Upon prayerful reflection, I have reconsidered and plan to withdraw my petition for divorce from my husband, said Vanessa Long, in a statement released Friday by New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Georgia.
It was just yesterday that filed for divorce from her husband of 20 years, saying, After a great deal of deliberation and prayer, I have decided to terminate my marriage to Bishop Eddie L. Long. Accordingly, I authorized my attorneys to file for divorce on December 1, 2011.
Bishop Long has been involved in a series of highly publicized sexual abuse scandals over the past two years.
This summer, Eddie Longs church, New Birth Missionary Baptist, dismissed widely circulated rumors that Vanessa had moved out of the couples home shortly after Eddie settled a sexual misconduct case with four men for $15 million.
The settlement stemmed from accusations made against the bishop by Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson, who all claimed that Long sexually abused them as young men, offering them gifts and money for their participation. Long denies any wrongdoing.
In October of this year, however, the bishop was involved in yet another scandal when 10 parishioners of his church brought a lawsuit against Long alleging that they lost more than a million dollars after being influenced by Long to invest in businessman Ephren Taylors company, City Capital.
Eddie Longs marriage to Vanessa was his second marriage. The two married in 1990 and have three children together; Edward, Jared and Taylor.
