Church Finance Council Members Should Resign
By Haidee V Eugenio
A group that’s been calling for the resignation of Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron said four of the five members in the local Catholic church’s finance council should resign because of a clear or potential conflict of interest due to other posts they are holding. David Sablan, president of the Concerned Catholics of Guam Inc., said the only member of the council with no clear or potential conflict of interest and with a solid financial management background is Sonny Ada of Ada’s Trust & Investment. “Our goal is to clean up all the problems of the Apuron administration and install trust and confidence in the leadership of the church,” Sablan told Pacific Daily News. “If the council members have a conflict of interest and do not have the requisite background, even if they are appointed by the archbishop, they should resign or recuse themselves. Let us follow the canon law.” Sablan said those with a clear conflict of interest are Archdiocesan Finance Council members Monsignor David C. Quitugua, Deacon Dominic Kim, and Danny Quichocho. Quitugua has just been appointed acting rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary and is a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, which the Concerned Catholics said controls the seminary property in Yona. Former members of the Archdiocesan Finance Council said Apuron went behind their back and placed a deed restriction on the seminary property. That restriction allows the Yona property’s indefinite use for the Redemptoris Mater Seminary and a theological institute. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, sent by the Vatican to temporarily replace Apuron in administering the Catholic Church in Guam, said the deed restriction that Apuron signed is unusual. Pope Francis placed Apuron on leave after public accusations came out that Apuron as a parish priest sexually abused altar boys in Agat in the 1970s. Hon said the pope has instructed Apuron more than once to remove that deed restriction. But Apuron said he couldn’t in his conscience lift the deed restriction. Kim, according to Sablan, is both a member of the Archdiocesan Finance Council and the archdiocese finance officer. “Mr. Kim as archdiocese finance officer provides the Archdiocesan Finance Council, which he is a member of, financial reports, projections and models for review, discussion and decision. It’s like you’re submitting a financial report to yourself. "That’s a clear-cut conflict of interest. You cannot be holding both positions,” Sablan said. Voice messages left for Kim were not returned as of Wednesday. On Monday, the Concerned Catholics of Guam called on Danny Quichocho to resign as a member of the Archdiocesan Finance Council because of his conflict of interest with his positions as an officer and board member of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. Quichocho, when sought for comment on Tuesday, said he reserves any comment at a later date, “when the time is appropriate.” Apuron appointed Quichocho to replace one of four council members that Apuron removed. The Concerned Catholics of Guam said Quichocho is a member of the first Neocatechumenal Way community in Barrigada which also has the following members: Dr. Ricardo Eusebio; the Rev. Adrian Cristobal, the former chancellor and the current pastor of Barrigada parish; the Rev. Alberto Rodriguez, the former pastor of Barrigada; and notary public Aurora Martinez, who notarized the signatures of Apuron and Rodriquez in the declaration of deed restriction transferring the Yona property to the RMS corporation. The Concerned Catholics of Guam cited a recent media interview wherein Quichocho sat next to Eusebio, who strongly endorsed the claims made by the Rev. Pius Sammut, who was recently relieved of his duties as rector of the Redemptoris Mater Seminary. The Concerned Catholics said Sammut questioned and defied the authority of the Holy See. “Mr. Quichocho took an oath to act in the best interest of the Archdiocese of Agana when he accepted the position on the (Archdiocesan Finance Council). He owes his allegiance and loyalty to the Archdiocese of Agana,” the Concerned Catholics said. The group added that Quichocho, by supporting the position taken by Sammut and Apuron regarding the Yona property, has taken an adversarial position against the Archdiocese of Agana’s request that the RMS corporation deed the Yona property back. “He is currently violating his oath and his allegiance. Therefore, Danny Quichocho should resign or be removed immediately from the (finance council),” the Concerned Catholics of Guam said. “He cannot serve two masters who have conflicting positions on the Yona property, owned by the RMS corporation.” The Rev. Jeffrey San Nicolas, delegate of the administrator of the Archdiocese of Agana, said Wednesday he is aware of the news conference in which Quichocho appeared and he is now "looking into it." Potential conflict Archdiocesan Finance Council member John Weisenberger has a potential conflict of interest, Sablan said. Sablan said Weisenberger, a retired assistant attorney general, is the husband of the archbishop’s administrative secretary, Elizabeth A. Weisenberger. Sablan said some dioceses expand the conflict of interest coverage of the canon law to include spouses. “It is not a clear conflict of interest with Mr. Weisenberger. Notwithstanding, to avoid appearance of conflict of interest, he must consider resigning,” Sablan said. As of Wednesday, Elizabeth Weisenberger and her husband could not be reached for comment. Irregular Meanwhile, Sammut said Archbishop Hon’s appointment of Monsignor David Quitugua as acting rector of the Redemptoris Seminary is irregular. Hon relieved Sammut as rector of the seminary. “Archbishop Hon notified me on Saturday, August 27 that I would be relieved of my rectorship. I assented without hesitation because I believe in obedience,” Sammut told PDN. “I think the appointment of Monsignor Quitugua as rector is irregular because certain Vatican approved norms that apply to the nomination of a new rector in a Redemptoris Mater have not been followed.” Sammut said he is bound for Europe to speak with his religious superiors and visit his 94-year-old mother. Hon has been continuing to reassign priests as part of the church reorganization, in consultation with the Presbyteral Council and ad hoc review committees composed of priests.
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.