The Truth About CCOG

 As I have pointed out in my previous post, the former Archbishop of Agana, Anthony Apuron, was a target for a witchhunt. The purpose of the witchhunt was to remove him from office. The Concerned Catholics of Guam (CCOG) went on a witchhunt to remove Apuron. In 2015, CCOG paid for an ad targeting Apuron. The ad was given to SNAP and published in the jungle. Below was the ad paid by CCOG. Notice the dates and places shown on their ad.

This ad specifically targeted Apuron and no other priest in Guam. CCOG and SNAP worked together to bring down Apuron, who still remains a bishop to this day. The Vatican never said he was guilty of child sexual abuse. The Vatican never gave a specific offense. Only the media and public opinion named the offense. Nevertheless, CCOG and SNAP worked together. According to the Guam Daily Post:

Rohr said the CCOG has been in contact with Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The SNAP organization helps heal those who have been sexually victimized.

However, SNAP does not help victims of sexual abuse. They exploit them and use them to bring down the Catholic Church (see the information here). According to news report: 

The lawsuit by Gretchen Rachel Hammond names Clohessy and other SNAP leaders as defendants and alleges that "SNAP does not focus on protecting or helping survivors — it exploits them."

The group, which more than any other is responsible for revealing the scandals that have continued to rock Catholicism in the U.S. and around the world, "routinely accepts financial kickbacks from attorneys in the form of 'donations,' " Hammond alleges.

In exchange for the kickbacks, SNAP refers survivors as potential clients to attorneys, who then file lawsuits on behalf of the survivors against the Catholic Church. These cases often settle, to the financial benefit of the attorneys and, at times, to the financial benefit of SNAP, which has received direct payments from survivors' settlements."

Hammond, who worked on fundraising for SNAP from 2011 until 2013, said she feared reprisals from SNAP leaders over her objections to the lawyers' payments and suffered serious health problems as a result. She said she was fired in 2013, allegedly because she confronted her bosses over their practices with victims' attorneys and that the dismissal has hurt her career. 

The lawsuit was first reported by National Catholic Reporter.

Furthermore, CCOG does not represent Catholics. They only represent themselves.

Some Interesting News

A couple of things have been brought to my attention:  

News #1: Tim Rohr claimed that the Declaration of Deed Restriction had a statutes of limitations.  According to Rohr:

TimJuly 28, 2017 at 5:51 AM

LOL. It's called the statute of limitations which was due to expire on 11.22.16

Tim Rohr was actually the first one to start this rumor about a statutes of limitations on the Deed Restriction.  According to the Junglewatch blog dated October 7, 2016: 

This is the time left for Hon to file a complaint against RMS if the Archdiocese is ever going to see the return of the Yona property. At 12:AM on November 22, the statute of limitations (SOL) will expire on the claim on title to said property and the Archdiocese of Agana will be forever banned from making that claim.  

And what did Rohr use as his evidence to show that there is a statutes of limitation on the Deed Restriction?  He used the September 7, 2011 minutes of the Archdiocesan Finance Council.  Any intelligent person knows that the minutes of a meeting is simply a record of what was discussed at the meeting. Furthermore, did anyone read the minutes?  Nowhere in the minutes did it mention a 5 year statutes of limitations.  

One would think that the document of the Deed Restriction, which was established on November 22, 2011, would be used as the evidence.  But it was not. Nevertheless, even if it was used as evidence, nowhere in that document did it mention a 5 year statutes of limitation.  You can find the document of the Declaration of Deed Restriction here.

Most baffling of all is that none of the junglefolks questioned Rohr.  They simply gave up all their faculties of reason and relied on everything Tim said without even reading the documents themselves.  It appeared that even the media was brainwashed.  

