A lawsuit has been filed by the official committee of unsecured creditors against the Archdiocese of Agana that seeks to include all of the island's Catholic schools, churches and other parish properties as assets that could be sold off to satisfy creditor demands in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case.
Included in the lawsuit is a list of disputed properties that the unsecured creditors committee alleges "should be scheduled as property of the estate."
The list includes the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica. The committee valued the cathedral at $9.5 million. All parish churches and schools are also on the list, as well as owned vehicles. Even the Pigo and Agat cemeteries are on the list.
Let us be very clear that all this is not the fault of Archbishop Apuron. The reason this is happening is because the Statutes of Limitation was lifted. It was NOT Archbishop Apuron nor the NCW who introduced, supported and pushed for the passage of a bill that would lift the statutes of limitation. If that law had not been introduced and passed, no one would be able to bring a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana. The passage of that law only made it possible for anyone to sue the Archdiocese. The passage of that law also opened the door for scammers to sue the Archdiocese simply because there are no investigations into any of the allegations.
The lifting of the statutes of limitation is an unjust law. Money does not bring healing. It never did. And the law will only bring more suffering to other innocent people and makes justice a mockery.
It was very clear, that the last day of public hearing on the legislative proposal of lifting the statute of limitation was a deceptive and manipulative event, pre-arranged by lobbyists, legislators and the media.
ReplyDeleteIt was deceptive because the hearing was announced for Senator Frank Blas' original proposal. His text was the only available version available to the public. Still, Senator Frank Aguon, who chaired the hearing, secretly replaced the complete text by another version of the proposed bill read aloud by Bob Klitzkie at the previous day of hearings. The new text was not available to the public before the hearing. Therefore, the hearing should have been suspended and a new hearing be held for the new version of the proposal.
I wrote about this here:
"Bill 326-33, as listed at the Guam Legislature’s website, is not the current version of the proposal! At a public hearing on Aug. 1, I was handed out a different version of it. Let me quote: “An action for child sexual abuse may be commenced against abusers, their enablers, their aiders or abettors, those acting in concert with them and their institutions or corporations sole at any time.”"
https://www.guampdn.com/story/opinion/2016/08/13/opinion-bill-326-33-raises-concerns/88656896/
Well, Zoltan, if you were there, you should have told them it was a deception. This should have been enough reason for Governor Eddie Calvo to veto the bill!
DeleteDear Anonymous at 9:54 am,
DeleteDo not blame Zoltan for this. He testified against the bill in the public hearing, and he expressed his opposition in a local newspaper. Put the blame on where it should be....JW, CCOG, LFM, and all those who supported and worked for the passage of the bill into law.
Dear Diana, I did not blame Zoltan. I only wanted to question if the law was passed unlawfully, then is not this piece of law also unlawful?! The Governor at that time should have known the legislation was unlawful and veto the bill! Why did the church fail to intervene promptly on time, before it became a law?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 1:33 pm,
DeleteThe Governor admitted that he was aware that the bill may contain some constitutional issues, but he signed it into law anyway......perhaps due to a certain “pressure group.” One also cannot blame the Church. This bill was introduced into the Guam Legislature from the outside. Joseph Santos from “Silent No More” with the support and assistance of the JungleWatch Nation introduced the bill and even hand-delivered 3000 signatures to the Guam Legislature in support of lifting the statutes of limitations. According to the Pacific Daily News:
“Joe Santos started a petition which he planned to take to the Guam Legislature to compel it to remove a two-year statute of limitations for civil claims relating to child sexual abuse.”
http://www.junglewatch.info/2016/05/press-on-mr-santos-never-mind-coward-bj.html
RIGHT...ON... DIANA. THE VATICAN Should a read and listen to more of this blog, I read somewhere Were billions of dollars Given out to the so called victims Because they know the church won't fight back Should been investigated by private investigators Like to see Tim Rohr get investigated and CCOG.. David
DeleteDear Diana, I quote: "the Governor admitted that he was aware that the bill may contain some constitutional issues." But there were no constitutional/ organic issues and the law has never been challenged at higher courts.
DeleteMy question was that not the content, but the passing of the law was unlawful. Zoltan testifies that Frank Aguon violated the law by conducting a fake hearing. Frank Aguon "secretly replaced the complete text by another version of the proposed bill" we read. Wasn't this unlawful? If the passing of this bill was unlawful, then how could the result be lawful?
Dear Anonymous at 4:46 pm,
DeleteThe only way to remove this law is for the courts to declare it unconstitutional. If the passing of the law was indeed unlawful, it is then up to the lawyers to challenge the law as being unlawful and unconstitutional and if they win, the court can strike down the law. That would put an end to all the lawsuits that were filed. The lawsuits would become null and void.
