THE US: A former close ally of New Jersey's Governor Jim McGreevey has called on him to resign his membership of the conservative Irish Catholic group, the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH). Sean O'Driscoll in New York reports
Mr Kevin Meara, chairman of the New Jersey AOH's pro-life committee, was reacting to the governor's announcement on Thursday that he is gay and had an adulterous affair with an Israeli man.
Governor McGreevey is a member of the Woodbridge, New Jersey, division of the AOH, where gay and other political groups are banned from the annual St Patrick's Day parade.
Mr Meara stressed that the issue was not simply about Governor McGreevey's sexuality, but about a growing feeling within the AOH that the governor's stances on moral issues were not compatible with the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The AOH has been locked in a long-standing dispute with the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organisation over the right of gay groups to march in St Patrick's Day parades across the United States.
In 1995, the US Supreme Court ruled that parade organisers had a right to exclude gay groups based on the right of the AOH and other groups to free speech and freedom of association.
Governor McGreevey's liberal politics have been a divisive issue within the New Jersey AOH, leading to a bitter debate at a AOH state board meeting earlier this year.
Mr Meara said opposition to the governor was likely to grow after Thursday's announcement.
Mr Jim McFarland, a former state president of the New Jersey AOH, had previously protested to the national AOH leadership about the governor's position on divorce, abortion and gay marriage, but said the governor should not be judged on his sexuality.
"He had taken the oath of the AOH and then he comes out in favour of stem-cell research, abortion rights and gay marriages \ he had violated his AOH oath," he added.
In another twist to the McGreevey controversy, the man alleged to have had an affair with the governor, Mr Golan Cipel, told an Israeli daily newspaper that he is heterosexual and that the governor had made unwanted sexual advances to him.
Mr Cipel's claims have emboldened Mr McGreevey's political opponents, who say that the governor announced his resignation to avoid growing political scandals within his administration.
Last month, police charged Mr Charles Kushner, Governor McGreevey's chief fundraiser, with obstruction of justice after allegedly hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law.
Prosecutors say Mr Kushner wanted to blackmail the man into silence during a campaign finance investigation.
Mr Kushner has admitted using dummy partnerships to channel money to the governor and has agreed to pay a $500,000 fine.
Another McGreevey friend and donor, Mr David D'Amiano, was charged on July 6th with extorting $40,000 from a landowner, Mr Mark Halper.
According to the indictment, Mr D'Amiano arranged to have Mr Halper meet Governor McGreevey to discuss Mr Halper's claim for compensation on a land deal with the state.
Governor McGreevey and Mr D'Amiano have denied any wrongdoing.