Pistol-packing priest in hot water

BINMALEY, Pangasinan - This priest came to their reunion packing a gun, even firing it to "calm down" a trouble-making comrade-in-soutane, and now his superiors are expected to give him hell.

All hell broke loose at the grand alumni homecoming of the Mary Help of Christian Seminary here Monday night when pistol-packing Fr. Farley Castro accosted Fr. Cirilo Catabay, who was allegedly creating trouble, held his head and fired the gun into the ground to "threaten Catabay and ultimately, calm him down."

A struggle ensued between the two priests, but cooler heads intervened.

The incident angered Msgr. Oscar Cruz, archbishop of the Lingayen-Dagupan Archdiocese, who demanded a public apology from both priests.

Cruz said he will ask the archdiocese of Urdaneta, which has jurisdiction over Castro, parish priest of Sison town, and Catabay of Bolinao, to mete disciplinary action against them.

Cruz said it is never the Church's policy to allow any priest, even a military chaplain, to carry a gun.

"A gun is always associated with violence and priests are supposed to be the instruments of peace," he said.

"Unang-una, ewan ko kung may lisensiya. Kung mayroon man, bakit ka magdadala ng baril kung ikaw ay isang pari? (First, I don't know if the gun is licensed. Even if it is, why carry a gun when you are a priest?)" Cruz added.

Last month, parishioners complained that another priest in Basista town fired his gun indiscriminately. - With Cesar Ramirez