A priest in England who said in a recent sermon that it was OK for the poor to shoplift, defended his comments Tuesday after facing a firestorm of criticism.

Rev. Tim Jones, told his Anglican congregation in York last Sunday that in times of desperate need, people may be justified in stealing from large chain stores.

In an interview Tuesday with the BBC, Jones said he didn't want his message "misrepresented as a simplistic call for people to shoplift."

He said it was call for society to "no longer to treat its most vulnerable people with indifference and contempt."

Jones, who previously worked as a prison chaplain, said shoplifting was sometimes the only option for poor families and is preferable to prostitution, mugging, or burglary.

"My advice, as a Christian priest, is to shoplift," he said to the congregation, according to the Independent newspaper. "I do not offer such advice because I think that stealing is a good thing, or because I think it is harmless, for it is neither."

Jones asked parishioners not to steal from family stores, but from large national chains and for them to take only what they need.

His statements have drawn the ire of police, retailers, and fellow clergy.

The Archdeacon of York, Richard Seed, released a statement saying the Church of England does not advocate shoplifting or law-breaking in any form. Seed lauded Jones for "raising important issues about the difficulties people face when benefits are not forthcoming, but shoplifting is not the way to overcome these difficulties."

North Yorkshire police and the British Retail Consortium have also condemned Jones's views.