Embattled church leader Eddie Long has apologized for participating in a ceremony at his church where he was declared a king and wrapped in a “Holocaust Torah.”
“The ceremony was not my suggestion, nor was it my intent, to participate in any ritual that is offensive in any manner to the Jewish community, or any group,”said Long on Sunday.
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“Furthermore, I sincerely denounce any action that depicts me as a King, for I am merely just a servant of the Lord”
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The apology came in the form of a letter to Bill Nigut, southeast regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Video of the ceremony went viral online. It featured Long being brought on stage at New Birth Baptist Church by Rabbi Ralph Messer. It unfolds with Long being presented with a scroll supposedly recovered from the Holocaust, wrapped in it, hoisted in a chair and paraded around the stage. “He’s a king,” declared Messer. “God’s blessed him. He’s a humble man. But in him is kingship.”
Rabbis across the country denounced the ceremony for being a fake ritual and for its misuse of a sacred scroll.
Nigut said in response to the apology, “I thought it was a very heartfelt, sincere, humble apology. I was very gratified by Bishop Long apparently recognizing what our concern was.”
Follow Donovan X. Ramsey on Twitter at @idxr
