Blog Song

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Setting the Record Straight #2

It was brought to my attention a while back that Troy Torres in Kandit News had some negative things to say about the Neocatechumenal Way and Bishop Anthony Apuron.  The jungle also published Troy’s opinions in its blog. I did not pay much attention to it because Troy was relating his opinions and perspective on his situation at the time.  His opinions and perspectives were not at all based on facts, but more on his emotions.  In his first opinion piece, Troy wrote:

As fate would have it, moments after that heartbreaking call, my friend who I was going to start Candit with — Carlos Pangelinan — called me with news about his research on the name of my accuser.  He worked his magic and found an obituary of my accuser’s father.  His grand uncle was then - Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron.

It made sense.  I wasn’t the target at all.  I was just collateral damage, and a way to get the story out faster.  Now I knew why this idiot accused Jeryl, too.  It had everything to do with his father, David Lujan.  A few phone calls later from various sources confirmed what I never would have considered: The Neocatechumenal Way had manufactured and orchestrated the entire thing. 

Being related to a person is not a crime nor does it indicate any involvement in a crime.  As for the various sources whom Troy mentioned, who were they?  If they were all anti-Neo, then naturally they had nothing good to say about the NCW?  However, did Troy speak to then Archbishop Anthony or any of the leaders of the NCW to get their side of the story?  After all, that is what a journalist is supposed to do. Nevertheless, Troy was not speaking as a journalist.  What he wrote was his opinion and his perspective, based on his experience and emotions rather than on facts.  I supposed this is why he titled his opinion as “MY Truth” (the emphasis is on the word “My”). 

According to Troy, those accusations came around September, 2017.  Archbishop Anthony was not even in Guam at that time.  He left Guam on May 24, 2016, which was over a year before those accusations came out against Troy.  Archbishop Anthony went to Rome to request for a canonical trial.  He did not go after Troy or anyone else.  Why would he when his main concern at that time was clearing his name.  

As for his second opinion piece, he implied that Father John Wadeson was accused of child sexual abuse and covered up by the NCW.  However, he failed to mention that Father John was already cleared of those sexual abuse allegations after an investigation was done.  According to KUAM news dated April 14, 2015:

Archdiocese reinstates priest following LA investigation


The Archdiocese of Agana has reinstated Father John Wadeson to practice ministry in Guam. Last July Archbishop Anthony Apuron removed the priest following the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), calling on him to have him removed.

SNAP said Fr. Wadeson was accused twice of child molestation and had been banned from the Los Angeles Archdiocese.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles conducted a thorough re-examination of the whole issue concerning the alleged accusations against Father Wadeson. They had concluded that there is no reason to preclude Father Wadeson from serving in priestly ministry, showing that all the rumors and alleged calumnies against him were unfounded. 

Troy also mentioned Father Luis Camacho, Father Adrian Cristobal, and Bishop Anthony Apuron.  Father Luis was never charged with child sexual abuse.  He was charged with custodial interference by the Guam Police Department.  Accusations of child sexual abuse only came from the jungle.  Nevertheless, Father Luis was cleared of any sexual misconduct by the Holy See.  See the evidence here.

As for Father Adrian, there is a lot of doubt surrounding the accusations against him.  According to Pacific News Center, one of the alleged victims claimed that Father Adrian sexually abused and raped him for 15 years by the time he was 11 years old.  The sexual abuse stopped in 2013 when the alleged victim was 25 years old.  The sexual abuse was made public in 2018, and the alleged victim could even file a criminal report on Father Adrian because the statutes of limitations in this case was not yet over. However, the alleged victim filed a 5 million dollar civil lawsuit instead.  That alone is suspect.  

As for Bishop Apuron, he was found guilty by the Holy See, but the Holy See never disclosed what he was guilty of. According to Catholic News Agency:

Apuron was in March 2018 found guilty of "certain" unspecified charges and sentenced to be removed and prohibited from living within the Archdiocese of Agana. He immediately filed an appeal.

The CDF did not, at the time, state the charges for which the archbishop was found guilty. Sources close to the case told CNA at the time that the archbishop was found guilty of a minority of the allegations leveled against him.

Having been found guilty of sexual abuse of minors, the penalty leveled against him is unusual - often a cleric found guilty of such crimes would be "laicized," or removed from the clerical state, sources told CNA last year.

