Something To Reflect On

In my post More Will Be Coming, I wrote that there will be more sexual allegations coming forward.  I wrote that post on August 22, 2018.  Yesterday, on September 18th, another lawsuit was filed.  The story is reported in the Pacific Daily News.  The lawsuit named Father Louis Brouillard (who is in isolation) and Father Antonio Cruz (who is deceased) as the accused.  The alleged victim (J.W. who is 68 years old) is suing for 5 million dollars.  J.W. will not be the last alleged victim. More will be coming out to sue the Church.  

When Bill 326-33 was introduced into the Guam Legislature, the JungleWatch Nation worked for the passage of this bill.  In fact, Tim Rohr took it upon himself to apologize to the senators on behalf of the Catholic Church when the Church opposed the bill.  Yes, it is interesting to see that Rohr put himself as the spokesperson for the Church despite the fact that the Church never gave him that title.  Nevertheless, you can read his letter here.  According to Rohr's letter dated September 19, 2016: 

In this "script," Fr. Jeff San Nicolas clarifies that is is not we, the laity, who did not understand the consequences of the bill, but YOU, the Legislature. Fr. San Nicolas writes:

"We believe that the legislators in passing the bill...did not understand that the bill threatens the very existence of our parishes, schools and social agencies..."I

Aside from the fact that there is no evidence from the almost 20 years of seeing the effect of similar legislation in many stateside dioceses to support this claim, and aside from the fact that the social agencies (Catholic Social Services and Kamalin Karidat) are incorporated separately from the Archdiocese of Agana, I, and many other are simply staggered that Fr. San Nicolas believes that you did not UNDERSTAND what you were doing and why you were doing it when you voted to pass Bill 326-33. 

Notice that Rohr contradicted Father Jeff's statement.  Rohr stated that there is no evidence that the lifting of the statutes of limitations would threaten the existence of our parishes, school, and social agencies.  However, this is what Tim Rohr wrote on May 12, 2010 regarding a similar law that would lift the statutes of limitations.  You can find his letter here (the bold is mine):

Bills Could Cripple Church in Guam

By Tim Rohr
Tim Rohr
May 12, 2010

http://www.guampdn.com/article/20100512/OPINION02/5120330/1014/OPINION/Bills-could-cripple-Church-in-Guam

Let's be clear. We Catholics in the pews have no interest in defending clerical wrongdoing nor any attempt to hide it. We have been hit from both sides by the news of scandal among our clergy.

First, we are hurt by the news that any child would feel when a child hears bad news about one's own parent. Second, we are hurt by the slander hurled at the Church we consider to be our Mother.

It's difficult to know how to respond. We want to see the wrongs in our Church righted. Most of us are extremely saddened by news of these affairs, but we are also offended by the vicious self-righteousness of outsiders.

We will deal with it and move on, but in the meanwhile, there are some possible consequences all the people of Guam, not just Catholics, need to consider.

Should Bills 334 and 372 pass into law, and should moral entrepreneurs like SNAP, working in concert with local lawmakers hostile to the Church, get their way, the Church on Guam, even if it is innocent, may be forced (as per stateside precedent) to cough up millions of dollars to defend itself. The Archdiocese of Agana does not have millions of dollars, and even with insurance payments, could be forced to sell its properties, as several stateside dioceses have had to do.

The Boston Archdiocese, for example, was forced to close more than 65 churches and sell many other properties to pay for the settlements levied upon it in 2003. Should SNAP and Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz prevail, a few may benefit from punishing the Church, but almost all will pay. Here's why.

Currently, archdiocesan agencies are feeding, clothing and housing hundreds of homeless, helpless and aged. Catholic schools are educating 5,000 students per year at a saving to the taxpayer of $6,000 per student. Many hundreds of people are employed within the archdiocese and their paychecks represent income tax revenue to GovGuam. Lay members of the Church also provide countless volunteer hours of charitable works through its many organizations.

Should the Church become crippled by lawsuits and forced to begin shutting down its services and schools, GovGuam would need to pick up the tab.