Archbishop Hon may have also been convinced by Rohr that there was a statutes of limitations when in truth, there was none.  Then again, it may not have taken very much to convince him anyway, considering the fact that he did much to appease the jungle. This led to my suspicion that Archbishop Hon may have also convinced Archbishop Byrnes into thinking that there was a statutes of limitation. The Deed Restriction did not have any time limit on it.  There was no mention of a 5 year statutes of limitation on the November 22, 2011 document when it was established.  Archbishop Byrnes could have waited until he arrived on Guam, review the issues surrounding the Deed Restriction and decide how to approach it.  Because he rescinded it before his arrival, it appeared that pressure was applied on him to get it rescinded before November 22, 2016, which Rohr claimed was the deadline.  

Now, to the junglefolks, go back and ask Tim Rohr to show you where exactly did it say the Deed Restriction had a 5 year statutes of limitation, which would be November 22, 2016.  

News #2: Speaking of Archbishop Hon, I have just learned from some sources in Rome that Archbishop Hon got into an accident.  He fell in his bathroom and cracked one whole side of his ribs.  Prayers are needed for his recovery.  

News #3: According to the Guam Daily Post (the bold is mine):

Six people who were on the board of federally funded Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority, and the agency's executive director, face a combined 47 misdemeanor charges for allegedly holding secret meetings that violate the Open Government Law.

The misdemeanor charges include violation of the law that requires keeping meetings open to the public, as well as official misconduct and conspiracy.
"Illegal secret meetings (were) held to facilitate the award of $4.1 million in tax credits," according to one of the allegations stated by Chief Prosecutor Philip J. Tydingco in his declaration supporting the filing of charges. 

"The investigation revealed that the (board of commissioners) specifically David J. Sablan, Cecile B. Suda, Deanne Torre, John Ilao, Roland Selvidge and Rosie Blas, conspired, held secret meetings, decided GHURA business and made illegal votes outside of the public eye, in violation of various provisions of the Open Government Law," said the chief prosecutor. 

"Executive Director Michael Duenas shared in the conspiracy as a willing facilitator of the (board's) secret meetings and associated illegal conduct." 

 Yes, this is the same David Sablan, President of CCOG.  He was charged with a misdemeanor for allegedly holding secret meetings, official misconduct, and conspiracy.  Oh my......conspiracy!!!  Well, now that Mr. Sablan is one of the accused......I wonder what he now thinks about the democratic principle of "presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law?"  This is the reason why you should not judge.  There will come a time, when you will be wearing the same shoes as the accused.  Do you think CCOG, LFM, and the rest of the Junglewatch Nation should label David Sablan guilty without due process of a trial?  

Backfired To CCOG

The first woman have come forward, charging sexual allegation against a Father Joe R. San Agustin (also known as Andrew San Agustin).  According to KUAM (the bold is mine): 

The first woman files suit against the Church for clergy sex abuse. 65-year-old B.T. lives in Saipan, but filed her complaint in the District Court of Guam on Tuesday. B.T. alleges she was sexually molested by Father Joe R. San Agustin also known as Andrew San Agustin when she and her younger sister came with the priest to Guam for vacation. San Agustin was employed by the Archdiocese of Agana, but temporarily assigned to Mt. Carmel School in Saipan where he was B.T.'s teacher. While on Guam, she alleges the priest kissed her and touched her privates as well as digitally penetrated her when she was 12-years-old. B.T. is suing for $5 million.

KUAM News has learned that San Agustin is a member of the Concerned Catholics of Guam, but no longer a priest for the Archdiocese of Agana.

Joe R. San Agustin is a member of Concern Catholics of Guam and has been known to make comments in the JungleWatch blog.  Now that this has come to light, should the organization "Concern Catholics of Guam" be sued as well???? After all, the law says that they can sue the institution for hiding a sex abuser. Or is CCOG going to claim that a "person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law"?   

