The Guam Clergy Sex Scandal

 The Guam Clergy Sex Scandal started with John Toves, who is now deceased after struggling with cancer. Je accused then Archbishop Anthony Apuron of sexually molesting his relative, whom he has never spoken to. After John admitted that he never spoke to his relative. His relative never even came out to support John's allegations. So, no one believed John Toves. 

Then four other people came out in public to accuse then Archbishop Anthony Apuron again. According to Tim Rohr:

Had Apuron admitted his crimes or even met privately to apologize to his initial accusers, the archdiocese might have been spared the loss of millions and millions of dollars in legal fees and properties, most of which had been given to the Church by common, hard-working Catholics who sacrificed their own comfort and family security to help the Church they loved. 

This is my response: 

SERIOUSLY!!! They came out in PUBLIC, accusing  Apuron of sexual abuse, and you want him to meet them in PRIVATE! SERIOUSLY!!! You also want him to admit to the crimes.Then Rohr said this (the bold is mine):

In fact, Apuron, if he really did not do what he was accused of, would not have even had to apologize. He could have just met with those initial accusers and heard them out. I was involved with those initial accusers and I can state for a fact that all they wanted to do was confront the man they believed who had hurt them in their childhood. They did not want to sue - there was no way for them to do that in the beginning anyway, they did not want to hurt the Church, they did not want to do anything other than to assuage their childhood pain.

Apuron DID say that he did not do what they accused him of. He claimed to be innocent to this day. And what did the four accusers do? They proceeded to sue him and the Archdiocese for 2 million dollars. According to news report:

Four people who publicly accused Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron of sexually abusing altar boys in Agat in the 1970s filed a libel and slander lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana, Apuron and up to 50 other unnamed defendants for calling them liars and for accusing them of “instilling hatred, ignorance and violence in the people.”

The plaintiffs in the suit are Doris Y. Concepcion, Roy T. Quintanilla, Walter G. Denton and Roland Paul L. Sondia. Through their attorney, David Lujan, they filed the lawsuit in the Superior Court Friday morning. The plaintiffs are seeking no less than $500,000 each for all general damages, for a total of at least $2 million

Well, so much for not being interested in money. Even before the sexual allegations came out against Apuron, Rohr wanted Apuron to step down as Archbishop of Guam. According to KUAM news

In Tumon, local blogger Tim Rohr spoke before island Rotarians. Rohr writes Jungle Watch, a blog that covers issues involving the island's Catholic community. Even prior to the removal of Monsignor James Benavente Rohr has been highly critical of Archbishop Anthony Apuron for his controversial removal of Father Paul Gofigan last year from the Santa Barbara Church.

Rohr said, "My only hope is that the archbishop for his own health resigns ASAP."

One Rotarian questioned, "There seems to be a lot of conviction on your part on the archbishop's part - do you see any amicable meeting or meeting or meeting of the minds or compromise?", to which Rohr replied, "Absolutely not." He then reaffirmed his belief that the archbishop needs to resign.

Rohr announced this in 2014, two years BEFORE Roy Quintanilla publicly came out to accuse Apuron of child sexual abuse. 

At any rate, although they claimed that they were not doing it for the money, they went ahead and pushed forward a bill that would give the four accusers to bring a lawsuit against the Archdiocese for 5 million dollars. Again, so much for not being interested in the money. 

Then others came out of the woodworks also seeking 5 million dollars from the Archdiocese. Many of these accusers couldn't be identified because they only used their initials, and many of them accused dead priests. No investigation was done to verify their stories. Some of these accusers came from: 

1.  A Protestant who claimed to be an altar server in a Catholic Church.

2.  A person who claimed to be a "back-up" altar server.

3.  A female who claimed to be raped by Father Brouillard during a "Boy Scouts" event.

4.  A person who claimed to be raped during a fiesta where hundreds of people were present 

5. A person who claimed to be sexually abused by Fr. George Maddock just a few days after his death and while other youth praised the priest. 

Are there any real victims out there? I'm sure there were, but their numbers have been overshadowed by the numerous false claims.

At the End of the Day

 In his post, Tim Rohr wrote that Father Harold of ten years ago is not the same Father Harold today. More than 10 years ago, Rohr had only good things to say about the Way. In 2008, Tim Rohr wrote positive words about the Way and the priests walking in the Way. According to Rohr’s letter (the bold is mine):

4. The NCW is producing vocations. And I know that the seminarians are learning Latin and Gregorian Chant in conformity with the true wishes of Vatican II. I don’t see that happening anywhere else.

