UPDATE: Bishop Eddie Long Wife Files For Divorce And Then Withdraws Petition

UPDATE: FALSE ALARM: Wife still wants Divorce,  The divorce is back on. Just hours after releasing a statement saying she’d reconsidered and would withdraw the paperwork to end her marriage of twenty-one years, Vanessa Long had a change of heart. Her attorney, downplaying the decision, said simply withdrawing the divorce petition was no longer appropriate at this time. Obviously, the wording of that statement leaves the door open for a potential reconciliation, but considering the very public issues the couple has had, it seems likely she’ll move forward. 

We just don't understand why it took so long, and just when we were applauding his wife apparently the church has made her rethink this decision.. in other words put some money in her pocket to keep that mouth shut!   Hours after announcing she had filed for divorce from mega church pastor Bishop Eddie Long, his wife, Vanessa, issued a statement Friday saying she had withdrawn her petition.

Last fall, four young men accused Eddie Long of coercing them into having sex. Their lawsuits were settled in May, then dismissed.

Vanessa Long had issued a statement early Friday morning saying that she had filed for divorce Thursday from Long, the pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

By early afternoon, she had a change of heart.

"Upon prayerful reflection, I have reconsidered and plan to withdraw my petition for divorce from my husband, Bishop Eddie L. Long," she said in an emailed statement bearing the New Birth logo. "I love my husband. I believe in him and admire his strength and courage."

She went on to blame "years of attacks in the media" for her initial decision to seek a divorce.

It was a reversal of her statement Friday morning in which she said, "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," Vanessa Long said in a statement.

Long denied the men's allegations through a spokesman shortly after they became public in September and told his congregation he planned to "vigorously" fight them.