The Catholic News Agency was correct.  The CDF never stated what charges he was found guilty.  The following was a Press Release from the Vatican on Bishop Anthony’s guilty verdict.  Nowhere in that press release did it even say he was guilty of child sexual abuse.  

The canonical trial in the matter of accusations, including accusations of sexual abuse of minors, brought against the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan APURON, OFMCap., Archbishop of Agaña, Guam, has been concluded.

The Apostolic Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, composed of five judges, has issued its sentence of first instance, finding the accused guilty of certain of the accusations and imposing upon the accused the penalties of privation of office and prohibition of residence in the Archdiocese of Guam.

The sentence remains subject to possible appeal. In the absence of an appeal, the sentence becomes final and effective. In the case of an appeal, the imposed penalties are suspended until final resolution.

Despite that the Vatican never revealed the charges he was found guilty, most people naturally assumed it was child sexual abuse, and that became the end of it. However, this is my opinion….I believe that Bishop Anthony was found guilty over something that had nothing to do with child sexual abuse otherwise he would have been laicized like the rest of the bishops found guilty of the same offense.  I believe the Vatican decided to deliver a guilty verdict to protect him from those who threatened his life if he were to return to Guam.

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Happy Easter!

 He is risen, truly risen!  





Saturday, April 16, 2022

Pray for Father Julio

Please continue to pray for Father Julio Malagon, who is currently in ICU with severe pancreatictis. Also, pray for Father Miguel, who has been at his side.  The seminary of Brooklyn also needs our prayers.  

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Heartbeat Bill Petition

A petition is being circulated among the Neocatechumenal Way communities to support the Guam Heartbeat Bill.  The petition was started by Senator Telena Nelson. Please sign the petition below to show your support for the bill, banning abortion 

Petition

Monday, April 11, 2022

Heartbeat Bill

Kudos to Senators Telena Nelson, Chris Duenas, Tony Ada, and Frank Blas Jr. for introducing the Heartbill law, which was patterned after the Texas law.  The bill prohibits doctors from performing an abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.  The bill would only allow an abortion when the woman’s life is in danger.  According to The Pacific Daily News:

The “Guam Heartbeat Act of 2022” prohibits doctors from performing abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Exceptions are made for medical emergencies “where a pregnant woman would lose her life or her health would be severely impaired.”

The passage of this bill would save thousands of unborn babies and would also for couples to act more responsibly toward sex.  Archbishop Michael also came out and publicly supported the bill.  You can read Archbishop Michael’s letter here.  We are hoping and praying that the bill would pass the Guam Legislature.  Again, a big thank you to Telena Nelson, Chris Duenas, Tony Ada, and Frank Blas Jr.  

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Witnesses to God's Miracles

 A mission family from Ukraine has returned to Spain and recounted their journey back home.  The mission family had 10 children.  It is not surprising to find that members of the Way have large families for we are open to life.  In fact, some of the couples in the Way have also adopted children into their family.  Two of the mission families are seminarians and have decided to stay in Ukraine.  It is also not surprising to find that some of the youth in the Way have been inspired into the priesthood.  When families walk together in the Church, the children often become closer to God and His Church.  At any rate, their story was recounted in Catholic News Agency:

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Missionary family returns to Spain from Ukraine: 'We witnessed God's miracles'



César Campomar and María Auxiliadora Hernando and their ten children have lived in Ukraine since 1997 where they went to evangelize as members of the Neocatechumenal Way.  The family had to flee Ukraine because of the war and arrived in Burgos from Kyiv last Thursday.

Before serving in Ukraine, they lived as missionaries in Belarus for six years but they were given "an ultimatum because they knew we were from the Church" and so they were given a new assignment in Ukraine.

The family decided to leave Ukraine shortly after Russia’s invasion.

César, María Auxiliadora, and seven of their ten children, along with their respective wives and children, headed for the border to try to make it back to Spain. Two of their children who are seminarians decided to remain, and another lives in Murcia, Spain.

All together there were 25 people: 13 adults and 12 children. Two of them returned by plane, and the rest left in three vans. It took them a week to get to Burgos.The family crossed the border with Hungary because "it was easier than doing it through Poland," and stopped in Trieste and Nice along the way. 

