Excommunicated Archbishop Milingo Ordains Two Married Men as Priests in New Jersey

Excommunicated Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo of the Archdiocese of Baltimore has ordained two more married men as priests, continuing a pattern of unauthorized sacramental acts. Raymond A. Grosswirth of Rochester, N.Y., and Dominic Riccio of Newark were ordained on Dec. 10 at Trinity Reformed Church in West New York, N.J., a venue associated with Patrick Trujillo, one of four men previously ordained as bishops by Milingo in September. The ordinations occurred during a three-day convention of Married Priests Now!, an organization founded by Milingo to advocate for changes to the celibacy requirement for Catholic priests in the Latin Church.

The Diocese of Paterson, N.J., which oversees the area where the ordinations took place, has distanced itself from Milingo’s actions. Marianna Thompson, director of communications for the diocese, stated in a formal release that the archbishop’s “words and actions … fall outside the purview” of local church officials, including Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli. The diocese has not issued further public statements on the matter.

Archbishop Milingo has publicly criticized the Vatican for what he describes as racial and economic bias in its disciplinary actions. In a Dec. 2 statement, he accused the Vatican of excommunicating him for his ordinations while overlooking similar actions by Chinese and Polish National Catholic Church bishops. “The Vatican excommunicated me on Sept. 26, two days after I consecrated four married men as bishops, because I am from the poor country of Africa,” he said. “But this year China consecrates its third bishop without a mandate and receives no excommunication. And the Polish National Catholic Church ordained four married bishops and received no excommunication. This is unfair treatment and is racially motivated.”

Two days after Milingo’s statement, the Vatican responded, noting that a new Chinese bishop and the bishops who ordained him face automatic excommunication if they acted of their own free will. The Holy See emphasized its awareness of the “spiritual drama and suffering” of those involved in unauthorized ordinations, while reaffirming its adherence to traditional Catholic doctrine.

Dominic Riccio, 72, and his wife, Claire, have four children and two grandchildren. Raymond Grosswirth, 57, has been married since 1994 to his wife, Brenda. Both men have been affiliated with Milingo’s movement, which seeks to challenge the celibacy requirement for priests in the Latin Church. Their ordinations, like those of previous participants, have been deemed illicit by the Catholic Church, leading to automatic excommunication for those involved.

Milingo’s actions have sparked debate within the Catholic community, raising questions about the boundaries of ecclesiastical authority and the role of tradition in church governance. The situation highlights the tensions between individual conviction and institutional discipline, as well as the broader implications of doctrinal disagreements within the global Catholic Church.

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