Vatican defrocks exorcist archbishop who married

[Ebusitanus]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121701147.html
Washington Post

Vatican defrocks exorcist archbishop who married
By Philip Pullella
Reuters
Thursday, December 17, 2009; 7:56 AM
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - African Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who practiced exorcism, faith healing and created a scandal in the Catholic Church when he married a Korean woman, has been defrocked, the Vatican said on Thursday.

A Vatican statement said Milingo, excommunicated in 2006, was no longer a priest. It referred to him as "Mister Milingo."

The unusual action was taken because Milingo, originally from Zambia, had been threatening to illegally ordain bishops as part of a breakaway church that would allow priests to marry, a spokesman said.

The Vatican excommunicated the archbishop, 79, when, in a blaze of publicity in Washington, he ordained four married men as priests as part of his group "Married Priests Now."

According to Canon (Church) law, Milingo's defrocking means he will no longer be able to carry out priestly duties and will not be allowed to dress like a priest.

The Vatican warned the faithful that any participation in events organized by Milingo, who had a strong following when he was a Vatican official and lived in Italy in the 1980s and 1990s, would be "unlawful."

It acknowledged that the defrocking of a bishop was a "most extraordinary" action in Church history.

Milingo, who became famous as an exorcist and faith healer, had in recent years made it his vocation to push for a married priesthood.

He maintained that only by allowing a married priesthood could the Church deal with a shortage of priests. According to some estimates there are at least 150,000 men who left the priesthood to marry and many want to return to the active clergy.

MASS WEDDING

In 2001, Milingo, who once served as archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia, stunned the Vatican when he disappeared and then showed up in New York, where he married Maria Sung, a 43-year-old Korean woman chosen for him by the South Korean-born evangelist Sun Myung Moon.

Milingo, wearing a tuxedo, attended a mass wedding of hundreds of couples and kissed his white-gowned wife for the cameras in a ceremony in a hotel, prompting embarrassment in the Vatican, who said he had been brain-washed.

Milingo later left Sung, rejoined the Church and went into seclusion for a year of "rehabilitation" in South America. He returned to Italy and moved into a secluded convent near Rome.

But in 2006, he went missing from the convent, turned up in Washington with Sung, and has been criticizing the Vatican over its celibacy rule ever since.

The Vatican said it took it's latest action against Milingo because he had continued in his "regrettable conduct" despite many attempts to bring him back into the Church and because he was "creating serious upset and scandal among the faithful."

It said it would not recognize the validity of bishops consecrated by Milingo, who is believed to be living in Zambia.

So the priest wants to break the Catholic moral laws and expects the entire Roman Catholic Church to conform to this voodoo witch-doctor in disguise?

[Gromovnik]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121701147.html
Washington Post




So the priest wants to break the Catholic moral laws and expects the entire Roman Catholic Church to conform to this voodoo witch-doctor in disguise?

Pretty much. It's a funny story.

[bomberboy]

"Unlawful" bloody hell its a crime to marry? If he wants to marry so be it they can't control him.

[Watchman]

"Unlawful" bloody hell its a crime to marry? If he wants to marry so be it they can't control him.

Church rules say priests don't marry period; those that *do* get kicked out.
They can't keep him from marrying, but they sure can fire him if he doesn't follow the rules.

Also, R-D ?

[bomberboy]

Church rules say priests don't marry period; those that *do* get kicked out.
They can't keep him from marrying, but they sure can fire him if he doesn't follow the rules.

Also, R-D ?

Didn't he start his own church though? So technically speaking he split from them already.

That's an ecumenical matter. Is this political?

particularly as the Vatican are adopting married dissident Anglicans.

Sounds very hypocritical of them.

[Watchman]

Didn't he start his own church though? So technically speaking he split from them already.

How Henry VIII-esque.
Makes sense though.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

"Unlawful" bloody hell its a crime to marry? If he wants to marry so be it they can't control him.

However they can say if you don't follow our rules you're out.

[DekuTrash]

Celibacy really needs to get the boot.

Ah, one day perhaps.

[MaximiIian]

"Unlawful" bloody hell its a crime to marry? If he wants to marry so be it they can't control him.

Then he should leave the clergy. If he doesn't want to follow his religion's rules, then maybe he should consider a different one; or at least a different position within it.

[Romano-Dacis]

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest!?

[bomberboy]

Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest!?

Thats probably going through Benedicts head right now! Nice quote there.

[mongrel]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121701147.html
Washington Post




So the priest wants to break the Catholic moral laws and expects the entire Roman Catholic Church to conform to this voodoo witch-doctor in disguise?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121701147.html
Washington Post




So the priest wants to break the Catholic moral laws and expects the entire Roman Catholic Church to conform to this voodoo witch-doctor in disguise?

That's an ecumenical matter. Is this political?

I respect the current position on marriage , but I understand that celibacy has not always been Catholic doctrine.

I am curious as to why the issue of married priests could not be debated at least, particularly as the Vatican are adopting married dissident Anglicans.

[Justinian]

Moved to the EMM.

