New York - A Roman Catholic archbishop who says God wants him and the Catholic Church to shed the celibacy rule married a Korean physician day in a group wedding conducted by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.

Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, 70 was wed in a ceremony at the New York Hilton hotel. The bride, chosen for him last week by Moon, is Sung Ryae (Anna) Soon, 43, a physician from South Korea, said the Rev Phillip Schanker, a spokesperson for the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, the central group in Moon's movement.

He said the newlyweds plan to move to Africa.

Milingo has long been at odds with the Catholic hierarchy, although he remains based in Rome and still carries his title.

The archbishop was expected to talk about breaking his celibacy vows after the group nuptials for about 60 couples.

Milingo was then due to issue a statement making clear that "he's not leaving the church or disassociating from the Catholic tradition," Schanker said.

Moon does not require those he marries to be followers of his religion.

"I don't think I should comment on this until we hear something directly from Milingo," Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

Milingo was archbishop of Lusaka when he ran foul of the Vatican over his ministry of faith healings and exorcisms. He resigned under pressure in 1983, a rare occurrence with an archbishop below normal retirement age and in good health.

Milingo was then brought to Rome as a functionary in the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, but continued public meetings of healing and exorcism.

Last year, he was quietly retired from the post.

Moon's doctrines are well beyond the bounds of Roman Catholicism and the rest of traditional Christianity. For instance, the church says Jesus was divine "but he is not God", and followers regard Moon as the messiah who is completing the salvation Jesus Christ failed to accomplish.

In each of the past two years, Milingo has appeared at group weddings conducted by Moon. - Sapa-AP

Front Page South Africa Africa World Science & Tech A Step Beyond Newspapers IOL Newsletter Picture Gallery Letters Feedback Yesterday's Top 10 Stories Search IOL