Agana Parishioners Targeted

Archbishop Byrnes has no power and authority to remove Archbishop Apuron. Only Pope Frances has the authority to remove him.  Archbishop Apuron has claimed that he is innocent and is currently fighting for his name and reputation.  However, as the protests drag on, one can already see the frustration of the Junglewatch Nation.  According to an anonymous poster in the jungle:

AnonymousJanuary 29, 2017 at 8:53 PM

We don't stop the masses with the picket line--that is not the intention; but we would like the Faithful who go to the 9:30 AM mass not to cross the picket line--via the front entrance or via the side entrances--to show their support to rid our Church of incompetent leadership and others who have abused and tried to fool us; as well as misusing our Church resources. SILENT NO MORE! There are other masses the Faithful could attend at Agana Heights, Sinajana, Mongmong, Toto, Ordot. Support the picketers by attending mass at these other parishes until Archbishop Byrnes and the Vatican removes Apuron as our Archbishop and that includes even in name only; and also to ban all his songs on the KOLG radio 90.9 FM. It makes me sick to my stomach to hear him sing our Chamorro songs of devotion and others. Really, this Archbishop loves himself only. Remember when he met Walter Denton in Washington state at a Guamanian gathering? Instead of apologizing to Walter for what he did to him, which is what Walter was seeking, instead Apuron offered him one of his CD's!! What a narcissist! No wonder why he thinks he has done nothing wrong. A

As one can see, there has already been a suggestion in the jungle to target the Agana parishioners who attend the 9:30 am Mass.  By preventing and intimidating parishioners from attending Mass at 9:30 am, they would no longer be conducting a peaceful demonstration.  They will be infringing on the rights of people to freely worship in their church. 

CCOG Questions Investigation Over Apuron

Archbishop Apuron left Guam sometime in the last part of May of last year after Roy Quintanilla came forth accusing him of sexual abuse.  The Vatican later placed the Archbishop on leave last June after former altar boys accused him of sexual abuse in the 1970s.  CCOG has also been questioning the investigations into Archbishop Apuron.  According to news report:

In November, his successor Archbishop Michael Byrnes, said a canonical trial had been initiated.

But the Concerned Catholics of Guam President David Sablan said they hadn't heard anything about how it is going.

"We're concerned about the time it's taking because most of the facts are very clear. But I think there are others in the Vatican who are very supportive of Archbishop Apuron and if they are trying to cover up this whole mess that he has been involved in here in Guam then they would be complicit in basically what he has done to harm the church here."

Obviously, CCOG President David Sablan feels that the facts were already laid out in the jungle and that it should not take the judges too long to decide that the Archbishop is guilty.  The fact that the canonical trial is taking this long is actually good news.  Why?  Because the three judges are not relying on so-called facts from the jungle.  After all, the jungle has been known to bring forth accusations against any bishop they do not like. 

For example, when Archbishop Hon lectured Father Mike Crisostomo and Father Jeff for disobedience, the jungle was upset about it.  They were so upset that Tim Rohr even came out with an accusation against Archbishop Hon.  According to Tim Rohr:

This guy is tricky. Hon will get his revenge on us and here is how he is going to do it. He's going to bring up an accusation of sex abuse against Fr. Mike Crosostomo. He's going to use someone who "makes his bed with whoever will sleep in it." Stay tuned. This is one evil dude. 

Below is a screenshot of that accusation: 

Tim Rohr also went further and publicized his accusation in the media.  He went on air in the Patti Arroyo talk show on September 26, 2016 and said that Archbishop Hon has someone in line ready to accuse Father Mike Crisostomo of sexual abuse.  You can listen to it in the weblink below:  

K57 Interview with Patti Arroyo 


The question is.....how did Tim know who this "someone" was when Archbishop Hon had no idea who he was?  If Archbishop Hon was supposed to have this person in line ready to make such an accusation, why is it that Hon did not know the person and Tim did? By the way, whoever this person is, he never came out to make his accusation against Father Mike. 

Therefore, the three judges on the canonical trial will not swallow everything the jungle says.  This is why the canonical trial is taking long, and that is actually good news.  However, this brings us now to Archbishop Byrnes.  It is already obvious from some of the postings and comments made in the jungle that they are not pleased with some of Archbishop Byrnes' decision.  So, what accusation are they going to bring forth against Archbishop Byrnes?  

