The Diocese of Waiapu said the "historic matter of behaviour" had related to church law and was not expected of a priest in the Anglican Church.
When contacted by Hawke's Bay Today, Dr Godfrey said he had two affairs, 25 years ago, "in a terrible week in my life and following a serious sexual assault on me, and when married to my first wife".
"I am not proud of that, and acknowledge that this fell well short of the standards of integrity I expect [of] myself, let alone the church's expectations of a cleft person."
He said Bishop Andrew Hedge had "read these events through a prism very different to my own, and in dismissing me he has done what he thinks is right for the future of the church".
Dr Godfrey said the liaisons had been with consenting adults, not, as was originally alleged by church authorities in recent months, predatory or with a minor.
He is not allowed to hold office or perform any function of a priest for a length of time yet to be determined.
The now 56-year-old took up the Napier Cathedral post in 2013, having previously been based in the Northern Territory of Australia.
At the time, he told Hawke's Bay Today he was a "knockabout sort of a fellow" when it came to becoming engaged with the community and the varied roles he had taken up on his way to, and during, his priestly career.
Dr Godfrey grew up on the Kapiti Coast, attended Wanganui Collegiate and studied for a bachelor of arts degree in English and religious studies at Massey University.
Among his credentials, he had been a broadcasting cadet for Radio New Zealand, a specialist broadcaster in Adelaide and an auxiliary firefighter for the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service, for which he was also chaplain.
- Hawke's Bay Today
