O’Brien said by his actions Clemens is automatically distancing himself further from the church.

Quoting from canon law, O’Brien said, “Any priest who attempts marriage even if only civilly incurs an automatic suspension. If after a warning, he does not have a change of heart and continues to give scandal he can progressively be punished by deprivations or even dismissal from the clerical state.”

The act of entering into a public marriage does not qualify him for ex-communication, however.

“I think some people will be very upset, but we have to follow canon law,” O’Brien said. “There’s a gradual progression because any penalty in the church is to try and bring the person around. They’re there to help the person see their way more clearly.”

O’Brien said he will be in touch with Clemens to inform him of the automatic suspension he has incurred and that he is liable for further measures.

“Depending on how he reacts, then we will have to make a judgment as to how to react,” O’Brien said.

Michael Glatze, a former proponent of gay rights and founder of Young Gay America magazine in 2004, began publicly retelling his story of conversion just before Clemens’ announcement.

“This gentleman is not doing anything different from everybody else out there who is making excuses for bad behaviour,” Glatze said of Clemens. “I’m sorry this guy has to do this because I was there in that lifestyle wholeheartedly — it wasn’t just tangential to my life it was integral to my life and I was very vehement about changing people’s minds. Fortunately I came out of that mindset.”

The fact that a former practising priest or any other religious figure would bring God and human rights into the issue of supporting homosexuality simply makes him sad, Glatze said.

“I’m just doing my best to listen and respond to the will of God. Obviously human perspectives no matter how convincing aren’t going to change God’s truth,” Glatze said.