Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8915027/ Aug. 11: A priest at New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral is accused of having an affair with a married woman. NBC's Dawn Fratangelo reports. MSNBC NEW YORK - A Roman Catholic monsignor named in court papers as "the other man" in a divorce case resigned Thursday as rector of St. Patrick's Cathedral, the New York archdiocese said. Cardinal Edward Egan accepted Msgr. Eugene Clark's resignation from the key church position despite the 79-year-old Clark's denials that he has been carrying on an affair with his 46-year-old private secretary, the church said. "He offered his resignation for the good of Saint Patrick's and the archdiocese," the statement said. "He will not be celebrating Mass or the sacraments publicly until this matter has been resolved." Clark had been rector of St. Patrick's in midtown Manhattan since 2001 and had often celebrated Mass there when the cardinal was away. He was named in divorce papers filed last week in Family Court in White Plains by Philip DeFilippo, 46, who said that a private investigator taped his wife, Laura, and the monsignor entering and leaving a Long Island hotel last month. The videotape was shown Monday to New York City newspapers. Clark married the DeFilippos, who have two children, 20 years ago when he was rector of a church in Yonkers, according to published reports, and Laura DeFilippo has worked for Clark for at least 25 years. Philip DeFilippo said his wife had told him she and Clark spent the day sifting through books at a storage facility in a town 30 miles from the hotel shown in the videotape, The New York Times reported. The New York Daily News said the videotape captured Clark and DeFilippo dining on a veranda, returning to their hotel and emerging more than five hours later, wearing different clothing than before. Secretary frequently traveled with monsignor Philip DeFilippo also said that Laura DeFilippo frequently skipped family vacations to travel with Clark. In response to her husband's suspicions, DeFilippo would respond, "What are you worried about, Philip? He's a priest. He's an elderly priest," Philip DeFilippo told the Times. Laura DeFilippo's lawyer, Michael Berger, told the Times the allegations are "totally false and outrageous and completely without merit," and that they were made in an effort to coerce Laura DeFilippo into accepting her husband's stipulations in the divorce. A call to Clark's lawyer, Laura Brevetti, was not immediately returned. Beger and Brevetti previously denied that the monsignor and his secretary had a sexual relationship, accusing Philip DeFilippo of distorting an innocent event. According to the White Plains Journal News, DeFilippo received a temporary order of protection barring his wife from their home after alleging in court papers she had threatened him after he approached her concerning the videotape. Local police confirmed they were investigating a domestic complaint filed Monday by Philip DeFilippo and his teenage daughter. Controversial remarks during church sex-abuse scandal A strong proponent of traditional morality, Clark blamed the church's sex-abuse scandal in 2002 on "the campaign of liberal America against celibacy." The staunch conservative suggested in a homily that homosexuality was a disorder caused by the sinful images that are pervasive in American culture. He also scapegoated seminaries, claiming they deserve blame for allowing homosexuals to enter the ministry, the Times said. His homily was greeted with outrage from numerous Catholics and gay organizations, prompting the archdiocese to say that Clark was speaking only for himself. Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for the archdiocese, said Wednesday that Clark was not asked to step down as rector because unlike priests who were accused of molesting boys, he was not accused of anything illegal and was denying the allegations. Clark hosts a weekly program, "Relationships," on the Catholic television network, according to the White Plains Journal News. He established a committee to raise funds for Vatican museums and is on the board of advisers for a Catholic high school in New York State, where a scholarship is named after him, according to the Times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Critic Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Hey, at least it ain't a kid....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(The Critic @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:37 AM) Hey, at least it ain't a kid....... LOL, thats true. At least he didnt break any laws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:41 AM) LOL, thats true. At least he didnt break any laws. Adultry is against the law... And then, of course, there is that little matter of him being a Roman Catholic monsignor... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:45 AM) Adultry is against the law... And then, of course, there is that little matter of him being a Roman Catholic monsignor... It's against canon law, not civil law. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:45 AM) It's against canon law, not civil law. No... it's a civil law. On the books it 38 states IIRC, and I'm pretty sure NY is one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 I'm pretty sure that when the Supreme Court invalidated the sodomy law in Texas, it invalidated adultery laws as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:45 AM) Adultry is against the law... And then, of course, there is that little matter of him being a Roman Catholic monsignor... when is the last time you saw someone arrested for adultery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:49 AM) when is the last time you saw someone arrested for adultery? What does that have to do with anything...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:48 AM) I'm pretty sure that when the Supreme Court invalidated the sodomy law in Texas, it invalidated adultery laws as well. NY State is not one of them... but one can be arrested for it in 26 other states. www.divorcesource.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:48 AM) I'm pretty sure that when the Supreme Court invalidated the sodomy law in Texas, it invalidated adultery laws as well. The military also still considers adultry "against the law" and for them is an arrestable and punishable offense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Kickass Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 Military Law is different than Civil Law. So the same protections, etc. do not necessarily apply. I wonder if an adultery law was actually enforced, if a conviction would be upheld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(winodj @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 11:08 AM) Military Law is different than Civil Law. So the same protections, etc. do not necessarily apply. I wonder if an adultery law was actually enforced, if a conviction would be upheld. Yes.. I know which is why I made 2 separate points. Doubt it. So many other easier less messy ways to divorce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 10:56 AM) What does that have to do with anything...? Steff this is one of the pettier points you have ever argued. And thats saying alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 11:13 AM) Steff this is one of the pettier points you have ever argued. And thats saying alot. I'm not arguing anything. Just correcting. Petty... don't trip over that kettle next to ya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyyle23 Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(Steff @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 11:18 AM) I'm not arguing anything. Just correcting. Petty... don't trip over that kettle next to ya. I would have to step over your two cents to do it. And they seem to be everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steff Posted August 17, 2005 Author Share Posted August 17, 2005 QUOTE(kyyle23 @ Aug 17, 2005 -> 11:26 AM) I would have to step over your two cents to do it. And they seem to be everywhere. Yes.. they are. You need a tissue.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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