Manning and Kotowski.
The Reverend Michael Manning, who runs a worldwide televised ministry, admitted to breaking his vow of celibacy — with his second cousin, Nancy Kotowski. In response to admitting the affair, Manning has taken a leave of absence from his ministry. Kotowski, a school superintendent in Monterey County, California, broke off her sexual relationship with Manning three years ago, but Manning is using his personal experience as a platform to discuss changing the rules that say priests must remain celibate. "The reality is I was living two lives: one as a priest who was vowed to celibacy and another life as a sexually active man in our sexual intimacy," Manning wrote to his cousin. "We've been such good friends, and there's a deep love we have for each other. The sexuality was secondary. It's very hard when you care for someone, but I love my priesthood more. I admit the fact of my sinfulness. I've done wrong. That's why I've stopped." Manning appears on The Word in the World, a weekly show on the Trinity Broadcasting Network.
