The Clarion-Ledger
December 2, 2011
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20111202/NEWS03/111202016/Televangelist-Bishop-Eddie-Long-s-wife-files-divorce?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CHome
 |
| In this Jan. 18 2007 file photo, Bishop Eddie Long, of the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, in Lithonia, Ga. gestures during an interview in Lithonia. Long's wife filed for divorce Thursday, Dec. 1, 2011. / File/AP Photo |
ATLANTA — More than a year after several men in the Atlanta area sued a televangelist over alleged sexual abuse, his wife is filing to dissolve their marriage.
Vanessa Long, wife of Bishop Eddie Long, asked for a divorce Thursday in DeKalb County Superior Court, saying the marriage is "irretrievably broken" and that the couple, who have been married for more than 20 years, are separated. They have two children.
Last fall four young men accused Eddie Long, senior pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga., of coercing them through trips and gifts into having sex. The minister strongly denied the allegations. A civil suit on the matter was settled earlier this year.
Vanessa Long's divorce petition says they have "no hope of reconciliation." She is asking for alimony.
"It is my sincere hope that this matter can be resolved expeditiously, harmoniously, and fairly," she said in a statement issued Friday. "I ask that you respect my privacy and that of my family."
Long, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, built his 150-member congregation into a following of 25,000 people and a televangelist empire.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.