Father McGreevey? Not so fast.

Many readers have sent along the New York Post story that uses unnamed sources to report that former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey is not being allowed to join the priesthood of the Episcopal Church. It's written with about as much nuance as you've come to expect from the Post, but at least they've corrected a few errors that were in the original version of the story. Now, for instance, they have the correct name of the bishop of the Newark Diocese. Here's the story:

Don't call him Father Jim just yet.

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey -- who shocked the nation in 2004 when he announced he was a "gay American" and stepped down from office -- has been denied his bid to join the priesthood of the Episcopal Church, The Post has learned.

Church leaders, who have long embraced gay parishioners and clergy, were bothered by McGreevey's bitter divorce, sources told The Post.

"It was not being gay but for being a jackass -- [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good," said a source with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark.

It gets even more gossipy from there. On the other hand, it also includes (for some reason also unnamed) sources who say that it's very common for first-time aspirants to be told they need to continue with their studies or charitable work before entering the priesthood. And the Post did try to get McGreevey and Bishop Mark Beckwith on the record. They both declined.

The story ends this way:

He continues to live in Plainfield, NJ, with his lover since 2005, Australian real-estate executive Mark O'Donnell.

Is that Post style for all cohabitation? Or just the same-sex ones? Wouldn't "boyfriend" or "partner" be a better choice?

The Star-Ledger, on the other hand, took the Post report and fleshed it out a bit more. It got McGreevey on the record (albeit about something other than the ordination process) and included more explanation of the discernment process:

The Rev. Sandye Wilson, rector of St. Andrew and Holy Communion Episcopal Church in South Orange, said the journey to ordination is different for everyone.

"There is the academic experience in the seminary and ... a mutual discernment on the part of the person preparing for ordination and a committee of people guiding that person," Wilson said. "There is no guarantee that anyone who goes to the seminary that you will be ordained. The invitation to an ordination even says 'God willing.' God needs to be willing and the people of God need to be consenting."

The ordination path of a scandal-ridden former governor is newsworthy. While it's incredibly difficult to get anyone in a bureaucracy to speak on the record about personnel matters, looks like the Star-Ledger did a better job than the Post.


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