TONIGHT's SHOW: A Church Volunteer's Lament About Abusive Lay Leaders, and Junglewatch's Tribute to the Mother of a Clergy Sex Survivor
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
GUAM'S QUEST TO...HIDE THE BODIES
By Tim Rohr
In a recent news story about another defeat for Guam's 1990 abortion ban, the reporter states:
Following the 2022 SCOTUS decision on abortion, the Center for Reproductive Rights labeled Guam "hostile" due to its existing laws and the likelihood that a total ban on abortion would be passed on the island.
I'd like to take some personal credit for getting Guam to "hostile" status. I don't need nor want the credit, but nevertheless, I am proud, along with the people I worked with, to not only get Guam to such a vaunted status, but also for creating the environment which ultimately brought about the complete shut down of Guam's abortion clinics which, until 2018, were butchering hundreds of Guam's children per year, and mostly CHamoru children.
The data begins at 2008 because it was in that year that a friend and I initiated what we called "The Esperansa Project," with the intent to 1) expose the massive amount of baby murder going on right under our noses; and 2) to do something about it.
Eventually we accomplished both. Between 2008 and 2015, The Esperansa Project helped write, sponsor, and promote (actually wage war for) eight pro-life bills which were enacted into law, turning Guam from one of the easiest places in the nation to procure an abortion to a place where no abortionist now wants to practice.
One of our first actions was to FOIA the annual abortion reports, which had been required by Guam law since the 1990's. There were none. Guam Medical Records, the agency tasked with receiving the data and publishing the report, could only provide scraps of paper with incomplete data. We demanded full compliance with the law and as of 2008, the reports, and in the format required by law, began to be made available.
The data, as collected by The Esperansa Project, ends in 2018, because that was the year the last abortionist closed his doors. In those years, 2008-2018, eleven years, 2.868 abortions were reported. That's an average of 261 abortions per year or one abortion every 1.4 days. Imagine, we were killing a Guam child at a rate of nearly one child every day...for decades. I say "decades" because the partial data we received prior to 2008 evidenced as many as 600 abortions per year, and that was in only one clinic.
The 600 figure was also mentioned by the late Senator Elizabeth Arriola at the public hearing for the bill that would eventually become the troublesome Public Law 20-134, usually referred to as "Guam's old abortion ban," and the subject of the aforesaid news story.
"Let me tell you, at the rate Guam Memorial Hospital is aborting children, between 400-600 a year, and most of them are not even reported. Where are the lives that we are going to protect and preserve? Here we go talking about indigenous rights and self-determination. What good is all that if we don't have our followers to follow and enjoy the fruits of our labor, of this generation's labor, of your labor and my labor to fix this island and have autonomous rights to govern our people?"
As the same news story reports, abortions in Guam have continued "through medicine prescribed via telemedicine." Per the 2024 report, abortions in Guam in 2024 numbered 36. In short, these abortions are self-administered. While this "telemedicine" (a misuse of the word "medicine") is legal, a personal consultation with an authorized person is required by Guam's informed consent for abortion law, Public Law 31-235.
The law requires the authorized person to proceed through a "checklist certification" with the person seeking the abortion. The certification is then to be filed with Guam Medical Records:
All physicians who perform abortions shall report the total number of certifications received monthly to the Records Section. The Records Section shall make the number of certifications received available to the public on an annual basis. 10 GCA § 3218.1(b)(5)
I filed a FOIA with Medical Records on Feb. 27, 2025 requesting "the number of certifications received" and as required by law to be made "available to the public on an annual basis." The number should have been "36," the same number as the number of abortions reported for the same year (2024).
On Mar. 6, 2025, Lilian Posadas, Director of Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (which is the "Records Section") replied: "GMHA is not in possession of any records responsive to your request." In other words: ZERO.
On Mar. 7, 2025, I asked the Attorney General, whose job it is to enforce the laws of Guam, to "investigate the facts…and if said facts are found to be true, to bring appropriate legal action against the abortion providers."
There was no response. So on Mar. 18, 2025, I again sent a request to the AG. Again, there was no response, so I went to the Guam Daily Post with the story which the Post published on March 23, 2025.
Still no response from the AG, so I sent more follow ups on April 11 and April 25.
Finally, a few days later, I received a phone call from an assistant AG. He advised me that upon investigation that the abortion doctors did file the checklist certifications with the Records Section at GMH but the Director (apparently Lilian Posadas) had refused to receive them, and as there is no penalty for refusing to receive the documents, there was nothing the AG could do.
Just another episode in the long and ugly drama of Guam's quest to kill its own...and hide the bodies.
Sunday, February 8, 2026
KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR KIDS, ESPECIALLY YOUR SONS
By Tim Rohr
In writing the post about the passing of Doris Concepcion yesterday, I was struck by what she had told the PDN reporter back in 2016:
"She said her son...often talked about committing suicide..."
As the story demonstrates, Doris, at the time did not understand this sudden change in her son from a normal happy 9 year old to suicidal child and a boy who would soon grow into drug abuse and many self-harm behaviors - ultimately dying at age 38.
"Senators, I know my brother was raped by Archbishop Apuron. He was sodomized. He was only 9 years old." - TESTIMONY of John Michael (Champ) Quinata July 28, 2016, at the public hearing for Bill 326-33
Doris didn't understand it because she hadn't put "2 and 2 together," something she wouldn't do until that day in 2016 when she saw Roy Quintanilla on the PDN website accusing Archbishop Apuron of sexually molesting him when he was also a child.
Guam has consistently had an inordinate rate of suicide, consistently higher than the rest of the U.S., and in some years, more than twice the national rate. A strange statistic given the faith and family ethic we so pride ourselves on.