Dear Diana, the reality is that not one comma can be changed in the law. It is too late to undo the events of the last 3 years. The Catholics of this island had suffered through a thoroughly designed and professionally executed plan that nobody in any position or at any time had any chance to challenge. We have to face this new reality. It is not over yet. We are right in the middle of it and there will be more troubles, mostly of financial nature, coming.
DeleteMakes me now wonder what's the real reason why some of those accusers only provided their initials. Could it be that they don't want to be recognize as a fake? We should demand an investigation on all the allegations!
ReplyDeleteINVESTIGATION. Yes...yes...yes
DeleteDear Anonymous 11:11 am and Anonymous 3:40 pm,
DeleteUnfortunately, there will not be any investigations. The Church is taking the stand that all alleged victims are to be believed. The Church does not appear to be interested in determining what is the truth.
Dear Diana, there could be invetsigation if someone is suing the alleged victims for slander and defamation at the court of law. But who?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 4:37 pm,
DeleteMost of the alleged victims accused priests who are deceased. The dead cannot sue for slander and defamation.
I feel trouble in the jungle,instead of focusing on this,they're going to start attacking the NCW again.Oh yes lets go after other Catholics.Whom are clearly the biggest problem on the island.The only problem is the heresies the government brought in years and years back.Here they are again,persecuting the church.In the most manipulative way possible.Making a lot of locals think that this is just,and that the church is the enemy.With atheism becoming trendy as well,its no wonder many are okay with this.Guam went from being very Catholic to being anti Catholic in less than 100 years,and its only going to get worse with traditionals attacking their own kind instead of teaming up with them to fight the real heresies.Stay strong guys,stay strong! My heart hurts right now.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 3:51 am,
DeleteCourage! There is good news. The retreat in Israel is coming up soon, and some of the bishops in the Pacific will be participating in the Neocatechumenal Way retreat in Israel. ☺ We continue to walk forward.
Dear Diana, because of the very sensitive issues involved, it may have benefit for the NCW to distance itself from all abuses, perpetrated by anyone, anywehere, anytime, especially on Guam! I am concerned about those priests who are associated someway to the communities.
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous at 1:28 pm,
DeleteThe advantage of having a priest in a community is that he's not alone. The brothers and sisters are there, and they are his witnesses. As you know, the way we do reconciliation is different from other diocesan priests who give confessions alone with the person behind closed doors.
Because of the way we do Reconciliation, we can see everything during the confession. We just can't hear the confessions. Also, if a person wants to receive a private confession in our Church, the office secretary is just outside, and glass doors are installed so people passing by can see in, but they cannot hear the confessions. The NCW communities tend to take care of their priests. Because of what's happening, sometimes it is better for a priest not to advertise his whereabouts, but to keep a private record of his appointments and what not.
Dear Diana, I am not sure I can follow what you say. I know we in the communities are interconnected in salvation even to our priests in Holy Reconciliation. We guard each other to keep a holy lifestyle. However, we don't know if a priest is/ was involved in abuse of minors in the past. I am not concerned about which priest is located where or who makes an appointment when. What I am concerned about is the public image of the Way.
DeleteOn Guam it is increasingly important to distance the Way from any possible abuses of minors that might (or might not) have happened in the past. The jungle is ratcheting up its anti-NCW rhetoric. To protect our public image, we should declare that we condemn past abuses of minors and distance ourselves from the perpatrators, even if they were somehow, at some point in the past, affiliated with the Way.
Dear Anonymous at 2:43 pm,
DeleteAs far as I know, the NCW does not advertise itself to the public. Most of the time, we remain silent. We do not even endorse any political candidate in the last election. It is only the jungle who have been advertising that the NCW support Lou Leon Guerrero. Where they got this information....I have no idea.
I have always condemn child sexual abuse, but I follow the rule of law, which is the accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Now that the Appeals have been concluded, I accept the verdict of the Holy See just as Archbishop Apuron has. However, I will not stay away from the perpetrator because God loves him too. We are to pray for them and to pray for all victims. The sad thing about child abuse is that it is a cycle of violence. In other words, the perpetrator became a perpetrator because he was also a victim of abuse, and the cycle continues on until someone breaks it. Both the victims and The perpetrator need help, which is why we pray for both of them.
The NCW in Guam also has a community of brothers in the Department of Corrections (The prison). We are no better than our brothers in prison. The difference between our brothers in prison is they do not need to wear a mask and pretend to be someone they are not. Here outside of prison, some of us can still wear a mask.
There’s a difference between the sin and the sinner. We condemn child sexual abuse, abortion, same-sex marriage, and all sins. But we don’t condemn the sinner otherwise we condemn ourselves. In the gospel reading a few Sundays ago, the Pharisees brought out an adulterous woman to be stoned and to test Jesus. Jesus said let he who is without sin cast the first stone. All of us are sinners, and in the Way we're told not to judge another. Jesus ate and sat with sinners, and we’ll follow him.