UPDATE:

Under this thread, Jokers Wild suggested that the person may have come out, which may explain why Father Mike was not transferred to the Yigo parish. First of all, the intention of this OP is not on Father Mike or on the unknown person.  The accusation was made against Archbishop Hon.  Tim Rohr accused Archbishop Hon of setting up someone to bring a false charge of sexual abuse against Father Mike.  That was the accusation. 

Furthermore, the accusation was not made at the time Father Mike brought up the moratorium.  Why?  Because on the exact same day, Tim Rohr made the following post on his blog, which can be found here.  According to Tim:

Hearing that something bad happened to Fr. Mike Crisostomo yesterday. Hon, I guess you want violence.

Below is a screenshot shot of that post:

Rohr was referring to the fact that Father Mike was scolded by Archbishop Hon for refusing to read his letter.  If you read the thread under that particular post, Father Efren posted explaining how Father Mike was treated by Hon.  The post above was made on the exact same day that Rohr posted his accusation against Archbishop Hon.  All you need to do was look at the dates of the two posts.

  

Interesting Discussions In The PDN

Alexander Chen

Northeastern University

In other words...

CCOG are the new Bishop of Guam.
Accept it, this is the new protestant Catholic Church of Guam.

CCOG despises the Catholic Church; They only obey to their thinking; they stir dissent; they accuse based on 'allegations'; they want everyone to agree with them; they are the Despot's in Command of the Catholic church or else they let their smear-dog (Tim Rohr) lose who with his JungleTrash sewer-machine smear and throw mud at anyone who opposes their hateful rhetoric.

Sadly, and because the real Christians are the silent majority, they have become the face of the Catholic Church in the public-sewer sphere.

My condolences to the Guam faithful.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · 1 · Jan 17, 2017 2:16am

Tim Rohr

Loyola Marymount University

Well since the bishops are either busy grabbing pre-pubescent genitalia or ramming the rectums of 12 years olds, and guys like Byrnes and Cristobal are more interested in covering for their brothers arses, well, yah, then we'll do this ourselves. LOL

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · 1 · Jan 17, 2017 6:53am

Alexander Chen

Northeastern University

@Tim Rohr - Your sincerity would indeed 'appear' genuine if you did not resort to shocking and vulgar images in order to argue your opinion. Moreover, your indiscriminate generalization of all clergy, including Bishops (saints and sinners) does not help your cause either as it seems that you are more desperate to bring people to hate rather than to genuinely solve any problem(s) with the Church in Guam.

If you would at least deny your Catholic Faith or stop professing that you really care for the Church that would be more cogent, as it is you are a hypocrite professing to care, because if a new Bishop arrives that is more merciful and compassionate than your pre-ordained-hate-filled conclusions, then the real Tim Rohr comes out of the shadows and starts spewing vulgar hatred.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 17, 2017 8:01am

Jose Martinez

Founder (company) at Traditions Affirming our Seafaring Ancestry (TASA)

Alexander Chen LOL. Good times.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · 1 · Jan 17, 2017 12:23pm

Danny Sabato

Alexander Chen You are the one supporting a child molester from the beginning, so you should stay out of anything, since you are on the wrong side of the fence!

