Archbishop of Manila suspends Tondo priest over ‘persistent defiance’
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila suspends a priest from Tondo, relieving him of all clerical activities due to his “persistent defiance” to Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula. In a statement released Thursday, June 6, 2024, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila said Rev. Fr. Alfonso Valeza was relieved of his duties as parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Gagalangin, Tondo, starting June 3. Valeza was likewise suspended from exercising priestly faculties effective June 5 because of “persistent defiance to the Archbishop of Manila despite orders and warnings.” INQUIRER STOCK PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila suspended a Tondo priest from all clerical activities due to his “persistent defiance” to Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula.
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Manila said in a statement Thursday that Rev. Fr. Alfonso Valeza was relieved of his duties as parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Gagalangin, Tondo, starting June 3. This means that “from then on, any act he does in relation to the position is illicit,” it noted.
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Valeza was likewise suspended from exercising priestly faculties effective June 5 because of “persistent defiance to the Archbishop of Manila despite orders and warnings.”
No detailed reason for Valeza’s suspension was indicated in the statement signed by the Archbishop of Manila’s chancellor, Fr. Isidro Marinay.
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“He is therefore prohibited from administering the sacraments. Any sacrament he administers is illicit,” the statement explains.
Advincula will take charge of the St. Joseph Parish administration through a new ministry team led by Fr. Reginald Malicdem.
In an interview with Radio Veritas on Wednesday morning, Malicdem appealed the suspended Tondo priest to comply with the order.
“Nakikiusap ako kay Fr. Al na sana sumunod tayo sa ating obispo. Hindi naman gagawa ng desisyon si Cardinal o sinumang obispo para sa ikasisira natin at ng simbahan,” Malicdem said, as quoted in a report from Radio Veritas.
(I am begging, Fr. Al, to obey our bishop. The Cardinal or any other bishop will not make a decision that will harm us and the church.)
“Fr. Al let us obey and it takes a lot of humility to obey,” he added.
According to the Catholic online church media’s report, representatives of the Archdiocese of Manila’s audit team went to St. Joseph Parish in Gagalangin, Tondo, on June 4 for the transition of leadership, but Valeza allegedly refused to leave the parish.
Malicdem stressed that the suspension is in line with the Code of Canon Law, which states that “clerics are bound by a special obligation to show reverence and obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and their own ordinary.”
“To the community of St. Joseph Parish-Gagalangin, we appeal that we also follow the Cardinal’s decision because in the end he is the shepherd in our archdiocese. His decision is for the good of everyone; he just wants the community to be united. Let’s work together so that we can organize and unify our parish,” Malicdem also said in mixed Filipino and English.