But any negative reaction to these fiscal consequences will probably pale in comparison to what will happen once "Catholics in the pew" realize that their village church, and perhaps their alma mater, will have to be sold to pay for the costs inflicted upon the Church by the likes of SNAP as a result of Cruz's legislation.

Those churches and schools were built at great personal cost and sacrifice to the people in the pews and their ancestors. They are not likely to give them up without a fight -- a big one.

This is not alarm-ism. This is not exaggeration. This is a pattern. Moral entrepreneurs like SNAP, under the guise of protecting children, attack a diocese with allegations knowing that, even if they are unfounded, the seriousness of the allegations will precipitate a "hanging before the trial." Lawmakers cave to the manufactured moral panic and pass legislation to lift the statute of limitations. Decades-old cases are resurrected. Lawsuits follow, churches and schools are forced to close and services are curtailed.

I am all for exposing the wrongdoing in the Church. I experienced clerical sexual "abuse" as a teenager in Los Angeles. ("Abuse" is in quotes because I didn't stick around for the molestation part. I ran.)

Where there is wrongdoing in our Church, let's have it out. And let's not stop there.

The abuse of children is criminal wherever it occurs. Guam Child Protective Services reports an average of 250 child sex abuse cases per year, and experts tell us that the figure probably represents only 10 percent of the actual cases. Guess where most of that abuse occurs.

In 2010, Tim Rohr opposed the lifting of the statutes of limitations because he believed that the parishes, schools, and other services would be shut down.  Six years later, he changed his story.  He disagreed with Father Jeff who stated that the passage of the bill would threaten the existence of the parishes and school.  

So, to the junglefolks......who should you believe?  The Tim Rohr who claimed that lifting the statutes of limittions could shut down the parishes and schools or the same Tim Rohr who claimed that there is no evidence that the lifting of the statutes of limitations threatens the existence of the parishes and schools?  Is it not ironic that the person you follow changes according to his own agenda?  

The lawsuit filed against the Church yesterday will not be the last one.  More will be coming.  If anything, one should have paid more attention to what was happening in Boston.  According to the Boston Globe dated January 2017, hundreds of alleged victims from around the world still continue to come forward claiming they were sexually abused in the State of Massachusetts.  That is correct.  The sexual allegations continue to come even after FIFTEEN YEARS. 

An anonymous poster made the following comment below:  

AnonymousSeptember 18, 2018 at 2:05 PM 

Hope the lawyers have prepared their clients for the reality that they will not see a $5 million check. My guess after attorney's fees, each client may see a check of less than $10,000. Think about it. The Archdiocese does not the resources to pay big settlement checks.

From the PDN July 12, 2017:  

'On the topic of the church's current financial state, Duenas reported the archdiocese still owes more than $8 million for debt service and other payables. He said the church still owes $3.8 million for a bank loan taken out to pay for the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica, more than $2 million for the now-defunct St. Thomas Aquinas School and about $230,000 for the Epicure building in Hagåtña' 

The Archdiocese of Agana operating budget estimated revenue for FY 2018 is $2,561,377. Source http://umatuna.org/news/featured/what-is-the-current-financial-condition-of-the-archdiocese-of-agana/  

About 200 claims each seeking $5 million. 200 x $5 million is $1 billion. As of June 30, 2017, total amount of Archdiocese of Agana assets is $154,023,961. Go ahead and liquidate all assets. $154,023,961 for 200 claims. What do we have? About $770,120 per claim. And the loss of all Catholic Church properties. I guess we will have to celebrate Mass in homes as the early Christians did. Oh but, we can only celebrate the Mass on a consecrated altar!  

Alleged victims will be unhappy seeing just a fraction of the $5 million they each are seeking. Catholic faithful will be at a loss as to where has their Catholic Church gone. The only ones happy are all the lawyers involved who will reap hefty fees from settlements. Who will be the happiest for all this mess? Satan will smile and laugh at the destruction of the Catholic Church on Guam.