5. I see NCW priests wearing their clerics. They are visible to the community. God Bless them for that.

6. I was sitting with Fr. Ivan and Fr. Eric Forbes when Fr. Ivan asked Fr. Eric if he would teach the seminarians how to say the Traditional Latin Mass. Fr. Eric responded positively and also offered to teach them the theology of this beautiful Mass. This is in conformity with the wishes (if not command) of the Pope in his recent Moto Proprio. I don’t see anyone else rushing to embrace the Pope’s desires in this regard.

7. The NCW is teaching people to study their faith. They are studying the Scriptures, the Catechism, and the Early Fathers. It’s wonderful to see.

8. I understand that the NCW is also active in the prison. I used to teach in the prison for GCC and saw how active non-Catholic groups were with the prisoners. The majority of the prisoners are Catholic. Where is the Catholic ministry? The NCW is now there.

9. I see the NCW going out 2 by 2, knocking on doors and inviting people back to the Church, in other words, doing exactly what Christ commanded. The only other group that I know that does this is the Legion of Mary, so good for them too.

10. Most of all I am moved by the politeness, the kindness, the general charity of those I know in the NCW, especially the priests and seminarians, but essentially most everybody I know personally who is connected with it.

Rohr wrote this about 16 years ago. Today, Troy wrote:

My dad was part of the Way, and I never knew him to be a happier person prior to his membership in the community where he belonged. In fact, every person I know and I have met who has been in the Way is a joyful, excited Catholic.

 So, Rohr had positive things to say about the NCW and the priests walking in the Way more than 10 years ago. TODAY, Troy said positive things about Father Harold and some people walking in the Way. Therefore, it was not the priests, seminarians, or those walking in the Way who has changed. It was Tim Rohr who changed. 

Regarding Troy’s Reflection

 Troy’s story can be found here. According to Troy (the bold is mine):  

Here's the ironic twist. As a returning newcomer to my Catholic faith, I wasn't much informed of the politics surrounding the archdiocese and I had no idea Father Harold was among the priests often targeted by JungleWatch due to his association with the Neocatechumenal Way. I remember finding that out a few weeks into my journey back into Christianity and thinking, 'Gosh, I have no idea what's so wrong with Father Harold, and now I wonder about all this other stuff being said against the Way.'

There are always two sides to every story. Unfortunately, Troy only heard one side. Had he heard the other side, he would have met Father Harold sooner. Ten years ago, Father Harold was persecuted simply because he walked in the NCW and was a seminarian in RMS. He was even nicknamed "Boboboy" by Tim Rohr. When Father Harold was assigned to Talofofo Church, the parishioners there opposed him so much because of the stories told by JungleWatch. They never gave him a chance. So, Father Harold's assignment to Talofofo Church was rescinded, which was a loss for Talofofo Church. Today, if one were to speak to the parishioners of San Dimas and San Dionicio, they will tell you that he is an excellent priest especially to the youth. He is also well-loved in St. Anthony Church where he previously served. So, Talofofo Church lost out because they listened to the jungle folks.

Father Harold was persecuted by JungleWatch only because he walks in the Way and was an RMS seminarian. It did not matter that Father Harold is a diocesan priest of the Catholic Church. It did not matter that he was an excellent priest who was capable of reaching our youth and to people who do not walk in the Way. According to Troy Torres (the bold is mine): 

The scapegoating of the Way reminds me a bit of Guamanians who blame crime on Chuukese people, forgetting that Chamorros commit more violent crime than our Micronesian brothers and sisters do.

Scrapegoating is correct. 

Grateful for the NCW

 I posted the following about five years ago, and I decided to copy and paste the same post, which I wrote:

I, for one, am very grateful for this charism, the NCW.  How can one be so ungrateful especially after seeing the fruits from first hand experience?  Many thanks to RMS priests such as Father Alberto, Father Nino, Father Santiago, Father Edivaldo, Father Krysztof and other priests and deacons who encouraged people like us to join the Way.  How grateful they would be to see us continuing our walk and bearing fruits.  Some of the fruits of the Way include:

1.  Families who are open to life. 
2.  Mission families who are willing to leave everything behind to evangelize. 
3.  Celibacy among single people.
4.  Itinerants who are willing to evangelize in other countries.  
5.  Community members who forgive others and ask forgiveness from those whom they have wronged. 
6.  The faith being transmitted in the family from parents to children.
7.  The calling of members into the priesthood or the monastery.
8.  Marriages were saved.