[justicar5]

so peadophile priests get protected, moved around and their crime suppressed, those that marry are defrocked... hmm says alot about the church.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

so peadophile priests get protected, moved around and their crime suppressed, those that marry are defrocked... hmm says alot about the church.

It says they care about their image and understand the absolute volatile actions taking against them if just one priest goes and does something wrong, people such as yourself. It is a common rule, held for centuries that priests can't marry. That's respectable in the people's eye and no one is going to give a big hoot if they deny a priest to get married. However if they hear that a priest of theirs did something like molest a child, normally like anyone else I'm sure they'd kick them out right then and there. Except for one thing... people like you justicar.

People like you would sting the church up (and you do) if a priest in the organization does something wrong. Hiding it isn't any better, if not a tad bit worse, but if they can avoid people like you on just one case it's all the better. Says alot about what people like you who just can't let things go or use every itty bitty little human sin to further a anti-religious vendetta.

[Fiyenyaa]

It says they care about their image and understand the absolute volatile actions taking against them if just one priest goes and does something wrong, people such as yourself. It is a common rule, held for centuries that priests can't marry. That's respectable in the people's eye and no one is going to give a big hoot if they deny a priest to get married. However if they hear that a priest of theirs did something like molest a child, normally like anyone else I'm sure they'd kick them out right then and there. Except for one thing... people like you justicar.

People like you would sting the church up (and you do) if a priest in the organization does something wrong. Hiding it isn't any better, if not a tad bit worse, but if they can avoid people like you on just one case it's all the better. Says alot about what people like you who just can't let things go or use every itty bitty little human sin to further a anti-religious vendetta.

Please tell me you are joking. Even if you are - bad taste.
You really think that the protection of paedophile priests from prosecution - the moving of them around to new areas allowing them to abuse even more children - you really think that it's better that they are hidden so people don't complain about it?!
That is fundamentally sick. Of course people should complain about it - the reason it happened for so long is because those who were abused were too scared to speak out. Now people are speaking out about it, saying the church should be held accountable - and you think that the worst thing to come out of it is the reputation of the church has been tarnished? What is wrong with you? Maybe they wouldn't have had such a bad reputation if they'd have kicked out and prosecuted the paedophile preists instead of just hiding them away and moving them around. Have you thought of that?

You think people like this man shouldn't speak up, because it'll make the church look bad?

Before you talk about "people like us" who critise the church - maybe you should take a look at people like you, who are so defensive that your position becomes absurd - because if this was any other organisation I don't think you'd be defending the ones who were protecting child molesters.

[blackwatersix]

Before you talk about "people like us" who critise the church - maybe you should take a look at people like you, who are so defensive that your position becomes absurd - because if this was any other organisation I don't think you'd be defending the ones who were protecting child molesters.

If I may just segue a little bit here... I just recently remembered something that prevents the Church from "prosecuting" pedophile priests- the seal of the confessional. The same thing that prevents priests who hear a criminal's confessions from reporting him to the police.

But it doesn't prevent them getting kicked out though. That's just institutional defensiveness.
I hate it when they don't even take the guy out of circulation though. Like shut him up in a monastery or something. That's just wrong.

[Fiyenyaa]

If I may just segue a little bit here... I just recently remembered something that prevents the Church from "prosecuting" pedophile priests- the seal of the confessional. The same thing that prevents priests who hear a criminal's confessions from reporting him to the police.

Well frankly I think this is ridiculous. Everyone else has to tell the authorities if they hear of crime - Priests should be no different.

But it doesn't prevent them getting kicked out though. That's just institutional defensiveness.
I hate it when they don't even take the guy out of circulation though. Like shut him up in a monastery or something. That's just wrong.

Shutting them up in a monastery is not the worst outcome that has happened - there have been many many instances of priests simply being moved to other parishes/dioceses/wherever.

[justicar5]

It says they care about their image and understand the absolute volatile actions taking against them if just one priest goes and does something wrong, people such as yourself. It is a common rule, held for centuries that priests can't marry. That's respectable in the people's eye and no one is going to give a big hoot if they deny a priest to get married. However if they hear that a priest of theirs did something like molest a child, normally like anyone else I'm sure they'd kick them out right then and there. Except for one thing... people like you justicar.

People like you would sting the church up (and you do) if a priest in the organization does something wrong. Hiding it isn't any better, if not a tad bit worse, but if they can avoid people like you on just one case it's all the better. Says alot about what people like you who just can't let things go or use every itty bitty little human sin to further a anti-religious vendetta.

the systematic abuse of children is an itty bitty human sin? The spreading of propoganda that is killing millions of people thru HIV/AIDS is an itty bitty sin?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

follow their own propoganda., and stop lying, respect is earned not given.

[Sir Winston Churchill]

the systematic abuse of children is an itty bitty human sin? The spreading of propoganda that is killing millions of people thru HIV/AIDS is an itty bitty sin?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

follow their own propoganda., and stop lying, respect is earned not given.

I wasn't calling it an itty bitty sin.

Regardless, it is a big sin. I wasn't lying about anything, there is no propaganda (I mean come on you're getting your facts from biased Penn & Teller).