Priest faces suspension for seeking village post

CEBU CITY—Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has ordered the suspension of a priest who is running for village chief in Barangay (village) Kawit, Medellin town, around 110 kilometers north of this city.

Palma said he had sent the letter suspending Fr. Oscar Banzon to the Archdiocesan Chancery, an office of the local church.

“It is unfortunate. As much as possible, I don’t want to elaborate on this because it’s like washing dirty linen in public. The truth is, it’s painful on my part to give the suspension letter. (But) I have to do it because this is the rule,” Palma said in an interview.

The 63-year-old Palma expressed dismay over the decision of Banzon to run for public office despite an earlier admonition against it.

“I told him (Banzon) I don’t have the choice but to suspend you because I already told you not to run and yet you still did,” said Palma, the outgoing president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Banzon filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) at the Commission on Elections in Medellin town last Oct. 16, and is using “Padre” as a nickname.

He’s running for village chief in Barangay Kawit, Medellin, against its incumbent chair, Charito Areglado.

Msgr. Esteban Binghay, episcopal vicar of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said priests are barred from running for public office.

“The mere filing of a COC would entail suspension of a priest,” said Binghay. “Partisan politics is basically prohibited in the Catholic Church,” he said.

Binghay, a canon lawyer, said priests who run for public office would not be allowed to celebrate the sacraments, which include Mass, hearing confessions and solemnizing marriages.

“While he remains a priest technically, his sacramental faculties shall be suspended,” he said.

Binghay said Banzon used to be a priest in Minglanilla town. Banzon had sought permission to serve in the United States. “I don’t know why he’s back in

Cebu,” said Binghay.

According to Binghay, Banzon has to apologize to Palma and other bishops for defying the ban on running for public office.