Priest speaks in favour of theft

LONDON - A Church of England priest has advocated shoplifting from supermarkets to avenge the damage he believes they do to communities. The Rev John Papworth (75), who works part-time at St Mark's Church in St John's Wood, north London, justified the theft, saying: "I don't regard it as stealing. I regard it as a badly needed reallocation of economic resources." He made his comments in front of police officers at a community committee as it discussed the fight against local crime.