Retired bishop in New York state gets married after bid to leave priesthood denied
An 84-year-old retired bishop of Albany says he recently married a woman in a civil ceremony
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.An 84-year-old retired bishop of Albany, who has been accused of sexual abuse and has unsuccessfully sought to be removed from the priesthood, said Tuesday he recently married a woman in a civil ceremony.
Emeritus Bishop Howard Hubbard made the surprise announcement during a tumultuous time for the Albany diocese. It filed for bankruptcy this year after a surge of lawsuits from people who say they endured sexual abuse as children, sometimes decades ago.
The current bishop of the upstate New York diocese said it did not consider Hubbard's marriage to be valid.
Hubbard, who retired in 2014, has acknowledged covering up allegations of abuse by priests, in part to avoid scandal. He has adamantly denied accusations that he abused minors.
Hubbard last fall said he wanted to be laicized, or returned to the lay state, because he could no longer function as a priest due to a U.S. church policy that bars accused priests from ministry. It also would have relieved him of his celibacy obligations.
But his request to the Vatican was rejected in March and he was encouraged to wait patiently while the seven civil lawsuits against him are resolved, Hubbard said in a prepared statement.
“I could be 91 or 92 before these legal matters are concluded,” Hubbard said. “In the meantime, I have fallen in love with a wonderful woman who has helped and cared for me and who believes in me.”
Hubbard said they were married in a civil ceremony in July.
Albany Bishop Edward Scharfenberger said rules against marriage still apply to Hubbard, even though he cannot represent himself as a priest.
“The Church does not acknowledge his marriage as valid,” Scharfenberger said in a letter to the diocese. “He remains a retired Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore cannot enter into marriage.”
Scharfenberger said he was still processing the “unexpected news.”
The Albany diocese, like others around the state, is dealing with lawsuits dating to when New York temporarily suspended the statute of limitations to give people who say they were victims of childhood sexual abuse the ability to pursue decades-old allegations.
A representative for Hubbard declined to provide further information. Hubbard asked that reporters and others respect his privacy.
“My life on the public stage has come to an end,” he said.