and Guarantors in order for the seminary to be transferred to the Archdiocese of Agana.  PNC news recorded Tim Rohr (the bold is mine):

The Concerned Catholics of Guam organization is challenging Archbishop Anthony Apuron to sign over ownership of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary back to the Archdiocese of Agana. But local Catholic observer Tim Rohr suspects the Archbishop will not be able to, not because he doesn’t want to but because, as Rohr explains, he doesn’t have the power to.

“Well the question is if he’s really in control of both then why deed it over in the first place. Well we know why he did that. He did that because he was told to do that. So basically the CCOG is calling his bluff and simply saying, ‘Well, okay, if you really are in control of both corporations then what reason would you have to deed it in the first place?'” says Rohr. 

In fact, Rohr believes the Archbishop will not only refuse to sign a quitclaim deed, he won’t be able to. He says this is because, based on the way the documents are written, “on paper the archbishop only controls 25 percent of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary,” he points out.

As you can see, Tim Rohr believed that Archbishop Apuron would not be able to sign a quitclaim deed because he thinks that the Archbishop only controls 25 percent of the seminary.  The NCW, on the other hand, have always said that the seminary is under the Archdiocese of Agana and only the Archbishop of Agana or his successor have full control and authority to rescind the deed restriction. In other words, the Archbishop (or his successor) has 100 percent control of the seminary. 

In the jungle, Bob Klitzkie is now asking what Archbishop Apuron knew when he drafted the Declaration of Deed Restriction.  Mr. Klitzkie is implying that Archbishop Apuron drafted the deed restriction to "shield" the property from being sold should the sexual abuse scandal be exposed. Shield the property in case of a sex abuse scandal????  

In the first place, it was Mr. Klitzkie, Tim Rohr, and the rest of the Junglewatch Nation who believed that Archbishop Apuron gave away the seminary BECAUSE he was told to give it away.  The only reason they are coming up with this implication of "foreshadow" and "shielding" is simply because they still cannot explain how the seminary was transferred back to the Archdiocese of Agana WITHOUT the signatures of anyone from RMS or the NCW.  Remember, Rohr said that the Archbishop only controls 25% of the seminary.  The NCW was the one who kept saying that the Archbishop controls 100% of the seminary.  So, now they have a new story to tell regarding the deed restriction.  Instead of saying that the Archbishop gave away the seminary through the deed restriction, they are now saying the deed restriction was drafted to protect the seminary from being sold in case of a sex abuse lawsuit.    

The NCW, on the other hand, have never changed its story. At the time that the deed restriction was drafted, it was to protect the property from being sold.  Archbishop Apuron made it clear that he was aware that certain people wanted to sell the property to pay off the debts of the archdiocese.   

According to Vatican Insider (the bold is mine):

Following the unsuccessful audit, Apuron summoned the six members of the Archdiocesan Finance Council, asking them for an explanation and solutions. Benavente—regarded as a “godson” of lawyer David Lujan—submitted a proposal to sell the Redemptoris Mater Seminary and use the proceeds to cover the financial holes and thus avoid public scandal. “Over my dead body,” Apuron replied, dismissing the plan from further consideration. Despite the decision of the archdiocese’s head, members of the council attempted to pass the plan. In response, Apuron dismissed the Council already out of term, ousting members such as Richard Untalan—whose presence on the council was expressly requested by Benavente—a lawyer disbarred in the late 1980s for “moral turpitude” after he was condemned by the Washington DC Court of Appeals for “criminal facilitation of a felony of second degree, theft by deception.” One of Apuron’s collaborators—present at the time of the events and a direct witness—reported that the archbishop, his vicar general and his chancellor received threats following this decision by Msgr. Benavente, who claimed to have important friendships within the FBI and powerful figures in the Vatican.  

Also, Archbishop Apuron has a letter written by Richard Untalan as it was mentioned in the news report.  According to the Mariana's Variety (The bold are mine): 

 The former finance council members had been sitting as council members for a combined 50-plus years, Untalan wrote.

Selling the property, then valued at $75 million, could eliminate the archdiocesan debt, Untalan wrote.

Cristobal said that the finance council at the time wanted to sell the property to cover the debt incurred by the Cathedral and the Catholic Cemeteries and said “to think to sell the property to cover a deficit is unthinkable and would be irresponsible for the archbishop to even harbor that idea.”

PNC news also recorded Archbishop Apuron: 

Apuron says he will not lift the deed restriction, saying, “Some people proposed to me the sale of the property as a way to solve some short-term financial issues.”

He says his response to that is “over my dead body, because it would be irresponsible for a father to forfeit the future of his children, that is to cash in on the property and destroy the possibility to form priests for the future.” 

Archbishop Apuron was well aware of people who were interested in selling the property.  The NCW had stated that the deed restriction was drafted to protect the property from being sold.  Our story have not changed.  The jungle have stated in the beginning that Archbishop Apuron gave away the property through the deed restriction.  Their story have changed because to this day, they have not been able to explain how the seminary was transferred back to the Archdiocese of Agana without any signatures from RMS or the NCW.  The documents all had Archbishop Byrnes' signature on it.  As we have been saying....only the Archbishop of Agana or his successor have full 100% (NOT 25% as Rohr stated) control and authority of RMS, that only the Archbishop of Agana or his successor can rescind the deed restriction, and that RMS has always been under the Archdiocese of Agana.  

In the past, the jungle have also claimed that the deed restriction was unnecessary because only the Archbishop has the authority to sell the seminary.  Well, we now know today that all it takes is for a group of people to get together in a secret meeting to plan some sort of conspiracy to remove the Archbishop as the Vatican Insider described. According to Tim Rohr: 

Fast forward to 2013. I was invited to a secret meeting. 

I was told no one was to know who was at the meeting. I was told that there never was a meeting. It was July, 2013. I was shown a letter from Apuron to Fr. Gofigan.  

Naturally, this entire controversy started with the removal of Father Paul and Monsignor James.  Nevertheless, what was the purpose of a secret meeting where one is told not to say who was present at the meeting?  Meetings are held in secret for only one purpose.....something immoral was being planned.  And now with the deed restriction rescinded, the people who had an interest in selling the property are mainly the same ones now in control of selling the property today.