Married archbishop not ready to see wife
A Zambian archbishop who scandalised the Catholic Church by getting married last year only to later renounce the union says that despite a long period of seclusion, he is still not ready to see the woman again.
Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo married South Korean acupuncturist Maria Sung in a group ceremony led by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, then rejected the marriage after a request from Pope John Paul II.
Milingo subsequently vanished from public view, to the despair of his wife.
Following a one-year secret spiritual retreat in Argentina, Milingo has made peace with the Church and is back in Italy, at an undisclosed location.
Asked in a rare TV interview broadcast yesterday if he would meet Sung in the future, Milingo said: “No, I think that for now it’s a bit difficult.
“I love her, and we have to love everyone,” he said on yesterday’s Porta a Porta talk show. “To love everyone includes Maria Sung.”
Vatican officials say Milingo will eventually take up his ministry again, and will appear in public in Zagarolo, a town on the outskirts of Rome where a wealthy supporter is outfitting a villa for him.
