Pope Francis has dismissed from priesthood the former spokesperson of the Catholic Church in the central Indian State of Madhya Pradesh.
“Now, with regret and pain I wish to formally communicate to everyone that by an official decree from our Supreme Pontiff Pope Francis, dated 22 October 2020, Anand Muttungal (Joseph M.T) of the Archdiocese of Bhopal, has been dismissed in poenam (penalty) from the clerical state and dispensed from all his clerical obli-gations, including that of celibacy,” says a November 26 message from Archbishop Leo Cornelio of Bhopal.