DeleteNo matter what good we do, JW will hate us. They’re already saying that the NCW controls the government. We bring our youth to meet the pope on WYD, and JW say we hijacked WYD. The NCW fosters priestly vocations, and they accuse us of brainwashing our kids. They have nothing but negative things to say about the NCW.
Dear Diana, my concern about the public image of the Way on Guam is not because of what the jungle or other groups say. My concern is because of what the people in the parishes say. The public image of what NCW is may enhance or impede evangelization efforts, including the support given by other Catholic groups and the permission of the Archbishop of Agana to allow our communities to continue.
DeleteWe don't need to condemn perpetrators of sexual abuse in person, but we should distance ourselves from them. The two things are not the same. The public image of NCW should be kept unstained. Prisoners have broken the law of society, that is why they are in prison. This has nothing to do with them or us being sinners. We, who are not in prison, have not broken the law. Hopefully.
I am currebtly reading the message of Pope Emeritus Benedict 16th, published today in the Catholic media, and I am amazed by his courage and stamina:
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-benedict-xvi-the-church-and-the-scandal-of-sexual-abuse-59639
Dear Anonymous at 6:58 pm,
DeleteMost of the accused priests are dead or off-island. Can you explain how the NCW should distance itself from dead priests and priests who are not on Guam?
Dean Diana, I see your point. You don't need to convince me or any brothers, I guess. But we can do as much for our public image. You wanna convince the parish folks out there, so that when we come to their parish to evangelize, they would listen. Is this not the goal anymore?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 8:36 pm,
DeleteMany of the brothers in my community are already very much involved in the parish life. Some of the brothers joined the parish choir. Others volunteered to be Lectors, Eucharistic ministers, and altar servers. Some volunteered their time to teach CCD classes while others helped with maintaining the parish grounds by cleaning. Other brothers volunteered their working in the parish office.
Because my community is so involved in the parish life, many of us attend the Saturday Eucharist in the Way and then attend Sunday Mass in the parish. We also involve ourselves in our parish fiesta. We contribute as a community. Is this not the kind of self-image we should portray....to be at the service of our parish and parish priest? There are local priests who do not oppose the Way. For the most part, the NCW and parishioners get along in my parish because they see our involvement in the parish.
So what ever happened to brother edivaldo? Is he not assigned to DYA?
DeleteDear Anonymous at 6:19 am,
DeleteAccording to the Archdiocesan website, he is off-island.
Dear Diana, how about people at other parishes? As it is right now, they don't even want to hear about the NCW.
DeleteI am reading Pope Emeritus Benedict 16th's letter to the faithful. He is approving the love of God: "He is more than understanding, because He creates - and is - love." I think he is approving what we do in the NCW. He is quoting Kiko by saying that God is love. "Only obedience and love for our Lord Jesus Christ can point the way." I could say this by capital W: Our love for our Lord Jesus Christ can point to the Way!
"He who entrusts himself to the love of God is redeemed. Our being not redeemed is a consequence of our inability to love God. Learning to love God is therefore the path of human redemption."
What a beautiful thought! We in the NCW learn how to love God in a community setting. This should be the message to the other parishes, to the folks who have never heard of the NCW yet.
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-benedict-xvi-the-church-and-the-scandal-of-sexual-abuse-59639
Ad Anonymous at 6:19 am
Delete1. What is this, “Witch-hunt”?
2. NOT brother BUT Father
3. NOT edivaldo BUT Edivaldo
4. Tai Respetu!
Dear Anonymous at 9:55 am,
DeleteOne reason why some Muslims converted to Christianity was because they saw the charitable works of the Christians who helped Muslims in need. Some of the parishioners in my parish had the same attitude because they listened to the jungle. However, you do not need the permission of these parishioners to help your parish.
You would be surprised to find that the parishes are in need of volunteer help, and it is always the same people doing the work. You can ask your parish priest if the community can clean the Church after Sunday Mass. What parish priest would refuse that? Get involve in helping the parish and in time that will change the mentality of the people. After all, the NCW is part of the parish. Before we become witnesses to the world, let us first become witnesses to our parish.
Diana, I would like to see Guam Muslims converted to Christianity!
DeleteHere's an idea, this law infringes on my constitutional right to freely practice my faith and the choice I have on sending my children to a catholic school. Without this institution how can I freely practice my religion when the institution is so severely burdened by lawsuits it can be eradicated for good? Why not file a counter suit arguing this in a court of law?
ReplyDeleteDiana, read Benedict XVI's recent letter about the sex abuse.. it's a very beautiful letter. And he is still very intelligent even with his old age. Anwyway, he speaks about "catechumenal communities". Wonderful.
ReplyDelete