However, given what we know now about the decades of clergy sex abuse of young boys like then 9 year-old Joseph (Sonny) Quinata, a per capita rate of abuse higher than any other place in the U.S. if not the whole world, then we might begin to see the problem. *
We don't need any more awareness months, banners, candle-lighting ceremonies, waves, or "clergy days of recollection" for that matter, nor all the other stuff we do to make us feel like we are doing something. We need to take out the bad guys who do this crap. And the first step to doing that is to name the demon - the real one.
Meanwhile, keep an eye on your kids, especially your sons.
* By the time the Archdiocese of Agana filed for bankruptcy on January 15, 2019, the number of clergy sex abuse cases was 14 times more than that of the Archdiocese of Boston which was so bad that it inspired the Academy Award winning movie "Spotlight."
Saturday, February 7, 2026
DORIS CONCEPCION: "LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT THEY WERE DOING THIS TO OUR CHILDREN...I'M SO SORRY"
By Tim Rohr
She played, perhaps, the most important role of all in what became a day of reckoning for the hundreds of boys, sexually abused for decades by a long list of Guam clerics, including the most powerful.
It was just another day in May 2016 at her home in Prescott, Arizona for Doris Yamashita Concepcion, a native of Guam and a former resident of Agat, when she - according to Doris' own account - received a call from Guam.
The call was about something in the Guam news: Archbishop Anthony Apuron had been publicly accused by a 51 year old man named Roy Quintanilla, also from Agat, of sexually molesting him when he was an altar boy at the Mt. Carmel parish in Agat and when then-Father Anthony Apuron was the pastor.
Roy and his family had lived just down the street from Doris and her family when both families lived in Agat in the 1970's. And the mention of Roy's name and the accusations against Apuron brought a memory suddenly and painfully to Doris' mind.
Eleven years previously, in 2005, Joseph (Sonny) Quinata, Doris' son, and by then age 38, had told his mother, moments before he died: "Mom, I was molested by Father Apuron...He molested me when I was an altar boy."
Those were Joseph's last words as he was wheeled into a surgery he would not survive. Doris believed that Joseph knew he was going to die and he didn't want to take that soul-destroying secret to his grave.
Copied here is the story, in part, as reported by Haidee Eugenio of the Pacific Daily News on May 31, 2016:
Concepcion, who now lives in Prescott, Arizona, said she saw Quintanilla accuse Apuron on the Pacific Daily News’ website.
“There was Roy, and it’s like, I have to do something. I have to step up and let them know what’s going on here,” Concepcion said.
Her family has been and still is devoutly Catholic, Concepcion said, but her son started to act out, sometimes violently, when he was an altar boy in Agat.
“My son tried to stab (Apuron), attack him, and tried to burn the priest’s house down, and I would punish my son,” Concepcion said. “(My son) would just say,‘Am I the devil’s son, mom? Am I that bad?’ And he kept repeating that to me.”
She said her son, whose nicknames were “Sonny” and “Chico,” often talked about committing suicide and started to tell people he was Jewish. As an adult, he became addicted to drugs and would disappear for long periods of time, she said.
Concepcion said she is very close to Roy Quintanilla’s family, and they used to live down the street from each other in Agat. Her son, who died at the age of 38, was several years younger than Quintanilla, she said.
“I didn’t know (about the molestation) until my son was 38 years old when he passed away, and that’s when I found out,” Concepcion said.
“And he was molested and I was giving the priest, giving him permission to do it to my son. He was so afraid to tell me.”
Concepcion said she trusted Apuron at the time and believed in his every word.
“(Apuron) would ask me if he can have Sonny, because Sonny would do this and that, and he needs help around the rectory,
” Concepcion said. “And then he wants Sonny to spend the night with him so they can go and do something for the church, and he needed help. Sonny would retaliate, and say, ‘No, mama, I don’t wanna go,’and I would punish him. No, you have to go, because Father Apuron needs help.”
Concepcion said her son told her about being molested just as he was being taken into surgery in May 2005. He did not survive the procedure.
“He said, ‘Mom, I know I’m not the devil’s son.’ I said,‘No, you’re not’. And he said, ‘Come closer to me Mama, give me a hug.’ And I did," Concepcion said. And he said, ‘Mom, I was molested by Father Apuron.’ And I said,‘Who?’ He said,'Remember the priest in Agat? He molested me when I was an altar boy.’ And my heart just dropped, because he was dying. I didn’t even know.”
She never spoke to her son again. She said she tried to ask him if he had been raped by Apuron, but her son only gestured as he was being taken into surgery.
“I have no reason to not to believe my son,” she said. “He didn’t want to take it to his grave.”
Concepcion said she kept her son’s words to herself for 11 years, and said, “It was destroying me.”
“I want the people in Guam to know that it is happening in our backyard. Please listen to your children. Don’t sweep it under the carpet, because that’s what’s been going on. We were not allowed back then to say anything derogatory about the priest. We took the priest’s word for everything, and little did I know that they were doing this to our children. That’s the message I want to be heard,” Concepcion said.
Doris' story, her testimony, would be the "nail in the coffin" for Apuron and his neocat-regime, and they knew it. They immediately went ballistic, accusing Doris of making "another malicious and calumnious accusation," and threatened to sue "Tim Rohr and his associates:"
May 31, 2016
ATTACKS AGAINST ARCHBISHOP CONTINUE AS PREDICTED (Full copy)
Another malicious and calumnious accusation against the Archbishop has surfaced; this time from the mother of a man who has been deceased for eleven years. The Archbishop strongly denies this accusation as he had done so before. ...
