Aug 11, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Monsignor Eugene Clark, who has been rector of New York’s historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral since 2001, submitted his resignation Thursday, strongly denying allegations that he had been carrying on an affair with his secretary.
A statement from the Archdiocese of New York said that Cardinal Edward Egan accepted the resignation, which Msgr. Clark “offered…for the good of Saint Patrick's and the Archdiocese.”
It added that "he will not be celebrating Mass or the sacraments publicly until this matter has been resolved."
The Archdiocese said that Monsignor Clarks’s resignation was voluntary, and was not required because he had not done anything illegal and is still contesting the charges.
Msgr. Clark has long been considered a strong proponent of orthodoxy and the moral reclamation of the U.S.