Priest involved in Tondo church scuffle suspended

The Archdiocese of Manila on Thursday suspended Fr. Alfonso Valeza, parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Tondo, Manila, for his involvement in a scuffle inside the said church.

According to the archdiocese, effective 5 June, Valeza was suspended from exercising his priestly activities "because of his persistent defiance" to the Manila archbishop.

Valeza is also prohibited from administering the sacraments and any sacrament he administers will be rendered illicit.

Manila Archbishop Jose Cardinal Advincula will take charge of the St. Joseph Parish.

Meanwhile, Msgr. Reginald Malicdem, Fr. Nolan Que, and Fr. Gilbert Kabigting have been appointed as parish administrators.

Valeza was caught on video in an altercation with Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias inside the parish.

The priest said the heated argument stemmed from his ouster from the parish due to his accusations against alleged corrupt priests.

He was reportedly ousted from the parish after he failed to comply with Advincula's order in the past two years asking him to undergo counseling due to his "unstable personality."

Valeza, meanwhile, has yet to issue a comment regarding the matter.