Tim Rohr and his associates launched a vicious and calumnious attack on the Archbishop and the Church. ...
The perpetrators of these calumnies have resorted to insults and violence revealing their true intention to destroy the Catholic Church and discredit the Archbishop by whatever means. Their method is to confuse and mislead the faithful, even to the point of inducing some to bring false testimony. This was predicted even before the first accusation was revealed.
Those who are orchestrating this campaign are inciting people into hatred of the Archbishop and the Catholic Church. They have produced scandal, confusion and grave errors with the cruel intent to injure the Archbishop, the Catholic Church in Guam and many other people of good will who have been outraged and harassed. Therefore, the Archdiocese of Agana is in the process of taking canonical and legal measures against those perpetrating these malicious lies.
At the time Doris came forward, Walter Denton and Roland Sondia had not yet told their stories, only Roy. Roy's story alone (on May 17, 2016) was enough to make Apuron get on the first flight to Rome. Vatican cameras would catch him there a few days later.
Look at the date on the second picture. The second number. 25052016. May 25, 2016
See all the pictures here.
Apuron's "rum to papa" was a major error. First, it was an obvious admission of guilt. One guy, from nearly 40 years ago, had shown up in Guam and accused Apuron of molesting him. No one had seen this guy in 40 years. No one in Guam (other than his family and a few friends) knew him. He had no credibility (at the time). Apuron had already denied the allegations that same day. He could have stuck to his guns. But he didn't. He jumped on the first plane to Rome and "ran to Papa." Apparently, Apuron thought no one would know where he went.
But he was wrong. Instead of requesting a private audience with Pope Francis, something as a bishop he could have easily gotten, Apuron panicked and jumped a "meet and greet" line of bishops during a general papal audience in St. Peter's Square. The Vatican cameras are always rolling wherever the pope is and they take multiple pictures of everyone who personally greets the pope because they can sell them.
The second pic (and others here) shows Apuron showing Francis his phone. The speculation was that Apuron, because he couldn't speak Spanish or Italian, had a prepared message to the pope on his phone, written in a language the pope could understand. More than likely it was in Spanish and had been prepared by an Arguello-ite (a Spanish Kiko).
Well, that was a little diversion, but if Apuron had any hope of getting the pope's support and returning to Guam, that door slammed shut forever (as time would prove) when Doris came forward with her story.
Doris wasn't some kid back in the 1970's. She was "some kid's" mother. And more than that, she knew Apuron very well. According to Doris, she even used to cook for him. The above account from the PDN demonstrates how close Doris was to the church and how much she respected Apuron - even punishing her own son for resisting Apuron's requests for Joseph to spend the night with him at the rectory.
Doris' tragic account of the last moments of her son's life and Joseph's death-bed "confession," was made even more graphic and real when his brother, "Champ," testified to the truth of that story in front of the Guam Legislature:
"Senators, I know my brother was raped by Archbishop Apuron. He was sodomized. He was only 9 years old. I loved my brother. I miss him badly. In looking back, I know that my brother protected me. He rescued me from suffering the same evil fate. I ask that you do so now."Read the full testimony here.Watch and listen to the live testimony here.
The testimony was given at a hearing in 2016 for Bill 326-33, the bill that would become Public Law 33-187, which would ultimately permit Apuron's victims, and many others, to sue their perpetrators and the Archdiocese of Agana. And while this bill would ultimately hurt the faithful people of the Archdiocese of Agana more than it hurt any cleric (since none of them were forced to pay a dime - or go to jail), the passage of the bill sent the shockwaves to the Vatican which would ultimately cause Apuron to be found GUILTY OF DELICTS AGAINST THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT WITH MINORS (link).
There wasn't a dry eye in that legislative hearing room during the public hearings over two intense summer days in 2016, and that included senators who were visibly weeping, especially during the testimony of Doris Yamashita Concepcion.
Every person in that room felt the stab of such horrific words from a suffering child: to learn, as your child lay dying, that your pastor, your priest, had been raping your child and you had ignored that child's pleas for help and even punished him for disobedience because your child's tormentor was a priest and a pastor.
It was a grief beyond comprehension for Doris Yamashita Concepcion, and it was felt to the core by everyone who heard her story. I wonder if any of this is "reflected" upon at these so-called "days of recollection" by Guam's clergy.
Yesterday, we received news from a family member that Doris Yamashita Concepcion passed from this world to the next.
"May perpetual light shine upon her, and may she rest in peace...and Joseph too."
Thank you Doris. From hundreds (and maybe even thousands) of tormented souls who lived with the horrible secret your son shared on his deathbed, and the many others who never had the chance to tell anyone, and who ultimately took their horror to their graves.
We are already missing you. We will always miss you. Especially me. Sincerely, Tim Rohr
RELATED:
Former Guam altar boy who allegedly accused archbishop laid to rest. Pacific Daily News. Haidee V Eugenio, Pacific Daily News Jun 15, 2016 (LINK)
Arizonans level sex-abuse allegations at Guam's archbishop. The Republic | azcentral.com. Updated June 7, 2016, 6:11 p.m. MT (LINK)
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
A DAY OF RECOLLECTION?
By Tim Rohr
The following was posted on the Archdiocese of Agana Facebook page. My notes at the end.
Discussions on child abuse, healing mark Feb. Clergy Day of Recollection
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Archdiocese of Agaña priests and deacons renewed their Conversations in the Spirit focused on child sexual abuse, healing and building unity in our Church as they gathered with Archbishop Ryan P. Jimenez and two religious sisters as guest speakers Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026 at Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores Catholic Church in Tumon.
