A CATHOLIC priest jailed in 2004 for pocketing millions from his church and finished serving his sentence last month has now been granted a full restoration of his priestly duties by the head of the Catholic Church in Singapore.

Archbishop Nicholas Chia said in a statement earlier this month that Father Joachim Kang, 61, can now say mass and preach, among other 'sacred functions'. The statement was published in this week's Catholic News, the church's fortnightly newsletter.

Father Kang spent four years behind bars and another nine months under a home detention scheme after being found guilty of embezzling $5.1 million in funds from the church he headed - St Teresa's Church in Kampong Bahru.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.