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · 2 · Jan 17, 2017 7:56pm

Alexander Chen

Northeastern University

@Danny Sabato - What you arrogantly call a child molester, to me is as much a victim as the victim of a pedophile. Apuron is a victim of smear and character assassination by PDN/JungleTrash fakeNews (and its followers) as long as Apuron calls himself innocent, he is worthy of being believed given his loyal and faithful public record. You may not agree in the direction Apuron led the Church, but that does not mean he is a pedophile. I will only change my mind if he confesses to the crimes or until a sentence from an impartial and fair trial has passed a guilty verdict.
In the meantime, the vitriolic and irrational hatred from you and Tim Rohr continues to give evidence that you both are either unwittingly naïve, guided by a piously intended error [and ‘enjoy’ the use of a bully pulpit] or have an invested interest to protect, a corrupt ulterior motive that influences you. I called your piously intended error “irrational” because you have NO PROOF but driven only by serious 'allegations', yet you incite vicious hatred without any of the prudent restrain that this delicate situation demands, as both ‘human’ lives are at stake of being equal victims of injustice. Given that I do not think that Tim and you are idiots, this inspires an air of suspicion, corruption or malice in your intentions. If only you would offer solutions not vulgar jokes, reconciliation not dissention, you would be more credible.
As for Apuron, he has already paid a high price, albeit unwarranted, for all the vitriol from Tim and his PDN friends is all hearsay and smear. He has paid a high price for no proved/evidenced crime whatsoever; Yet Tim and his followers continue to enjoy freedoms and rights. Is this fair? Is this Christian? In order to understand this injustice you need to be a Christian and be able to put yourself in the shoes of BOTH victims. Evidently, Tim is unable or will not do this. Moreover, as if this is not enough, Tim make no excuses as he relentlessly uses Apuron as the bottom of vulgar distasteful puerile jokes, smearing the whole church and anyone that does not agree with him in the process – to call Tim a bully is very appropriate and well earned/deserved. Tim laughs that Apuron, a Guamanian, cannot even set foot anymore in his own land, not even if he is proven to be innocent. Even if he is proved to be innocent in the Vatican trial, PDN and the JungleTrash will always spin the facts to spread distrust towards the Church or any jury whatsoever.
In the end, what does Tim do with his privileges, freedoms and rights? It is self-evident in every posting you read from him which, if you ask me, he is driven by demonic wounded pride. A poor lonely soul.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 18, 2017 2:07am

Danny Sabato

Alexander Chen You are really a fanatic

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 18, 2017 6:15pm

Alexander Chen

Northeastern University

@Danny Sabato - I am not the one LOLing at vulgar jokes, nor condemning or ridiculing anyone without the Christian decency of giving them the benefit of the doubt and a fair trial.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 19, 2017 4:21am

Tim Rohr

Loyola Marymount University

LOL

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 19, 2017 10:28am

Tim Rohr

Loyola Marymount University

Alexander Chen

It's not me:

“In addressing the situation of Anthony S. Apuron, after hearing all of the accounts of sexual molestation and rape that have been publicly disclosed by the victims that have bravely come forward, I have no doubt that Anthony Apuron can be considered a serial child molester who has perpetrated his criminal sexual conduct behavior undetected and/or unreported over many years.”

- Public Testimony on Bill 326-33, Vincent Pereda, Board Certified Clinical Social Worker by the AmericanBoard of Examiners, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 30 years of clinical experience as a professional counselor, program manager and clinical administrator, worked in juvenile and adult corrections, mental health and for the Judiciary of Guam, worked 20 years as clinical social worker and counselor for Department of the Navy and Veterans Affairs, continues to work as part time counselor for the Superior Court of Guam in which he works with both juvenile and adult sex offenders performance clinical evaluations and providing direct treatment intervention.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · Jan 19, 2017 11:30am

Alexander Chen

Northeastern University

@Tim Rohr - So in your world, these individuals could NEVER be bribed or bought in a defamation campaign against a public Catholic Church official huh? that NEVER happens, right? Here is where you lose your marbles.
Read the story of Susana and Joseph (the son of Jacob) for reasons why in Christianity, outside of a fair trial, we do not engage in witch hunting, this is 21st-Century-AMERICA not the middle ages.

Like · Reply · Mark as spam · 2 hrs

$25,000 Given To Archdiocese By CCOG

Some people say that with the new year comes a new start, a new beginning. Most of us look forward to the new year with hope and unity with both the NCW and non-NCW working and being together side by side.  After all, we are one family of God.  Only the jungle, CCOG, and LFM seeks the demise of the NCW and the shutting down of the RM Seminary.  