The Campomar Hernando family told the Archdiocese of Burgos that they "witnessed God’s miracles for us” during the trip of over 2,250 miles.

They were held up at the border crossing for 13 hours and could get only about five gallons of fuel at each gas station. In addition, some of their vehicles broke down, but  "thanks to the generosity of the people" they met, the problems were taken care of.

"Some of the babies only had birth certificates,” but they lacked official documentation. However, “they were treated well" by authorities, said César.

Maria Auxiliadora said that given the terrible situation in Ukraine they want to discover “the hand of God in all this … May he help us discover his will.”

Sunday, April 3, 2022

Priest in Ukraine

We have been very busy fundraising for our trip to Israel.  The youth are very excited and looking forward to this pilgrimage, which will take place during the summer.  This will be the second pilgrimage to Israel that the Way in Guam has organized.  I was not in the first pilgrimage to Israel, but I will be on this second one.  So, we have all been very busy with fundraising and making plans for the pilgrimage.  

We have heard about the priest and the NCW in Ukraine during the Lenten and Easter Announcement.  A letter was sent by a priest in Ukraine and read to the communities.  The letter was very inspiring.  A majority of the brothers in the NCW in Ukraine stayed behind despite the bombings in their country, and they continue to pray for the enemy and help the people of Ukraine.  Some of the Spanish missionary families in Ukraine returned to their country, but the seminarians walking in the Way chose to stay in Ukraine.  At any rate, I found a couple of story about the NCW in Ukraine.  Of course, the NCW is also in Russia, and they are also praying for peace.  The NCW in Guam continue to pray for peace.  Our prayers and hearts go out to the people of Ukraine, and we pray for the conversion of heart of Putin. The following story was published in Catholic News Agency:

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Priest staying in Ukraine with his parishioners: 'God gives me the strength'



Father Pedro Zafra is a 31-year-old priest from Córdoba, Spain, who arrived in Kyiv in 2011 for priestly formation. He was ordained last June and is a member of the Neocatechumenal Way. The priest serves the parish of the Assumption of the Virgin in the Ukrainian capital.

Despite the outbreak of war, the priest decided to stay with his parishioners and not leave the country. "It was an inner battle," he said, adding that he found the answer in prayer with a passage from the Gospel which "spoke of the mission and the support of God's grace to carry it forward," and that’s why he decided to stay.

Until Feb. 24, when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, life in the parish was like that in any other. But since the start of the war, the parish has become a reception center, where more than 20 parishioners are sheltered in the basement because their houses weren’t safe enough.

“We have several elderly people in wheelchairs, families with their small and adolescent children, and some young missionaries,” Fr. Zafra told the Spanish daily ABC, and stressed that living through this situation in community “helps us a lot to cope with it.”

"I’m not a hero. I couldn't handle this situation by myself. It’s God who gives me strength through prayer and the sacraments,” he said.

"There are times when I become a little anxious in the meaninglessness of not understanding the human reason for what is happening, but now I have found much more meaning in prayer and the sacraments, which give me the grace not to flee and persevere with those who are suffering,” the priest explained.

Fr. Zafra said this improvised community gets up at 7:30 am, prays together, has breakfast, and then spends the morning doing different tasks. In his case he usually visits the sick and elderly who can’t leave their homes, to bring them Communion and anything they may need.

In addition, according to ABC, the Assumption of the Virgin parish functions as a distribution center for humanitarian aid because many people, including non-believers, come there every day to ask for material and financial help.

The vast majority of basic services such as gas stations, supermarkets, and pharmacies remain open and Fr. Zafra says that they go about normally, although on occasion they have heard explosions in the distance.

The parish also continues its activities with relative normality, although they have rescheduled Mass earlier so the faithful can return to their homes before curfew, and at times with the risk of bombing they moved the celebration to the basement. In recent weeks they have celebrated two First Communions and three weddings.

The priest also noted that this last month the number of people who attend Mass has increased. “People come looking for an answer to suffering. Before they had their job, their life project and now all that has disappeared, they no longer have any security and they are looking for an answer from God,” the priest told ABC.

Fr. Zafra stressed the great suffering of the Ukrainian people: “There is a lot of tension, concern for security, for life itself. The uncertainty created by not knowing what’s going to happen, living from day to day. We don't know if we're going to be alive tomorrow or not."