Retired Albany bishop enters civil marriage after Vatican refuses to laicize him
August 02, 2023
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CWN Editor's Note: Bishop Howard Hubbard, accused of sexually abusing nine boys, has contracted a civil marriage with “a wonderful woman who has helped and cared for me and who believes in me”—an act that has resulted in his automatic suspension under canon law.
Bishop Hubbard, who is 84 years old, had petitioned the Vatican for laicization in order to marry. His petition was denied. Ironically, the potential punishments for a cleric who attempts marriage include laicization.
The prelate, who was bishop of Albany (NY) from 1977 to 2014, is the subject of a Vatican investigation and numerous abuse suits.
Praised in 2015 by Father James Martin, SJ, as “another of my heroes,” Bishop Hubbard was the subject of “Agony in Albany,” a 1991 series in The Wanderer that chronicled dissent from Catholic teaching among diocesan officials.
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