The February Clergy Day of Recollection continued the local tradition of priests and deacons meeting on the first Wednesday of the month for prayer, worship, fellowship and discussions. This latest gathering featured Sister Angela Perez of the Sisters of Mercy and Sister Francine Perez of the School Sisters of Notre Dame as guest speakers.
Father Fran Hezel, SSJ, was the moderator and emphasized the importance of having such discussions in the archdiocese's on-going journey to fix divisions, conflict and wounds in our Church.
The gathering continued discussion from January's Clergy Day of Recollection where panelists Honorable John C. Terlaje, Superior Court of Guam Judge; Dr. Juan Rapadas, licensed clinical psychologist; and Attorney Rodney J. Jacobs, engaged in frank conversations with the clergy regarding clergy sexual abuse and bankruptcy.
In separate talks, Sister Angela and Sister Francine shared their personal thoughts and experiences as well as insight into their religious orders' responses regarding the shame of child abuse and hundreds of ensuing lawsuits against the archdiocese which were part of the Church's filing of bankruptcy and efforts to bring healing and justice to victims of clergy child abuse.
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MY NOTES:
I wonder if these days of "recollection" about child abuse were actually about CLERGY child abuse, and moreover, if there was any "recollection" on how the most horrific record of clergy child abuse in the whole Catholic world (per capita) happened right under their noses for fifty years without a peep from any of them (except for Deacon Steve Martinez).
How ironic that one of the "guest speakers" is Sister Angela Perez of the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters who run St. Anthony's School, where Troy Torres was sexually molested multiple times by a teacher and who knows how many others.
Just remember, that this would all still be going on had not a few lay people stepped up and stopped it - at great cost to themselves and their families.
HOW TO SURVIVE FALSE ALLEGATIONS
By Tim Rohr
I was in the middle of a series of columns for the Guam Daily Post titled "How to handle false allegations" when I was "cancelled" for unexplained reasons. The cancellation - as I was getting closer to a "tell all" in that series - added another layer of what was already a mountain of suspicion relative to that particular personal drama.
The short story is is that certain clergymen were behind the public trashing heaped on me in May of 2018, and members of my family were recruited and used to do it - in fact, were paid to do it. That's a story I will save for another day.
Meanwhile, with the aim of helping other men (actually many other men) who find themselves falsely accused of heinous acts by one's own spouse and/or children or anyone else for that matter, I consolidated the columns, including the last couple entries which were never published, into a full post on Substack. I hope it helps. You're not alone.
Saturday, January 31, 2026
THE NCW: HOW THEY OPERATE - FROM AN INSIDER
I Was in the Neocatechumenal Way for 15 Years: Here is How They Operate
Posted by Abby Clint on Substak
I would like to offer a critical examination of the Neocatechumenal Way, an organization that, beneath its promises of parish renewal, often functions as a shadow hierarchy that undermines the parish community. I was a member of the Way for over fifteen years and progressed through the steps until I completed the step of Initiation to Prayer. Having sat through decades of catechesis and liturgies, I have seen how the movement systematically fractures the local parish, creating a contingent of believers who rarely engage with regular churchgoers or their own parish priest. While I am also very critical of the group’s theological deviations, the reality is that heresy is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what this group teaches and how it operates.
The power dynamic within the Way is centered on the absolute authority of lay catechists, who often act as spiritual overlords over the personal lives of their underlings. During the First and Second Scrutinies, members are subjected to invasive public questioning where the boundaries of privacy are systematically dismantled. I witnessed a culture where members felt forced to perform a specific brand of suffering to satisfy their leaders; for example, it became a survival tactic to label one's spouse or parents as their "cross" simply to avoid further interrogation. When life-altering crises like terminal cancer were presented, the rigid theological framework of the catechists would often short-circuit because it didn't fit their pre-packaged narrative of God giving you your cross to make you holy. This control extends into the secular lives of members, with leaders frequently intervening in decisions regarding higher education or career moves, even going so far as to pressure them not to attend Catholic colleges because they will not receive an authentic education like only the Way offers.
Perhaps most disturbing is the Way’s interference in the most intimate human relationships. I have seen the community pressure women to remain with or even marry men who were clearly unstable and abusive, under the guise that a violent or drug addicted partner is a gift from God designed to teach them how to love. This psychological trap is reinforced by a specific catechesis regarding the "True Church." Within the community, it is taught that only those in the Way are truly living the Christian Faith as formulated by the Early Church, while regular Catholics and those outside the movement are effectively like Judas. This "Judas narrative" is used as a powerful tool of retention; members are told that if they leave the community, they are consciously choosing the path of the betrayer. I have seen families torn apart in tears at the end of retreats, with a daughter being pressured to continue the itinerary even though her mother chose to walk away, all under the terrifying threat of spiritual apostasy.
To insulate the community from outside feedback, the Way employs a powerful "persecution complex" tactic. Members are told that anyone who leaves or criticizes the movement is not offering a valid critique, but is actively "persecuting" them. They are taught that this opposition is to be expected because they are the "chosen people," much like the Israelites, and that the devil himself is using critics to attack the only true Way. When someone points out their cult-like strategies they are met with the response “Even the Roman soldiers called the Early Church a cult.” This turns any legitimate concern or warning into a confirmation of their own righteousness, making it nearly impossible for members to listen to the concerns of their own families or the wider Church.
