The Gay Archbishop Tells All

In the US, former Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert G. Weakland came out openly about his homosexuality and writes a memoir about his gay relationship.

Here is the New York Times Story.

"Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland of Milwaukee was one of the Catholic Church's most venerable voices for change until 2002 when he abruptly retired after his involvement in a sexual relationship became known.

Archbishop Weakland, who had been the intellectual touchstone for church reformers, has written a memoir scheduled for release in June 2009. In it he speaks out about how internal church politics affected his response to the fallout from his romantic affair; how bishops and the Vatican cared more about the rights of abusive priests than about their victims; and why Catholic teaching on homosexuality is wrong.

On ABC's "Good Morning America" in 2002, the man the archbishop had fallen in love with 23 years earlier said the Milwaukee archdiocese paid him $450,000 years before to keep quiet about his affair with the archbishop -- an affair the man called date rape.

Archbishbop Weakland said he had been aware of his homosexual orientation since he was a teenager and suppressed it until he became archbishop, when he had relationships with several men because of "loneliness that became very strong." He said he was probably the first Catholic bishop to come out of the closet voluntarily."


For the complete article, visit: http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/w/rembert_g_weakland/index.html