VATICAN ORDERS WEDDED BISHOP TO LEAVE PULPIT

A maverick Roman Catholic archbishop who got married in Manhattan over the weekend is officially banished from the pulpit and risks being excommunicated, a furious Vatican (news - web sites) warned yesterday.

• Torah Stolen From Qns. Temple • Facing Down Demons • Check out NYPOST.COM for the best headlines every day! • PageSix.com...the ultimate source for those with a burning desire to know the inside scoop!

The marriage Sunday of Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo has "inflicted a serious wound on the communion which priests, above all, must show with the church," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

He added that the Holy See feels "deep regret" for Milingo's actions, and said the 71-year-old clergyman can consider himself to be "outside the Catholic Church."

Catholic priests - who take a vow of celibacy - are forbidden to marry unless they leave the clergy. According to Canon Law, Milingo will be excommunicated if the Vatican considers him guilty of violating the church's strict celibacy laws.

Asked if he feared being booted, Milingo, who still considers himself a Catholic, said, "It doesn't affect me. It's nothing to me."

Milingo's decision to wed is seen as a slap in the face of Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, who had shown him leniency in the past, despite pressure from leading Vatican officials to clamp down on the renegade clergyman.

Milingo has long been at odds with the Vatican hierarchy because of his public faith healings and unauthorized exorcisms in his homeland of Zambia.

He and his bride were married in a group ceremony, with 60 other couples, at the New York Hilton by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, head of the Unification Church.

His wife, chosen for him by Moon a few days before the ceremony, is Maria Sung, a 43-year-old South Korean (news - web sites) acupuncturist, whom Milingo met for the first time on Friday. He has said the couple hopes to have children and plans to move to Africa.

Milingo, who four years ago made a music record that sold 12,000 copies, said he has kept his vow of celibacy since 1958, but decided to get married in order to send the Catholic Church a dramatic message that priests should be allowed to wed.

Milingo served as the archbishop of Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, until he resigned under pressure in 1983 after locking horns with the Vatican over the unorthodox way in which he conducted Mass.

He was then transferred to Rome and given a Vatican department job, but was stripped of that post last September, when he continued to conduct impromptu exorcisms.

Archived Stories by Date:

May 27 May 25 May 24 May 23 May 22 May 21 May 20 May 19 May 18 May 17 May 16 May 15 May 14 May 12 May 11 May 09 May 08 May 06 May 05 May 04 May 03 May 01 Apr 29

News Resources Message Boards: Post/Read Msgs Conversations: Start a live discussion News Alerts: South Korean | Pope John Paul | Vatican More Alerts: News Bulletins, News, Mobile, Stocks Chat: Regional > US > New York