ALBANY, New York (LifeSiteNews) — A retired bishop of Albany, New York, under investigation by the Vatican for allegations of sexual abuse, attempted marriage after Rome refused his request to be removed from the priesthood.
Dissident, pro-LGBT Bishop Howard Hubbard, 84, went through a form of civil marriage to a woman in July. However, the legal bond is canonically invalid due to his priestly vow of celibacy, which prevents a man from marrying without a dispensation from Rome.
The current bishop of Albany, Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, affirmed that the Church’s canonical laws still apply to Hubbard and do not allow him to marry, even though at present he cannot present himself publicly as a priest, due to accusations of sexual misconduct under investigation. The allegations date back to 1977 when Hubbard was first made bishop of Albany.
In a letter issued to the Diocese of Albany, Scharfenberger declared, “While he is not permitted to represent himself as a priest or perform the sacraments in public, Bishop Hubbard remains a retired bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church does not acknowledge his marriage as valid. He remains a retired Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church and therefore cannot enter into marriage.”
Hubbard retired in 2014 and has acknowledged that he covered up allegations of sexual abuse by priests. The retired bishop admitted that the diocese did not always notify law enforcement when allegations were made. However, he has denied accusations that he himself ever abused anyone.
RELATED: Ex-bishop of Albany admits reassigning clerical sex abusers because he feared ‘scandal’
Fr. James Martin is headed to Lisbon to address thousands of young people at World Youth Day (WYD), despite the Jesuit priest’s heretical views on homosexuality and marriage, even to the point of casting doubt on the inerrancy of Scripture.
Please take action now by telling Bishop Américo Aguiar, cardinal-elect and coordinator of World Youth Day Lisbon, to stop Fr. Martin from addressing the youth until he repents of this heresy.
SIGN: Fr. James Martin must repent of his errors before ever being allowed near young people.
The prominently pro-LGBT Jesuit is set to speak at the Jesuit’s pre-WYD Magis event, before speaking at WYD itself.
Already a member of the Dicastery for Communications, the notorious American cleric has enjoyed increasing papal favor despite his longstanding record of promoting LGBT ideology in dissent from Catholic teaching.
The young, impressionable people attending WYD must NOT be misled on Catholic teaching, especially on something as contentious as human sexuality.
SIGN: Fr. James Martin must repent of his errors before ever being allowed near young people.
He has also promoted an image drawn from a series of blasphemous, homoerotic works showing Jesus Christ as a homosexual, promoted same-sex civil unions, and described viewing God as male as “damaging.”
But his participation at the 2023 WYD is not without precedent. In 2018, the Vatican invited him to speak at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland, on “Exploring how Parishes can support those families with members who identify as LGBTI+.”
In recent months, Martin has also enjoyed considerable and consistent support from Pope Francis, despite the priest’s record of heterodoxy on numerous issues of Catholic teaching.
Despite Martin’s continued LGBT activism and the public support he receives from the pope, the Catholic Church teaches that “‘homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered’ and “are contrary to the natural law,” adding explicitly that “under no circumstances can they be approved.”
SIGN: Fr. James Martin must repent of his errors before ever being allowed near young people.
Please SIGN & SHARE this petition with as many people as possible!
In 2022, Hubbard requested laicization from Rome, claiming that he could no longer function in priestly ministry as allegations of abuse were under investigation, a rule that Scharfenberger clarified Hubbard imposed on himself. Laicization would have allowed him to marry.
The request for laicization was denied by the Vatican in March, and seven civil lawsuits remain pending due to the abuse allegations.
In addition to covering up clerical sexual abuse, in 2011, Hubbard offered a Mass for a conference by the Catholic Association for Lesbian & Gay Ministry (CALGM). CALGM, formerly known as the National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM), had earned a reputation for pushing acceptance of homosexuality as an identity and opposing Catholic ministry to help individuals overcome homosexual attractions.
RELATED: Albany Bishop Hubbard to celebrate Mass for dissident homosexual group