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Timothy J. Rohr!
P.O. Box 9001!
Agat, GU 96928!
timrohr.guam@gmail.com!

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June 14, 2016!
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His Holiness, Pope Francis !

Apostolic Palace !
00120 Vatican City!
av@pccs.va!

RE: REJECTION OF DECREE NAMING CONCERNED CATHOLICS OF GUAM A

PROHIBITED SOCIETY!

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Your Holiness:!
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In behalf of the organization known as the CONCERNED CATHOLICS OF GUAM, hereafter

referred to as CCOG, I, Timothy J. Rohr, a concerned Catholic living on the Pacific island of
Guam, and a member of the Catholic Faithful of the Archdiocese of Agana, am submitting the
following letter REJECTING the DECREE issued by the Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Agana,
Guam on June 5, 2016. !

In addition, I am advising Your Holiness that the CCOG intends to pursue all available canonical
and legal remedies against this Ordinary for the accusation of FRAUD set forth in the subject
DECREE.!

The DECREE accuses the CCOG of: Assuming the name and usage of the term Catholic
without the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority, as required by law (c. 300).!

The Concerned Catholics of Guam did NOT assume the name and usage of the term
Catholic. The Concerned Catholics of Guam refer to themselves as Catholics
because that is what we are and as such we require no consent of competent
ecclesiastical authority to refer to ourselves as such. !

The DECREE accuses the CCOG of: Actively promoting opposition, both ad hoc and organized,
public and private, to legitimate acts of ecclesiastical governance placed by the Ordinary or
those acting in his name (c. 1373).!

The Concerned Catholics of Guam have promoted opposition, both ad hoc and
organized, public and private, to demonstrable the ILLEGITIMATE acts of ecclesiastical
governance by this Ordinary, namely:!
1. The illegitimate removal of the pastor of Santa Barbara parish in violation of the
provisions in Church law for the removal of pastors.!
2. The illegitimate public maligning of the former rector of the Cathedral and Director of
Catholic Cemeteries in violation of his rights to due process in Church law.!
3. The illegitimate conveyance of title in fee simple of a major archdiocesan asset
without the approvals required by Church law for the alienation of property. !

4. The illegitimate forcing of men desirous of the diocesan priesthood into a House of
formation constituted specifically and only to prepare men for the priesthood
following the life and practice of the Neocatechumenal Way (Redemptoris Mater
Seminary of Guam, Article III, Articles of Incorporation).!

The DECREE accuses the CCOG of: Instigating manifest and public opposition to the Ordinary,
with whom they are obliged to preserve communion (c. 209).!

The Catholic faithful are NOT obliged to preserve communion with an Ordinary who has
violated the trust of the Catholic faithful not just by what is enumerated supra, but by his
public threats to take legal action against those who have accused him of sexual
molestation rather than provide the duty of care already expressly asked for and required
by the Church. !

The DECREE accuses the CCOG of: Soliciting and disseminating fraudulent or otherwise
malicious allegations against the person of the Ordinary (c. 220).!

The accusation of fraud against our organization is a serious one which we can and
may require this Ordinary to prove in a court of law. !

The DECREE states: AND WHEREAS Membership, promotion, or direction of such a society is
manifestly detrimental to the communion of the faithful in this archdiocese, the good of souls,
and to ecclesiastical discipline.!

The Catholic faithful of this archdiocese must BREAK with ecclesiastical discipline
when said discipline requires us to be silent about the abuses of authority supra,
especially the threats by this Ordinary to demand that we remain silent about the
allegations of sexual abuse against him personally. !

The DECREE states: AND WHEREAS It is proper to the office of the Ordinary, as the
competent ecclesiastical authority, that this above cited canon be applied to such societies
within the territory as seems prudent and necessary to the Ordinary, by means of particular law.!

It must be noted here, that the subject DECREE was issued one day before Your Holiness
found this Ordinary to be an INCOMPETENT ecclesiastical authority and replaced him
with an Apostolic Administrator. !

The DECREE states: BE IT THEREFORE KNOWN, EX DECRETUM GENERALIUM, The group

calling itself Concerned Catholics of Guam is, hereby, established as a prohibited society under
the particular law of this archdiocese.!

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Thus:!
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WHEREAS this Ordinary has violated the canonical prescripts for the removal of pastors in his
removal of Fr. Paul Gofigan, the pastor of Santa Barbara parish; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has violated the right to due process under Church law for Msgr.
James Benavente, the former rector of the Agana Cathedral and Director of Catholic
Cemeteries, repeatedly seeking his public humiliation; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary significantly harmed the patrimony of the Archdiocese of Agana by
alienating a major archdiocesan asset without the canonically required consent of the
archdiocesan finance council or the Holy See; and!

WHEREAS, this Ordinary hid this action from the archdiocesan finance council and the college
of consultors; and !

WHEREAS this Ordinary - through his Vicar General, Msgr. David C. Quitugua - accused
members of said finance council of a VULNUS against himself for daring to perform their
canonical duties; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary terminated the objecting members of said finance council en masse;
for not consenting to the alienation of the subject property; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has forced men desirous of the diocesan priesthood into a House of
formation constituted specifically and only to prepare men for the priesthoodfollowing the life
and practice of the Neocatechumenal Way, (and if they dont comply they are refused
sponsorship to any seminary); and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has accused the CONCERNED CATHOLICS OF GUAM of FRAUD;
and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has publicly threatened legal action against certain persons identifying
themselves (and/or their children) as victims of sexual molestation by the same Ordinary; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has violated his own archdiocesan sex abuse policy mandating a duty
of care to persons claiming to have suffered sex abuse at the hands of clergy, namely the
Ordinary, himself; and!

WHEREAS this Ordinary has threatened all Catholics of this archdiocese with legal action
should they publicly join their voices in support of those persons accusing this Ordinary of the
sexual molestation of minors; and !

WHEREAS the CCOG and its supporters are willing and able to demonstrate in a court of law if
necessary that this Ordinary has abused his authority and the people in his care in a multitude
of ways, and especially all that has been set forth supra:!

BE IT THEREFORE KNOWN by Your Holiness, by the entire Holy See, and specifically by
whatever competent canonical authority which oversees, has responsibility for, governs,
pastors, or in any way has a duty of care for the salvation of souls in the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Agana:!

The CONCERNED CATHOLICS OF GUAM firmly, unequivocally, and categorically REJECT

this EX DECRETUM GENERALIUM, and: !

1. Require FORTHWITH the Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana to publicly

RESCIND the subject DECREE, and !

2. Require FORTHWITH a public apology from its signers: The Most Rev. Anthony Sablan
Apuron, OFM Cap., D.D., Archbishop of Agana and Rev. Adrian Cristobal, Chancellor!

CONSEQUENTLY, failure to do so will require the CONCERNED CATHOLICS OF GUAM to

pursue both canonical and civil remedies. !

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Very Respectfully,!
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Timothy J. Rohr!
Concerned Catholic of Guam!

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Enclosure: !
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General Decree of the Ordinary Concerning the Group So-Called Concerned !

Catholics of Guam For the People in and of the Archdiocese of Agana In the !
Territory of Guam, Prot. N. 2016-028!

Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, S.D.B., Apostolic Administrator of Agaa, Guam!

Archbishop Martin Krebs, Apostolic Nuncio to Guam and Oceania !
Marc Ouellet, P.S.S., Cardinal, Prefect for the Congregation of Bishops!
Fernando Filoni, Cardinal, Prefect for The Congregation for the Evangelization of !
Peoples !
Gregory D. Perez, Concerned Catholics of Guam, President!
Local Guam Media!
Grace Garces Bordallo, Associated Press!