Panlilio leaving ministry after defeat — prelate

Ed Panlilio, a “priest-on-leave" who lost his re-election bid as Pampanga governor in this year's elections, can no longer return to his ministry, a Catholic archbishop in the province said. San Fernando Archbishop Paciano Aniceto said Panlilio had already asked to be dismissed from his ministry in a petition he wrote last December when he was planning to run for president of the country. “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," Aniceto said in an article posted Monday night on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines news site. Aniceto said Vatican is expected to grant the priest-turned-politician’s petition soon. Aniceto said it would be hard for Panlilio to be a parish priest again because he has caused division not only among the faithful and but also among the clergy. He added that some people didn't like Panlilio's statements and brand of leadership. Plan to run for president Aniceto said Panlilio personally confirmed his intention to run for president in a meeting late last year. He said the meeting was attended by San Fernando Auxiliary Bishops Pablo Virgilio David and Roberto Mallari. “I called him to a meeting August last year when we learned of his plans to run for the presidency," Aniceto said. He 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," Aniceto said. "Politician's statement" He described Panlilio’s latest statement of his desire to return to the priesthood as a “politician’s statement." Asked to describe the outgoing governor, Aniceto said he finds him “someone who would not listen" and would not hold on to his vow to serve Pampanga for one term. Panlilio, a critic of the Arroyo administration, lost to Lilia Pineda in the May 10 elections. She captured 488,521 votes compared to Panlilio's 242,367. Pineda, who was proclaimed Wednesday last week, is known to be close with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. - KBK, GMANews.TV