While the group funnels massive amounts of money toward international projects and its vacation villa in Israel, the local diocese is left holding the bag for any legal or moral liabilities the group creates. The business side of the movement is as unglamorous as it is dangerous, operating without the transparency expected of modern religious institutions. Who knows who manages the money or how financial matters are dealt with; they are trained to treat money with disdain and not care about how much their founder Kiko is making from his private artistic contributions. For any individual, pastor, or bishop who has encountered the Neocatechumenal Way, I urge you to think twice. Whether you are considering joining a community or allowing the movement to plant roots in your diocese, understand that you are not just inviting in a questionable form of catechesis, but a sophisticated system of institutionalized control that thrives on secrecy and the systematic fracturing of the Body of Christ.
Monday, January 26, 2026
THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY'S BANQUET OF RUPTURE
By Tim Rohr
The Banquet of Rupture: The Neocatechumenal Way and the Deconstruction of the Sacrificial Mass
Growing up within the Neocatechumenal Way provides a stark, unvarnished window into the "New Theology" that has permeated the post-conciliar Church, offering a firsthand look at a radical and outright rejection of the sacrificial essence of the Mass. To the initiate of the Way, the altar is not a place of bloody sacrifice made present again in an unbloody manner, but rather a table for a communal banquet.
This shift is not merely aesthetic; it is a profound ontological rupture. By replacing the traditional emphasis on the propitiatory nature of the Eucharist, the offering of the Son to the Father for the remission of sins, with a celebration of the "Paschal Mystery" centered almost exclusively on the Resurrection and the community's joy, the Way mirrors the broader post-Vatican II tendency to prioritize the horizontal relationship between men over the vertical relationship between man and God.
This theological pivot manifests most clearly in the physical and liturgical structure of the Neocatechumenal "Eucharist," which often takes place in a square formation around a decorated table rather than directed toward a tabernacle or a fixed altar. Such a configuration effectively deconstructs the priest’s role as the alter Christus acting in the person of Christ the High Priest, demoting him to a mere presider over a fraternal meal.
The "errors" of the Way are, in this sense, not isolated aberrations but are the logical conclusions of a specific interpretation of the New Order of Mass. When the faithful are encouraged to receive the Host while seated and to consume it simultaneously with the priest, the hierarchical distinction between the ministerial priesthood and the common priesthood of the baptized is blurred into oblivion. This practice serves as a practical manifestation of the "New Theology" which views the Church more as a democratic assembly than a supernatural, hierarchical body.
Furthermore, the pedagogical approach of the Neocatechumenal Way, with its long-hidden catechetical directories, echoes the doctrinal ambiguity that has characterized much of the modern era. By emphasizing an existential and experiential faith over the objective, dogmatic clarity of the Scholastic tradition, the Way fosters a religious identity that is often more tied to the group’s specific "path" than to the universal deposit of faith.
This mirrors the crisis of authority seen across the wider Church, where subjective "discernment" is frequently championed over the perennial Magisterium. In the end, reflecting on my 15 years spent within this movement reveals that the crisis of the liturgy is truly a crisis of faith; if the Mass is no longer seen as a true sacrifice, the very core of Catholicism is hollowed out, leaving behind a community-focused shell that struggles to point souls toward the transcendent reality of Calvary.
In this theological framework, the understanding of sin and propitiation undergoes a transformation that bears a striking, and often unsettling, resemblance to Lutheran thought, moving away from the Catholic doctrine of merit and toward a more fatalistic view of the human condition.
Within the Neocatechumenal Way, sin is frequently presented not as a willful transgression that requires the medicinal grace of the sacraments and personal penance to rectify, but as an inevitable symptom of man’s "slavery to the devil."
This perspective echoes the Lutheran concept of simul iustus et peccator, where the individual remains essentially corrupt but is "covered" by grace. By downplaying the capacity of the human will, aided by grace, to truly conquer sin and achieve sanctity, the Way risks reducing the Christian life to a perpetual cycle of acknowledging one's wretchedness without the transformative hope of actual interior justification.
This distorted view of sin naturally necessitates a rejection of the traditional Catholic understanding of propitiation. In the perennial theology of the Church, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross is a propitiatory act: a satisfaction offered to the Father to atone for the infinite offense of sin.
However, the "New Theology" expressed in the Way’s catechesis treats the idea of satisfying divine justice as a "legalistic" or "pagan" construct. Instead, they emphasize the Cross solely as a sign of God’s unconditional love and a victory over death, stripped of its character as a necessary sacrifice for the remission of guilt. This shift effectively removes the "transactional" necessity of the Mass; if there is no need for propitiation, the Mass ceases to be a sacrifice offered for the living and the dead and becomes merely a memorial of a historical event that validates the community’s current state.
Consequently, the role of the individual in the economy of salvation is minimized to a passive acceptance of one’s own brokenness. The Catholic call to "fill up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ" through sacrifice and mortification is replaced by a focus on "kerygma,” a proclamation of mercy that often lacks the corresponding call to a firm purpose of amendment.
This theological orientation mirrors the broader post-Vatican II crisis where the Sense of Sin has been lost, replaced by a psychological comfort that seeks to soothe the conscience rather than cleanse it. By framing the human person as someone who "cannot do otherwise" than sin until some mystical moment of enlightenment occurs, the Way inadvertently mirrors the Protestant denial of free will, further detaching the faithful from the traditional path of purgation, illumination, and union that has defined Catholic spirituality for two millennia.
MY NOTE
As someone (me) formed in the wake of Vatican II, it is hard to see the difference between what the NCW is doing versus what the rest of the church (or most of it) was doing since the mid-60's and even before Vatican II concluded. The emphasis on the "table" vs the altar, the community vs the sacrifice, the flowers, the guitars, the presider vs the priest...it's all there. The NCW is simply Vatican II, and its step-child Novus Ordo, writ large. Thus the modern Church has no moral authority to reign in the NCW.
