RELIGION : Archbishop’s Paramour Speaks
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ATLANTA — Vickie Long, the Roman Catholic church worker whose affair with an archbishop led to his downfall, said today she loves him, considers herself married to him and urged him to remain strong in the face of public pressure.
Long, 27, also told reporters at a news conference that church officials knew of her relationship with Archbishop Eugene A. Marino from its beginning in December, 1988.
“Archbishop Marino and I exchanged marriage vows in December, 1988, and I have considered myself to be married to him since that time,” said Long.
Marino stepped down July 10, claiming he was in need of medical and psychological therapy. Last month, his successor, Bishop James P. Lyke, announced that the main reason for Marino’s resignation was the Long affair.
Long’s attorney, Gloria Allred of Los Angeles, claimed that Marino seduced Long when she went to him for comfort over an affair she had had with another priest.
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