Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who resigned following revelations he was gay and having an extramarital affair with a male staffer, has been denied admission to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church.
Jim McGreevey
The church, which accepts gays and women into the clergy, is bothered by McGreevey’s bitter divorce from Dina Matos in 2008, and the fairly recent turmoil in his life, including his nationally televised resignation.
“It was not being gay but for being a jackass — [McGreevey] didn’t come out of the whole divorce looking good,” said a source with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.
Some leaders also were wary of McGreevey’s sudden embrace of their faith after his scandal and feared the church was being used, the source added.
After resigning as governor, “he was sort of looking for every angle to make a complete redo of his professional life,” said another church source. “He ran to the church for some kind of cover, which isn’t fully appropriate. Even if he’s a good guy, he should wait five to 10 years to get over his issues.”
McGreevey, who converted from Catholicism after leaving office, had been studying to become a priest since 2007.
Filed under: New Jersey
Florida teen fighting criminal charges related to same-sex relationship
Wash. florist who refused flowers for gay couple’s wedding files suit against state
Anti-gay marriage activist commits suicide on alter at Notre Dame cathedral
Texas judge enforces ‘morality clause’ to split up lesbian couple
Harvey: Gays deserve to be fired for displaying their lifestyles to everyone
Catholic school: Transgender student must wear girl’s graduation gown
Another Ore. bakery refuses to provide wedding cake for same-sex couple
Sex and the teenage girl: The Kaitlyn Hunt tragedy
UPDATED: Police call fatal New York City shooting an anti-gay hate crime
Iowa anti-gay activist explains his opposition to gay marriage: ‘It’s awful’
Details emerge in case against teen accused of lewd behavior with girlfriend
Scottish cardinal to atone for sexual misconduct with younger clergy
BREAKING: French president signs marriage equality bill into law
Everything is bigger in Texas – even the homophobia
Pa. school still refuses to announce transgender grad by his chosen name
lol
I would have to agree with them.
Here’s something to consider. I was always taught to never judge anyone, not now, not ever. I thought the only one who can judge anyone was “GOD”.. Seems to me the Epscopalians got things messed up a bit.
Can I interject here? My former spouse happens to be gay – we were married 15 years along with his lying and cheating and treating me like crap – we spent the entire time in counseling, with me hearing all the while that I had a good man and was stuck on unrealistic expectations…….that said, ultimately, we had an acrimonious divorce and almost 12 years later, have not figured out how to be civil except seldom, we cannot coparent our kids appropriately – thank God I have an amazing group of gay guy friends who remind me that the McCreeveys of the world don’t represent the gay population as a whole – it is clear that he screwed up the marriage and divorce:(……I hope the Episcopal church made the right choice here……I have been thinking a great deal about this since yesterday when the story broke.
How interesting!
“Judging” someone is not the same thing as thinking they may not be the best choice for a very specific role. Jim McGreevey is a child of God, and a human being with gifts. He is also a human being with a complex history. After discussion, prayer, and thought, the committee on ministry decided that he is not right now ready for the role of providing spiritual guidance and temporal leadership in the Episcopal Church.
God bless you for still loving your gay friends, after how your ex-husband treated you. As a gay man myself, nothing makes me more furious than when a straight woman is the “collateral damage” in a gay man’s “journey of self discovery.” Let’s hope the next generation of women don’t have to ever go through this heartbreak. The Episcopal Church already has a glut of priests, McGreevey should look elsewhere for his redemption.