Tuesday, August 14, 2001—As clergy of many denominations with the highest regard and respect for the Roman Catholic Church, we are deeply concerned about Archbishop Milingo's seeming inability to communicate to the world his will, wishes and state of well being. His silence allows for the perception that he is being detained against his will. Many of us in the 12,000 member, American Clergy Leadership Conference are African Americans and are very concerned that he could possibly be subject to ill treatment because of his ethnic background.

Our sympathies and empathies are for Archbishop Milingo and Maria because they recently toured America and the Archbishop powerfully proclaimed the Gospel and brought healing to many persons of all races. At all times he affirmed his sacred commitment to the Holy See and his beloved Catholic Church. We believe that his witness is a brilliant light to the world.

When he apprised us of his plans to visit his Holy Father we strongly supported him and wished him well in his sacred commitments and intentions. While we are cautious not to interfere in the internal doctrinal and practice matters of the Catholic Church, or any other religious body, we respectfully honored his intent to go with his wife, Maria Sung, and by his personal example, to show that celibacy in not to be the only way of life for efficacious priesthood, as well as to affirm marriage as one of the highest sacraments as an option. We can only share with you our belief that his decision to marry was guided by the hope that his example would bring solace to the many priests throughout the world who have married and lost the sanction to perform priestly functions.

We wish also to unequivocally affirm the fact that Archbishop Milingo did not join the Unification Church and has never had any intentions of joining it. On the basis of the integrity of his commitment to the Catholic Church and the integrity of his cause we stood with him in several press conference in America and we stand with him now.

Our request and prayer is that he be granted the opportunity to come forth and speak for himself at the earliest possible time.

We enthusiastically await his promised return.

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