Albany’s bishop emeritus asks media outlets to “respect our privacy as a couple”

ALBANY — The Vatican has rejected the laicization request made last year by Albany Bishop Emeritus Howard J. Hubbard, who served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany for 37 years and has seen his legacy tainted by the organization’s handling of child sexual abuse cases.

Hubbard, in an open letter provided to the Times Union on Tuesday, confirmed that he had “fallen in love with a wonderful woman who has helped and cared for me and who believes in me,” adding that they were married last month.

His personal relationship with the unidentified woman was apparently a factor in his decision last year to request to be laicized, a move that came eight years after 84-year-old Hubbard had retired as the longest-serving bishop for the 14-county diocese. He has also faced his own allegations of…