An anonymous poster made the following in my last post, which can be found 
here:

AnonymousJanuary 1, 2017 at 8:47 PM

Diana I have something disturbing to tell you on jw they posted that ccog had paid archbishop Michael j byrnes $25,000.00 for what

This is my response:

CCOG did not give Archbishop Byrnes $25,000.  They gave the Archdiocese the money.  According to Tim Rohr:

P.S. As mentioned several times already, we need and want Archbishop Byrnes to succeed. However, despite the "listening to both sides" posture, I am unaware that Byrnes has met with anyone from the CCOG except for a casual run-in at the chancery with CCOG President, David Sablan, even though the CCOG gave the archdiocese TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS to help with the legal fees associated with the return of the Yona property.

The money was given to the Archdiocese during the time Archbishop Hon was still here managing the Archdiocese while Archbishop Byrnes was still in Detroit.  The money was given to help with the legal fees associated with the "so-called" return of the Yona property.  I say "so-called" because the property was already under the Archdiocese of Agana.  Therefore, the money was not used for the return of something that the Archdiocese already has.  Most likely, it went to the paperwork and processing fee in getting the deed restriction rescinded and drawing up a new Articles of Incorporation.  

Nevertheless, nothing has changed even with the deed restriction rescinded. This is probably the reason why the jungle is still angry and frustrated.  They got the deed restriction removed, but the RMS continues to operate as they have always done.  In fact, the removal of the deed restriction did not even affect their Christmas concert, which they planned for a long time.  They held their Christmas concert and even had a silent auction.  

In his press release, Archbishop Byrnes stated that he would like the Laterian University to continue to be affiliated with the seminary.  This is already an indication that he intends to utilize the building in Yona to remain a major seminary, and he made no mention of closing it down.  Tim Rohr and David Sablan can propose their own ideas of what they want done with the seminary, but Archbishop Byrnes makes the ultimate decision because he is the Coadjutor Archbishop of Agana.   

Defense Lawyers Ask Judge For Dismissal Of Lawsuit

According to KUAM news:

Defense in the $2 million libel and slander suit against Archbishop Anthony Apuron and the Archdiocese of Agana are asking the court to dismiss the complaint. In court filings made late Monday, defense calls the defamation suit "unusual", as it was sparked by paid ads by the Concerned Catholics of Guam. 

Defense states the archdiocese has publicly recanted and retracted Apuron's statements at issue and notes plaintiffs fail to plead special damages. 

The plaintiffs listed are Roy Quintanilla, Walter Denton, Roland Sondia, and Doris Concepcion on behalf of her son Joseph "Sonny" Quinata. Each of the plaintiffs alleges Apuron molested them decades ago. The suit follows press release and video statements from the archdiocese and Apuron, which defended Apuron's innocence and called his accusers liars who were out to destroy the church.The church is represented by local attorney Jeff Cook and Apuron represented by Attorney Jacque Terlaje.

CCOG's Press Release

According to the press release by CCOG, vice president Andrew Camacho stated that the RM Seminary should be shut down.  

First of all, CCOG does not have the expertise nor the credentials to determine the authentication of a seminary.  They are not even an accreditation team.  Therefore, what is being said in this press release is simply more propaganda against RMS.

For three years, Tim Rohr has been spreading propaganda against the RM Seminary and its priests. In fact, Mr. Rohr has even accused the seminary of money-laundering (See the screen shot below dated July 21, 2014).  This accusation of money-laundering in the RM seminary continues on even until the present day, and no one has filed a police report.  So, now the question is……why all the propaganda against the RM Seminary for three years? 