Thursday, January 22, 2026
THE NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY: A CASE STUDY
Reposted by Tim Rohr
The Neocatechumenal Way: a case study in the “Last Supper” Theory of liturgical design
To them, the development of stone altars, sacred architecture, and fixed temples represented a departure from the primitive, itinerant church of the first centuries. They taught us that the early Christians celebrated a simple liturgy around a common table, mirroring the Last Supper, and that the use of rugs in their contemporary halls was a deliberate sign of a pilgrim people who possessed no stable place on earth.
By stripping away the traditional accouterments of the Catholic Church, they claimed to be restoring an authentic, pre-Constantinian worship that favored spontaneous contemplation and communal experience over the "dead stones" of pagan Roman “Sacrifice”.
However, as I watched the Way expand and gain financial resources, I witnessed a profound contradiction emerge between this stated theology and their actual practice. Despite their insistence that the assembly is the only temple and that fixed sacred spaces are anti-Christian, the movement began to establish its own permanent chapels and "Domus" centers.
These structures are not the temporary, neutral spaces their theology would suggest. Instead, they are highly specific, brutalist-modernist octagons designed in the round, featuring a massive stone table at the center and amphitheater-style seating. Every wall is meticulously decorated with icons in the unmistakable style of their founder, Kiko ArgĂĽello.
This immediate pivot toward the construction of elaborate, permanent sacred spaces reveals an inherent insincerity in their critique of "natural religion." If they truly believed that stone altars and decorative temples were contrary to the Gospel, they would have remained in the simple, multipurpose rooms they initially championed.
This contradiction serves as more than just a critique of the movement's consistency; it provides a logical lens through which to view the history of the wider Church. The Neocatechumenal Way argues that the early Church was suppressed by the imposition of "natural religiosity" and Roman paganism once the Church gained legal status. Yet, the Way’s own behavior suggests the opposite.
The moment they were given the permission and the money, they built temples that perfectly matched their specific theology. If the early Church had actually practiced a liturgy in the form of a communal table-fellowship in the round, we would expect to see that theology reflected in the archaeological record the moment Christians were free to build. If the "primitive" model were a circle, the first great churches of the fourth century would have been built as amphitheaters or circular dining halls.
But when we examine the historical artifacts and the earliest ruins of Christian architecture, we do not find "churches in the round." Instead, we find the basilica: a linear, directional building that points the assembly toward an altar and a sacred East.
Therefore, this historical absence confirms that the NCW's "primitive" liturgy is a modern invention rather than a restoration. The early Christians did not build in the round because their theology was not centered on the closed circle of the community, but on the sacrifice of the altar and the expectation of the returning Christ.
The fact that even a movement so ideologically opposed to "temples" eventually succumbed to the human necessity of building them proves that the shift toward sacred architecture in the early Church was not a pagan corruption, but a natural and authentic expression of the Faith that the Neocatechumenal Way has failed to “discover.”
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FR. MIKE'S LAST HOMILY
By Tim Rohr
Later that night, he would suffer the stroke that killed him. How appropriate that his last words were "I love you."
FROM FELICITY
Reposting from a follower in Australia:
Thanks Tim for your excellent website Junglewatch- please post this article & summary about Pope Leo 19/1/26 meeting 1000 members of Neocatechumenal Way
posted by Felicity from Australia
Comment by Felicity
His comments show the Popes grave concern about Kiko Arguello and Nc catechists using coercive control , inducing guilt and fear to control others , telling them to obey Nc leaders and not respecting a persons privacy, internal forum or their conscience.Pope Leo on 19/1/26 at an audience with Kiko Arguello and 1000 Neocatechumenal way members responded to the many complaints about the Neocatechumenal way.
The Neocatechumenal way often isolate themselves having separate masses and meetings each week ONLY for Nc members as if they are a parallel church. Pope Leo reminds and reprimands them as previous popes have done - Kiko was at the private papal audience with Pope Leo and 1000 Neocatechumenal members - these criticisms and mandates by Pope Leo were directed specifically at the Neocatechumenal WayKiko ArgĂĽello and Nc leaders send people including babies & children to dangerous places including war zones and encourages them to die as a martyr eg China , PNG , Ukraine . Sudan , Nigeria . The pope was warning them of the risks. They are on notice now and if they disobey then the Pope has options to take the matter further
The Neocatechumenal way cult has done immense damage to my family for more than 20 years including spiritual abuse , emotional abuse, and severe financial abuse - but they hide the money from the local bishop and parish - no accounting for where the tithe and other enormous amounts have gone when given to the catechists who say “ renounce the goods””show money is not your God” and humiliate people at guarantors meetings and scrutinies if they don’t obey or don’t give enough money to the lay catechists. Pilgrimages continue by Neocatechumenal Way in 2026 to West Bank and Israel despite the war and “do not travel “ govt warnings.
The pope must act decisively to stop the damage being done by Kiko and Neocatechumenal leaders. The Neocatechumenal Way have not heeded the warnings by previous Popes . Most activities are not approved by the Vatican in the Statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way
- the tithe - unapproved ,
- request to obey Catechists- unapproved
- spiritual marriage - unapproved
- Ketubah covenant in Israel - unapproved
- milk and honey ceremony - unapproved
- After receiving the white garment
- - Kiko emphases “ renounce the goods” “ go on mission “ and misuses a bible quote about
- “Common goods “to insist you share all your money with Nc- unapproved
19/1/25 Pope Leo told the members of the Neocatechumenal Way that they must live their spirituality “without ever isolating yourselves from the rest of the ecclesial body” and to “go forward in joy and humility, without closing yourselves off, as builders and witnesses of communion.”
