VIRGINIA BEACH — A defamation lawsuit filed by a Filipino Catholic priest against members of the San Lorenzo Spiritual Center here has been dismissed.

Circuit Judge H. Thomas Padrick Jr. ruled last week that the lawsuit was an intrusion into church affairs and violated the religious protections of the U.S. Constitution and the Virginia Constitution, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

The Rev. Pantaleon Manalo filed the lawsuit in April against six people who tried to have him removed from his leadership role at San Lorenzo because of alleged financial improprieties and “unpriestly behavior.”

The allegations created a split in the local Filipino community and ultimately forced the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to replace Manalo as leader of San Lorenzo. Manalo had helped to organize and build the spiritual center in the 1980s.

It is one of two centers in Hampton Roads where local Filipino-Americans celebrate their culture and practice the Catholic religion.
A new San Lorenzo administrator, the Rev. Jesse Enciso of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Lynnhaven Parkway, was announced last week by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond .

Fr. Manalo’s lawsuit claimed that Joan Data, Hope del Rosario, Carlos Soltes, Richard A. Alagaban, Virgilio Fernandez and Lillian Arao hurt the priest’s reputation when they signed a petition last year and sent it to the diocese offices in Richmond.

The petition claimed that Manalo enriched himself through his leadership role, obtaining “landholdings and stocks” that were not in keeping with a priest’s vow of poverty.
The petition also claimed, among other things, that Manalo told sexual jokes and allowed others to tell them “with tacit approval and delight” after prayers during a bus trip.

The petition helped convince Monsignor Thomas J. Caroluzza that Manalo should step down. Caroluzza’s decision was temporarily put on hold by Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo after Manalo’s supporters traveled to Richmond to protest.

DiLorenzo announced earlier this year that Manalo would have to step down, even though an investigation at the center found no wrongdoing.

Manalo initially refused to leave and filed the lawsuit. It sought $1.35 million in damages.
Manalo’s attorney, Robert L. Samuel Jr., said he expects to appeal Padrick’s ruling to the Virginia Supreme Court, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

The defendants were represented by Atty. Brandon Ziegler.