Church dismisses top pastor in US

DENVER – A powerful US religious leader at the centre of gay sex and drugs allegations was dismissed from his church on Saturday after an internal investigation found he was guilty of sexual misconduct.

A statement released by the New Life Church following an inquiry into the lurid accusations surrounding Pastor Ted Haggard said it had been “proven without a doubt” the churchman had “committed sexually immoral conduct.” Haggard, who had stepped down from his post at the church and as leader of the powerful National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) earlier this week, on Friday admitted to buying drugs and having a massage from a male prostitute.But the 50-year-old married father of five has steadfastly denied he had ever had sex with his accuser, Mike Jones, who claimed the religious leader had regularly paid for sex with him over a three-year period.The New Life Church’s overseer board said in a statement it was satisfied Haggard – a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage who has close links to the White House – was guilty of sexual misconduct.”In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behaviour Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal,” the statement said.Haggard and his wife had been informed of the dismissal and were in agreement with the decision, the statement added.A letter of explanation and apology from Haggard, who founded the 14 000-member mega-church in the basement of his home in 1984, would be read out at Sunday services, the statement said.As head of the 30 million-strong NAE, Haggard was one of the most powerful religious leaders in the United States before the scandal erupted.Time magazine voted him one of the top 25 most influential evangelicals in 2005.Nampa-AFPHaggard, who had stepped down from his post at the church and as leader of the powerful National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) earlier this week, on Friday admitted to buying drugs and having a massage from a male prostitute.But the 50-year-old married father of five has steadfastly denied he had ever had sex with his accuser, Mike Jones, who claimed the religious leader had regularly paid for sex with him over a three-year period.The New Life Church’s overseer board said in a statement it was satisfied Haggard – a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage who has close links to the White House – was guilty of sexual misconduct.”In consultation with leading evangelicals and experts familiar with the type of behaviour Pastor Haggard has demonstrated, we have decided that the most positive and productive direction for our church is his dismissal and removal,” the statement said.Haggard and his wife had been informed of the dismissal and were in agreement with the decision, the statement added.A letter of explanation and apology from Haggard, who founded the 14 000-member mega-church in the basement of his home in 1984, would be read out at Sunday services, the statement said.As head of the 30 million-strong NAE, Haggard was one of the most powerful religious leaders in the United States before the scandal erupted.Time magazine voted him one of the top 25 most influential evangelicals in 2005.Nampa-AFP