   

Secondly, Mr. Camacho compared other RM Seminaries in the United States (such as the one in Boston) and cited them as being better than Guam’s RM Seminary.  And what criteria did CCOG use to make this comparison?  According to CCOG vice president Andrew Camacho, the RMS in Boston is better than Guam because the seminarians attend ANOTHER seminary for their education rather than study at RMS.  What Mr. Camacho is actually saying without realizing it…. is that even the RMS in Boston is inadequate. If these seminarians in Boston held their studies in RMS, then it would be labeled in the same category as Guam’s RMS, which Mr. Camacho believes should be shut down.

So, how did CCOG come up with their findings without visiting the RM seminary, without interviewing the faculty and staff, and without reviewing and collecting any data from the seminary?  The answer is found in the jungle.  The source of CCOG's findings are found here , here, and here.  All three jungle posts were published by Frenchie who does not even reside on Guam.  CCOG did not even bother to do any leg work. Therefore, the claims made by CCOG are invalid and unreliable and serves only as propaganda.  

If CCOG had simply bothered to visit the RM seminary, they would have found the truth.  According to KUAM news:

It's not just the ownership of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary that's under fire, but the institution itself. On Monday, the Concerned Catholics of Guam called the seminary a "sham", alleging the priests in training had no background checks, no psychological screenings, and no records to prove they were high school graduates. The CCOG also alleged the faculty were few and unqualified.

Today, we heard from the rector of the seminary himself, Father Pius Sammut, and he's out to debunk what he's calling "misgivings" from the CCOG.

Sham or seminary? Father Sammut is defending the institute which he says has produced 17 priests for the archdiocese. In an emailed response to KUAM News, Father Pius responds to recent statements made by the Concerned Catholics of Guam.

"This is another myth propagated by the enemies of Archbishop Anthony Apuron," the priest wrote.

One by one, he tackles the CCOG's issues, from admissions to faculty and the high cost of running the rms. The CCOG contends the Archdiocese of Agana funds $200,000 for the RMS. Father Pius, however, says their calculations are wrong.

"Last fiscal year, June 2015-2016, the total RM expenses were $531,353. The subsidy of the archdiocese was $73,800, less than $3,000 per head per year!" he maintained.

While the CCOG argues it'd be cheaper for Guam to send priests-in-training to seminaries abroad, Father Pius compares Guam's seminary to those stateside.

"To form a seminarian in Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon or in Saint Patrick's in California costs more than $42,000 annually, while in Guam it costs less than $14,000. We can train three seminarians in Guam at the cost of one seminarian in the mainland. Facts are facts!"

When it comes to admissions, Father Pius states it's a three-tiered process which considers the candidates' moral life, maturity, their studies and their health as well as screenings by a national team of catechists, a retreat, and further screenings by rectors of other seminaries. The faculty, meanwhile consists of eight permanent professors and five adjuncts, all of whom are assessed and ratified by the Lateran in Rome.

As for the formation of strictly Neocatechumenal priests, Father Pius discerns fact from fiction. "Our sole focus at the seminary is the formation of diocesan priests," he stated.

Instead, he says Archbishop Apuron needed the assistance of the Neocatechumenal Way to start up the major seminary. "He asked the help of the Neocatechumenal Way because he realized that we do not have the necessary resources on island. Thanks be to God, the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way, seeing the grave situation, pastorally, of the islands of the Pacific, namely the serious shortage of priests, accepted," he said.

"The role of the Neocatechumenal Way is to provide a solid Christian formation to the seminarians. It also facilitates their insertion into the local parish."

A Question To Ponder

In my last entry post, Grow up in faith and an anonymous commenter brought up an interesting point.  It is true that the jungle have said that the Archbishop did not violate any civil laws.  Tim Rohr stated that the Archbishop was in violation of canon law.  In his blog, Tim Rohr even cited the canon laws that he believed were violated by the Archbishop.  So who convinced CCOG to sue the Archbishop in a civil court?  Why pursue a lawsuit in a civil court if there were no violation of any civil laws?   Why did they not obtain a canon lawyer instead, considering that the jungle have consistently stated that the Archbishop was in violation of canon law?