Of course, we are no better than our brothers who are not walking in the Way.  We all face the same problems and struggles.  From time to time, even we fall into sin.  But the most important thing is that Christ is there to help us get up so that we can continue our walk. After all, salvation is a process, a journey toward holiness.  I, for one, am very grateful that God was able to help me and my family through this charism.  I am most especially grateful to the RMS priest who encouraged us to attend the first catechesis. The happiness of a priest would be to bring his sheep to God for that is his role.     

The NCW is not for everyone, but God allowed so many different charisms in the Catholic Church to meet the unique needs of His people.  I, for one, am grateful for this charism."    

I would also like to add that we have many youth in the Way who participate in evangelization and pilgrimages. Our next pilgrimage will be to Rome next year. Plans are already being made for the Rome pilgrimage.

50th Anniversary of the NCW in USA

 According to Catholic News Agency:

20,000 attend Mass marking 50th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in U.S.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jul 11, 2024 / 16:30 pm

More than 20,000 people participated in a Sunday, July 7, Mass marking the 50th anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in the United States. The Eucharist was celebrated by the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre, and held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

A news brief from the Neocatechumenal Way sent to ACI Prensa, CNA’S Spanish-language news partner, said that the Mass was in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1974 visit to New York by the initiators of this apostolate, Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández.

Participating in the Mass were thousands of young people from different parts of the United States who arrived in Brooklyn after having made several days of pilgrimage to shrines and holy places in the country.

“At the end of the liturgy, about 1,000 young men rose up to show they are entering a seminary to begin their preparation for the priesthood; another 1,500 young women stood up to express their desire to give their lives to Christ by entering a convent or as missionaries,” the news brief highlighted.

Although Argüello did not attend the Mass in person, he joined the celebration with a video call from Madrid, Spain.

He recalled how in 1974 he visited several parish priests in New York from a list given to him by the then-archbishop, Cardinal Terence Cooke, and how only the last of the priests he met agreed to start a community of the Neocatechumenal Way.

Pierre’s homily

“On this significant anniversary of the Neocatechumenal Way in the United States, I greet you on behalf of Pope Francis and reaffirm his support and appreciation for the work that the Way does in the service of evangelization,” the prelate said at the beginning of his homily.

Next, the cardinal recalled what the Holy Father told the members of the apostolate in 2018 in Italy: “Your charism is a great gift from God for the Church of our time. Let us thank the Lord for these 50 years.”

After recalling the importance of going out to find “the lost sheep,” the nuncio recalled that “Pope Francis often speaks of opening the doors to people who live in all the situations of moral poverty, to those who have strayed from God, and accompany them back. It is necessary for the Church to open a way back. Is there a way back from addiction, from violence, from despair? God can make a way where it seems impossible.”

“There is a thirst for God that secularization cannot satisfy … This is the mission of the Church: to open the door for sinners to return,” he stressed.

The French cardinal also said that “our failures prepare us for the mission, so that we won’t judge the sins of others: Only those who have experienced the power of grace can show sinners the way back to God.”

Accompanying Pierre at Mass were Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, with Auxiliary Bishops Michael Saporito and Elias Lorenzo; Bishop Robert Brennan of Brooklyn with Auxiliary Bishop James Massa and Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn; and other American bishops, in addition to about 300 priests.

In the United States there are 1,100 communities, in addition to hundreds of families on mission.

There are also nine Redemptoris Mater diocesan seminaries, where 300 seminarians are now preparing for the priesthood and a total of 270 priests have already completed their formation. The seminaries are in Newark, New Jersey; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Denver; Dallas; Brooklyn, New York; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Miami; and Philadelphia.

What is the Neocatechumenal Way?

The Neocatechumenal Way, a July 3 statement notes, was “officially approved by the Holy See in 2008, not as an association or movement, but as a post-baptismal catechumenate, as an instrument to help parishes and dioceses in the work of evangelization.”

The Neocatechumenal Way is present in 135 countries with some 25,000 communities, making a total of more than 1 million members.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.

Biblical and Modern Day Jews

 In the Old Testament, God chose the Jews as His chosen people. The Jews founded and built the land of Israel. It became the homeland of the Jewish people. The Jewish Diaspora started in the Babylonian Captivity but grew after Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. A majority of the Jews were driven out of the Holy Land. However, there were some Jews who remained in the Holy Land; therefore, the Jews always held a continued presence in Israel. The Jews who remained continued to reside in Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberius while other Jews were driven to Europe, North Africa, and around the world. So, the modern day Jews and modern day Israel originated from the biblical Jews and biblical Israel just as the modern day Catholics originated from the biblical Catholics founded and built by Christ. The Jews did not simply disappear after 70 AD, no more than the biblical Christians of the Bible. 

