'Panlilio no longer allowed to go back to priesthood'

MANILA, Philippines - Pampanga Archbishop Paciano Aniceto yesterday said that suspended priest Gov. Eduardo “Among Ed” Panlilio would no longer be able to return to his priestly ministry.

The CBCPNews, the official news service provider of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), yesterday said that when Gov. Panlilio’s term end on June 30, the archdiocese would reassign him to the University of the Assumption considering that he is reportedly receiving threats against his life.

Aniceto, who is the direct superior of Fr. Panlilio, said that last December the governor wrote him a petition addressed to the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI wherein he requested that he be dismissed from the clerical state. “He told the media he’s returning to his ministry if his bishops would permit him but he already wrote a letter addressed to me which I have already sent to the Holy Father,” said the 73-year-old Archbishop.

It would take about a year for the Vatican to grant the priest-turned-politician’s petition.

The Pampanga archbishop called Panlilio to a meeting last August when he learned that the priest had plans of running for president. Present in the meeting were San Fernando Auxiliary Bishops Pablo Virgilio David and Roberto Mallari.

The prelate said he advised the suspended priest to discern because of his vow to run for governor for a single term “until finally he decided to seek re-election.”

 “I told him you broke your two promises to me, the first of which was he would only run for a single term and second, he would look for a layman to succeed him and prepare the laity to look for a credible successor,” he added. 

The Pampanga Archbishop described Panlilio’s latest statement of his desire to return to the priesthood may have been a “politician’s statement” and that it appeared that the priest was “someone who would not listen” and broke his promise that he would serve Pampanga for one term.

He added that Panlilio has become more of a politician than a priest.