US: Evangelist pastor Ted Haggard has stepped down from the leadership of his 14,000-member mega-church and admitted "sexual immorality" after claims that he used crystal methamphetamine during regular sex sessions with a gay escort.
Rev Haggard, a vocal opponent of civil rights for gays and lesbians and a prominent Christian ally of President George Bush, said in a letter to his New Life Church in Colorado Springs that he had fought a long battle with a "repulsive" side of his life.
"I am so sorry for the circumstances that have caused shame and embarrassment for all of you.
"The fact is I am guilty of sexual immorality. And I take responsibility for the entire problem.
"I am a deceiver and a liar. There's a part of my life that is so repulsive and dark that I have been warring against it for all of my adult life," he said.
Rev Haggard resigned last week as leader of the National Association of Evangelicals and admitted buying crystal methamphetamine from Mike Jones, a gay escort. Initially, Rev Haggard said he had never actually used the drug and claimed not to have had sex with Mr Jones.
A church investigation found that the pastor had indeed committed "sexually immoral conduct" and he admitted yesterday that some of the escort's claims were true.
"The accusations made against me are not all true, but enough of them are that I was appropriately removed from this church leadership position," he said.
Mr Jones, who is gay, said he went public with his information because of Rev Haggard's support for a constitutional amendment in Colorado that would forbid the state legislature or the courts from legalising gay marriage.