Church suspends priest for entering LS poll fray

: A parish priest was suspended for a year from his priestly duties by the Latin Catholic Church after he defied its diktat to withdraw from Lok Sabha election which he has taken the plunge as an independent.
Father M T Stephen, vicar of a coastal hamlet near here, who is contesting the Thiruvananthauram Lok Sabha seat was suspended for violating church rules, Vicar General Fr Eugine told PTI.
"The church rules bar priests from running elections in normal circumstances. Priests will be allowed to contest elections in certain extreme situations, if the church feels that fielding them are essential to uphold moral values," Eugine said.

Fr Stephen, however,said he would go ahead with his battle for upholding moral values and social concerns since all mainstream parties had become corrupt and degraded.
The priest said earlier also he had joined the people in their struggles for justice such as the agitation against a factory that discharged chemical effluents into the sea here,threatening the livelihood and survival of fisher folk.