A Philippine bishop has suspended a priest who is seeking an electoral position May 9 elections.
Bishop Jose Alan Dialogo of Sorsogon diocese suspended Father Emmanuel Alparce, who is running for municipal councilor of Bacacay, Albay province.
According to Canon Law or the code of ecclesiastical laws governing the Catholic Church, priests are “forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power."
Father Alparce is prohibited to perform sacraments including celebrating Masses as prescribed by the Church law.
The bishop directed the priest to withdraw his nomination by March 25. As Alparce could follow the bishop’s directive, the suspension on his priestly ministry was imposed.
"He has been warned that if he does not reform and continue to give scandal because he participated in the local elections, he can be progressively punished by deprivations, or even by dismissal from the clerical state," the bishop said in a circular on April 4.
Priests running for electoral positions in the Philippines are not new.
In 2007, Father Among Ed Panlilio of the Archdiocese of San Fernando run for the post of governor of Pampanga and won, defeating Mark Lapid and Lilia Pineda, a known ally of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In the aftermath, then Archbishop Paciano Aniceto suspended Panlilio for defying the bishop’s orders.
Panlilio run in 2010 and 2017 for the same post and lost in both.
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