Text: Excerpt of Vatican's communique to ex-bishop Lugo

Translated exclusviely for AmP by a Spanish-speaking friend:

The recent situation which has been created with the election of Mons. Fernando Lugo President of the Republic of Paraguay demands another consideration of, for the good of the country and so that the charge of President of the Republic and the Episcopal ministry can be clearly and definitively distinguished, the petition that he presented in his day that the loss of his clerical state be conceded. In effect, his acceptance of the charge of President of the Republic of Paraguay is not compatible with the obligations of Episcopal ministry and clerical state.

In this way, having carefully examined all the circumstances, His Holiness Benedict XVI has conceded for him the loss of clerical state, with the corresponding loss of those rights inherent to that state, dispensing him at the same time of his religious vows made in the Society of the Divine Word, of the obligation to celibacy (cf. CIC can. 291), and of the other obligations which make up the clerical state (cf. CIC can. 292).

The Pontiff exhorts to Mr. Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez to be faithful to the Catholic faith in which he was baptized and to live a life coherent with the Gospel.

Note the use of "Mr." (as opposed to "Rev.") in the final address.

The original, full Spanish text is available here.