Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Mgr Emmanuel Milingo, archbishop emeritus of Lusaka, was excommunicated for publicly ordaining four new bishops belonging to an association of married priests. In a statement released by the Vatican Press Office, the Holy see announced that "[f]or this public act both Archbishop Milingo and the four ordinands have incurred excommunication latae sententiae," i.e. with immediate effect, for splitting with church regulations and for "sowing division and disarray among the faithful".

In recent years, Mgr Milingo had acquired notoriety for his "healing" liturgies in which he invoked the Holy Spirit to spiritually and physically restore to health patients.

In 2001 he "married" Maria Sung, a Korean woman, thus beginning a close collaboration with the Moonist sect in order to spread a pseudo-religion with a married clergy in Africa.

John Paul II had patiently tried to bring him back to the fold of the Church. He succeeded, briefly. But after a period of silence, Mgr Milingo reappeared in the United States.

"Church representatives of various levels," said the Vatican note, "have tried in vain to contact Archbishop Milingo in order to dissuade him from persisting in actions that provoke scandal, especially among the faithful who followed his pastoral ministry in favor of the poor and the sick."

"Bearing in mind the understanding shown, also recently, by Peter's Successor towards this aged pastor of the Church, the Holy See has awaited with vigilant patience the evolution of events which, unfortunately, have led Archbishop Milingo to a position of irregularity and of progressively open rupture of communion with the Church, first with his attempted marriage and then with the ordination of four bishops on Sunday, September 24, in Washington D.C., U.S.A.".

The Vatican noted that in the last few months it "had hoped that the fraternal influence of people close to Archbishop Milingo would cause him to rethink and return to full communion with the Pope. Unfortunately the latest developments have made these hopes more unlikely."

The press release ends urging all the community of the faithful and members of the Church to pray in "times of ecclesial suffering such as these".