Excommunication imminent . . .
African Bishop marries in "Moonie" ceremony

(MAY 28, 2001 -- CWNews.com) The Vatican is preparing to make a formal announcement of the excommunication of a renegade archbishop who took part in a group marriage ceremony organized by the Unification Church in New York.

Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, an eccentric African prelate who had been retired from pastoral duties for nearly 20 years because of his erratic behavior, was wedded to a 43-year-old Korean woman, whom he had never before met, during a "collective marriage" ceremony under the auspices of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Milingo, who is 71, incurred the penalty of excommunication by participating in the ritual.

In a statement released after the ceremony, the Holy See acknowledged Milingo's action "with great sorrow," and said that he would be subject to "canonical sanctions, which, in the near future, will be communicated to him and then made public." The Vatican statement indicated that Milingo could no longer "be considered a bishop of the Catholic Church."

The Italian daily Il Messaggero reported on Saturday that Archbishop Milingo had announced his plans to be married-- to a woman he apparently had not met. Il Messaggero added that the African archbishop had previously attended a "collective marriage" ceremony organized by the Moon sect, in Seoul, Korean, in 1999. The newspaper reported that because of his unauthorized participation in the rite, the Holy See had suspended him from exercising his episcopal authority.

Actually, Archbishop Milingo had not been exercising his episcopal duties for years. He had been living an uneasy existence, based in Rome, since 1982, when he resigned under fire from his post as Archbishop of Lusaka, Zambia (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). After being named to head his native Lusaka diocese in 1973, when he was just 39, Archbishop Milingo became involved in irregular ceremonies, incorporating native African rituals which he classified as both exorcisms and healing services. He became known as the "witch-doctor bishop," and his free-lance approach eventually prompted the Vatican to ask for his resignation.

Brought to live in Rome, with few formal duties, the African prelate continued his "healing services" for Italian groups, eventually drawing complaints from bishops in that country. Milan's Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini was a persistent critic of Milingo's behavior. In April 1996 he received a new warning from the Holy See, asking him to curb his involvement in illicit liturgical ceremonies. He was also declared "persona non grata" in several Italian dioceses. Meanwhile, Archbishop Milingo pursued other interest, performing publicly as a singer and dancer and producing two albums of his songs.

After participating in the "Moonie" service in New York, Milingo told reporters that he intended to start a family, because "the sacrifice of a celibate life has served its purpose." But he also made it clear that he intended his gesture as a direct challenge to the Vatican. And he heaped praise on the founder of the Unification Church, the self-proclaimed Messiah, Sun Myung Moon.

The former archbishop now faces canonical sanctions on several other possible grounds:

Zambia bishops respond to Milingo marriage

[The statement that follows was released by the Catholic Bishops of Zambia, in their public response to the marriage of former Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo that took place on Sunday, May 27.]

We, the Catholic Bishops in Zambia, are deeply saddened and pained by the defection of Archbishop Milingo in his attempt to marry in the Moon Sect. For a long time we have tried to reach out to Archbishop Milingo, who has unfortunately rejected our regular and honest advice. Other people in the Church, including the Holy Father, have tried to reach out to him, but he took this advice as a form of persecution (Mt 18:15-17). In spite of all the efforts made by us and others, he decided to go on with his plan to marry, thereby turning his back on the Catholic Church. By doing this, the former archbishop has put himself outside the Catholic Church. This implies that he is no longer a bishop nor part of the Catholic Church. The former archbishop has betrayed his vows by attempting marriage while still under his priestly commitments.

The defection of the former archbishop should not come as a surprise to us. Even among the apostles one of them did fall. His act portrays his failure to abide by sound apostolic tradition, which suddenly induced him not to perceive the advice from so many and not to discern the truth. He rather portrayed the others as not understanding his actions.

We feel deep sympathy for the many people who put their trust in the former archbishop and now feel betrayed and abandoned by his action. A challenge for them now is to make a right choice by committing themselves to follow Jesus Christ, who has the words of eternal life, rather than anyone else (Jn 6:8). The action by the former archbishop is a reminder to us of our own fragility in faith. It should therefore make us humble. Left to ourselves, without deep faith in Christ, we remain fragile and open to sin. However, the defection of any one of us does not change the Church of Jesus Christ, as it continues to bring His teaching and sacraments to the world.

Finally, we invite all Christians to continue praying for the former archbishop in the hope that he will decide to repent and come back to the Church. 

May 29, 2001
Lusaka  Zambia

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