You do a great amount of good, but its goal is to allow people to know Christ, while always respecting the life path and conscience of each individual,” Pope Leo said. The proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis, and the various forms of pastoral activity must always be free from forms of coercion, rigidity, and moralism, so that they do not generate feelings of guilt and fear rather than interior liberation,” he said.
The pope’s words on personal freedom echoed similar remarks by Pope Francis, who, in 2014, warned the ecclesial reality against the dangers of pressuring its members and to respect their choice “to seek, outside the Way, other forms of Christian life that may help him or her to grow in their answer to the Lord’s response.”
The pope also expressed his gratitude to the many families in mission who left behind “the securities of ordinary life” and set out on mission, sometimes in dangerous areas, “with the sole desire of proclaiming the Gospel and witnessing to God’s love.”
The pope also told members of the Neocatechumenal Way that carrying out the mission to evangelize also requires interior vigilance and wise critical capacity to discern certain risks
There is so much invasion of privacy , coercion , secrecy, control by the Neocatechumenal Way. They often keep secrets from the local bishops and a Neocatechumenal priest told me that they won’t show the bishop or anyone in the parish what they do with all the money and belongings they collect from people . The “tenth” or “tithe” to lay catechists and request to “ obey lay catechists and Kiko Arguello has never been approved by the Vatican. It’s not in the statutes. At the “spiritual marriage ceremony “ and “Ketubah “ covenant in Israel the catechists insist lifelong on a huge financial commitment and obedience to Kiko Arguello and the catechists. The communities are still being sent to Israel for pilgrimages despite the war.
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Pope Leo 19/1/26 meeting 1000 members of Neocatechumenal Way
Posted by Felicity
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
PATHETIC
By Tim Rohr
A bishop is a father to his priests and the priests are his sons.
In fact, the bishop-priest relationship is even more a father-son relationship than the biological father-son because whereas our children can grow up and remove themselves from our authority after a certain age, a priest, and in this case a diocesan priest, makes a Promise of Obedience to his bishop-father for life or at least until a priest is released from that promise by an official act (such as excardination).
Imagine your son dying. You show up for the funeral but don't bother to attend the burial. Instead you have lunch with friends and let others bury him.
This is what Archbishop Jimenez did. After the funeral, he enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant while he let others bury his son, Fr. Michael Crisostomo.
Pathetic.
One wonders what Fr. Mike did to deserve to be treated this way, both in the final months of his life and now in death.
Monday, January 19, 2026
WHERE DID HE GO?
By Tim Rohr
At the Funeral Mass for Fr. Mike Crisostomo on Saturday, January 17, the archbishop, after the gifts are brought up at the offertory, and instead of returning to the altar, exits stage left, disappears from the camera, then reappears. Where did he go?
Friday, January 16, 2026
WHY I'M CATHOLIC: A SERIES
Thursday, January 15, 2026
THIS IS GETTING WEIRDER AND WEIRDER
By Tim Rohr
This is getting weirder and weirder. Following is a copy of a post on the Archdiocese of Agana Facebook page (highlight added):
Planned drive past parishes with Fr. Mike's casket adjusted, shortened
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Regarding the driving of Father Mike Crisostomo's casket past island parishes on Thursday, Jan. 15, the family has advised the Archdiocese of Agaña that in consideration for the body of dear Palé, the schedule will not permit driving past all parishes.
The family has instead coordinated with Ada's Mortuary on a shortened schedule that will primarily only include parishes where Palé Mike was assigned and where he celebrated his first Mass for instance. The archdiocese is not coordinating the schedule or this part of activities honoring the beloved priest.
The family appreciates everyone's love for Palé Mike and asks for your understanding.
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Relayed by the Archdiocese of Agaña Office of Communications
+++++
Again, as we have been seeing and hearing since the news of Fr. Mike's demise, the "archdiocese" continues to go strangely out of "its" way to distance "itself" from Fr. Mike's death. Even if the family is coordinating the so-called drive-by, why is it necessary for the "archdiocese" to emphasize that "it" is not.
It's not necessary, unless of course, "they" have a reason. And what would be that reason?
By the way, all of the above words in "quotes" are in quotes because there is no such person as the "Archdiocese of Agana." There is only the Archbishop of Agana, and for some reason he refuses to put his name on the most serious of announcements (most recently those announcements related to Fr. Luis Camacho and now, Fr. Mike).
How hard would it have been to have worded the above announcement: "...the family has advised Archbishop Jimenez..." And how much more personal and compassionate would it have been to end this announcement with the archbishop's signature under the final words of this announcement: "The family appreciates everyone's love for Palé Mike and asks for your understanding."
Instead we get an impersonal: "Relayed by the Archdiocese of Agaña Office of Communications."
Another very strange thing is the "for instance" in the following sentence:
"...a shortened schedule that will primarily only include parishes where Palé Mike was assigned and where he celebrated his first Mass for instance."
Huh...? For instance? Really?
The archbishop doth protest too much, methinks.
Monday, January 12, 2026
PELL V APURON - A STUDY OF TWO BISHOPS WHO RAN
By Tim Rohr
The CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT has published an important reflection on the life of the late Cardinal George Pell on the second anniversary of his death (Jan. 10, 2023). It's an important read for us in this archdiocese (Guam) because it allows a very stark and timely comparison between two bishops who were accused of child sex abuse: Pell and Apuron.