The Biblical Jerusalem is the same modern-day Jerusalem. Anyone who has been to Israel can easily see that. Many members in Guam's NCW have been to Israel. The last time we were in Israel was in 2022. Being in Israel made the Holy Bible come to life. It demythologized the Bible and gave it essential meaning. Did anyone think that the biblical Jews suddenly stopped existing after 70 AD? Did anyone think that the biblical Church that Christ built simply stopped existing after the death of the Apostles? 

Today, there are attempts to rewrite history and assert that the Jews are foreign occupiers with no connection to the land of Israel. Those spreading this lie argue that the Jews have no historical connection to the land of Israel and that Zionists (those who believe that Israel should exist) came to colonize the land. The truth is...the Jews were on that land long before the Arabs came and called themselves "Palestinians." The Jewish claim to Israel is supported by abundant artifacts and historical records. In history, art, and literature, there is no trace of any Muslim people referred to by anyone as "Palestinians." In fact, both the Bible and Qu'ran do not mention the name "Palestine." But the name "Israel" is found in both the Bible and Qu'ran. Thus, the Jews were not the occupiers. 

The Jews were in favor of a two-state solution: A Palestine and Israel state. For over 50 years, two-state solutions were offered to the Palestinian leaders, but it was all rejected by the Palestinian leaders. Why? Because their intention was never on a two-state solution. They wanted ONLY a Palestine State from the river to the sea.

So, the question and real challenge is how does one establish peace between two groups of people in which one group works to kill the other?

New Nuncio

 The Holy Father has appointed His Excellency, Archbishop Gábor PINTÉR as the Apostolic Nuncio to New Zealand, CEPAC, and Apostolic Delegate to the Pacific Islands. Welcome Archbishop Gabor Pinter.

In Response to an Anonymous Poster

 This post is in response to an anonymous poster who wrote in my blog. According to his/her comment, which can be found here:

AnonymousJuly 14, 2024 at 12:56 PM

Everything you mentioned are things anyone can do even if they’re not walking in the Way. So, what makes you unique?

That is true. Anyone can bring flowers to the altar. Anyone can set up to make the place of the celebration beautiful. But how many of us can stop making judgments or take criticisms? The Neocatechumenal Way is an itinerary of Catholic formation at the service of the bishop as one of the diocesan ways of implementing Christian initiation and ongoing education in the faith. It is one of the many organizations in the Catholic Church that brings our conversion. 

Conversion takes place in a community. In the Way, it is no secret that we decorate the altar with flowers, but one would be surprised to find that the brothers can judge others over flowers. We cannot please everyone. Some people will say that the flowers on the altar is very little and more flowers are needed. Others will say that we put too many flowers on the altar that it looks like a jungle.  We can never please anyone. Nevertheless, comments like these can hurt the person who spent much time and effort arranging the flowers. One person I know took the judgment personally that she retaliated. This is a human reaction. Later, she returned to apologize for the outburst. Another person I know took the criticism with humility. She thanked the person for the judgement. Most people do not react that way. We can only say that she found the Holy Spirit to take the judgment with humility. As for the person making the judgment, I am certain that the humble gratitude shown may have made her think twice about her judging attitude the next time around. 

The Neocatechumenal Way is one of the many organizations in the Catholic Church to help people have a closer relationship with Christ and to convert. God said, "Be holy for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). Holiness is possible only with God. The holy saints in Heaven were once sinners like us. Therefore, it is possible that sinners like us can one day become holy saints like them. The Way is not for everyone. But God has created many organizations within His Church to help His people convert and be closer to Christ. 

Furthermore, our duty as baptized Catholics is to share the gospels to everyone so they can also come to know Jesus Christ. We have seen the miracles in our history, and we share our testimonies during evangelization. 

50th Anniversary of NCW in USA

The 50th Anniversary of the NCW was posted on the Internet. Guam is in the front, wearing our white and green Hawaiian shirts. 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=p0MwofbYxMU&si=B1jzpFwFGepyOlzH

50th Anniversary of the NCW of the U.S.

The NCW of Guam joined many others who participated in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the NCW of the United States. We also evangelized in the U.S. The photo below was taken in Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, New York where the Eucharist was held. Thousands of the brothers and sisters worldwide came to celebrate together. Like the Charismatic Catholics, the NCW could fill up a whole stadium.