|
Ex-finance officers debunk claims about Yona seminary
By Haidee V Eugenio
Former members of the island Catholic church’s finance council said on Wednesday that Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron went behind the council’s back in 2011 when the archbishop, with help from other people involved with the Neocatechumenal Way, “secretly” recorded a deed transferring a church property in Yona to the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. The former members of the Archdiocesan Finance Council said the council, during a September 2011 meeting, had denied the Redemptoris Mater Seminary’s request to transfer the title of the Yona property to the seminary. Richard Untalan, former president of the Archdiocesan Finance Council, said he and others are talking about the issue in response to recent statements made by Apuron and Seminary Rector Rev. Pius Sammut. “We were there. We were intimately privy to the transactions, as our input, analysis and approval were all required by Canon Law for any transaction to occur. We know what happened,” Untalan said. The former finance council members said Sammut, the Rev. Adrian Cristobal and the Rev. Edivaldo da Silva Oliveira were not directly involved in the issue. “Archbishop Apuron was (directly involved), but as you shall see, he appears to be suffering from a case of selective memory. So today, we will debunk these statements and expose them for what they are: fabrications in an attempt to cover up the secret transfer and recordation of the title of the Yona property to the RMS Corporation,” Untalan said, reading from a prepared statement. Also at the press conference were former finance council member Joseph E. Rivera and former Archdiocese Finance Officer Deacon Steven Martinez. Untalan said the council believes that Apuron and those who helped him with the secret recording of the deed transfer violated church and civil laws. The deed gives the seminary the legal authority to use the Yona property indefinitely. The former finance council members said they also want to clear their names, four years after they were abruptly terminated, in January 2012. They said a copy of their statement will also be forwarded to Archbishop Savio Tai Fai Hon, who was sent by the Vatican to Guam in early June to temporarily oversee the Catholic church on island. Pope Francis temporarily replaced Apuron following public allegations that he sexually abused altar boys in Agat in the 1970s. Sammut told Pacific Daily News that he prefers not to make any comment for the time being, except that he stands by what he said — the Redemptoris Mater Seminary will open a brand new academic year with 38 students enrolled. “Besides, these former finance officers of the Archdiocese are all my friends, some of them very dear, and brothers in Jesus Christ and I do not feel comfortable in wrangling and arguing publicly with them,” Sammut said. There was no response from Apuron’s attorney. The former finance council members said the Yona land was purchased not solely for the purpose of housing a seminary but also, because of its size, “other buildings for use by parishioners, without interrupting the operation of the seminary.” They also disputed Sammut’s August 2014 statement to the media that an off-island benefactor made it a condition that the Yona property be used for an educational facility. The former finance council members also debunked statements by Apuron, Pius, Cristobal and Edivadlo that the former finance council members tried to sell the Yona property for various reasons such as paying off the archdiocesan debts, to cover debt incurred by the Cathedral Basilica and Catholic Cemeteries, and selling the property to some big-time casino operator. “There is only one person in Guam that can sign off and sell the Yona property or any other archdiocesan property: the Archbishop of Agana. To claim otherwise is to deny reality,” Untalan said. Untalan said the former financial officers think that the Yona property is such an important issue for Archdiocese. “We believe in the causes being pushed forward by Concerned Catholics of Guam, Laity Forward Movement, Silent No More and others who try to clean up our Archdiocese and we’re just trying to do our part. And if this can help Archbishop Hon and his Presbyteral Council along with his delegate and chancer, that would be good,” he said. The Yona property, which used to be the 100-room Accion Hotel has been valued between $40 million to $75 million. Besides Untalan, Rivera and Martinez, the other signatories to the statement included Monsignor James L.G. Benavente and Sister Mary Stephen Torres. The Concerned Catholics of Guam has been repeatedly calling for Apuron’s removal. The group is also preparing a lawsuit to help ensure that the Yona property is returned to the control of the Archdiocese of Agana.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.