Both Pell and Apuron were accused at approximately the same time (2015-2017). At the time I pointed out on this blog that while Apuron RAN AWAY from his diocese to Rome seeking protection, Pell, on the other hand "ran" back to his diocese (in Australia) and away from Rome (where he was the Secretariat for the Economy) to clear his name.
Let's review: Apuron ran away. Pell ran to.
Pell was convicted and spent 404 days in prison while he appealed his case. Ultimately, the High Court of Australia overturned his conviction. Pell, while the victim of anti-Catholicism in Australia, was more so the victim of his enemies in the Vatican.
Let's remember who ran, and where they ran to.
Saturday, January 10, 2026
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO KNOW ABOUT
By Tim Rohr
On Wednesday, Jan. 7 (2026), a Clergy Day of Recollection for priests and deacons of the Archdiocese of Agana was held at the Dominican Child Development Center in Ordot. According to the announcement, the focus was on "the very important subjects of child abuse and bankruptcy." The announcement is copied from the AOA Facebook page:
Clergy Day of Recollection focuses on child abuse and bankruptcy
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The very first Guam Clergy Day of Recollection for priests and deacons of the Archdiocese of Agana in the New Year focused on the very important subjects of child abuse and bankruptcy Wednesday, Jan. 7 in Ordot. The Dominican Sisters and the Dominican Child Development Center (DCDC) hosted the clergy at their site in Ordot.
With Father Fran Hezel, SJ as Day of Recollection facilitator, Archbishop Ryan P. Jimenez and the clergy welcomed three very seasoned Guam professionals in respective social work and legal professions to give presentations and lead important discussions in those areas.
On June 20, 2023, the United States District Court of Guam announced the official closing of the Archdiocese of Agana’s Chapter 11 Reorganization (bankruptcy) case related to clergy sexual abuse. The archdiocese reached a formal agreement of reparation and compensation with the victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse who were severely harmed by former members of our archdiocese. Nearly three hundred lawsuits related to clergy sexual abuse were filed against the archdiocese. The effort to bring healing and compensation continues for our Church on Guam.
Honorable John C. Terlaje, Superior Court of Guam Judge; Dr. Juan Rapadas, longtime licensed clinical psychologist; and Attorney Rodney J. Jacobs, longtime lawyer and partner in the law firm of Calvo, Jacob and Pangelinan, LLP engaged in conversations with the clergy during this week's Day of Recollection.
All devoted Catholic men who are very active in the Church and and seasoned professionals in their respective fields, the speakers spoke respectfully but with frankness and honesty as they shared their knowledge, perspectives and input on child sexual abuse and the archdiocese's bankruptcy.
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It's good that they had this "day," and that they had the privilege of hearing from these experts; and it would be better still if we, the people who are paying the bills, could get a detailed briefing on what was said, if not a full recording.
The bankruptcy resulting from the clergy sex abuse in this diocese, which occurred at an incomprehensible scale (per capita, the worst in the whole world*), is not just clergy business, it's all of our business, and we want to know what our church leaders are doing about it other than handing us the bill.
And by "doing about it," I don't mean the things that the court ordered them to do, I mean what are they doing about the real roots of this horror and what are they doing to make sure it never happens again.
And it's not just about child protection. The rape and molestation of hundreds of minors was only the symptom of a much greater evil which had been eating out the heart of this church for decades.
That's what we want to know about.
*Before Guam's clergy sex abuse scandal was exposed, Boston's was considered the worst. It was so bad that an Academy Award winning movie (Spotlight) was made about it But then there was the Archdiocese of Agana. Per capita, Guam's clergy sex abuse scandal is FOURTEEN TIMES WORSE than Boston's. FOURTEEN TIMES!
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Monday, January 5, 2026
WHAT HAPPENED?
By Tim Rohr
At 23:00 in this video, Archbishop Jimenez begins his homily. After a few minutes, he begins to describe what happened to Fr. Mike. The Mass took place on January 2, 2026, the day Fr. Mike died.
Archbishop Jimenez describes Fr. Mike's arrival at the clergy Christmas party "last Tuesday,"which would have been December 30, 2025. The party was at the social hall in Maina. Jimenez says that Fr. Mike left the party early and then sent him a text saying that he wasn't feeling well.
The next day, December 31, 2025, Jimenez published the News Release advising that Fr. Mike had been hospitalized that morning.
This is relevant given that a certain "Anonymous" appears to be adamant in inferring that Fr. Mike, after being assigned to St. Joseph in Inarajan, continued to reside at St. Anthony's, and thus experienced no particular hardship in accessing medical care:
AnonymousJanuary 3, 2026 at 6:05 PMPale' Mike was still living at the St. Anthony rectory.
"Antonio" attempted to clarify:
AntonioJanuary 3, 2026 at 8:25 PMThis was only the case for the first few weeks after the reshuffling of priests, as his soon-to-be living space in Inarajan was still being prepared. Later on, yes, he would occasionally stop by St. Anthony Church and even stay for brief periods there whenever he was asked to either cover masses or undergo grueling dialysis treatment.
However, Anonymous insisted:
AnonymousJanuary 4, 2026 at 1:14 PMHe lived at St Anthony rectory, which can house 8 priests. He was stricken in his bedroom there. Fact.
Anonymous appears to be a member of the clergy who had no "love" for Fr. Mike, or at least someone close to a member of the clergy who is vested in running interference for the reason Fr. Mike was assigned to a parish the furthest away from the critical medical care he needed.
From how Archbishop Jimenez describes it, it appears that Fr. Mike, upon leaving the Christmas party on December 30, knew he wouldn't make it to Inarajan and decided to stay the night at St. Anthony, which is why he "was stricken in his bedroom there," as Anonymous reports.
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