The Curious Case of Father Cutié

The story of Father Alberto Cutié, the Florida media priest who was caught in tabloid photos cavorting on the beach with a young lady, presents a number of lessons that have been given scant attention in the widespread coverage of the case. Like a highway collision, many wrong turns have been made and Father Cutié, unwittingly or not, has involved many innocent bystanders in his personal crack-up.

Indeed, weeks after the affair was made public, Father Cutié careened further from the road and renounced his priesthood and the Catholic Church, entering the Episcopal Church in Florida with the woman who is now his fiancée.

Thus, sexual scandal has led to schism, and it is no secret that men have trod this path before. In fact – I hope I am not indelicate to point this out – the whole Episcopal (Anglican) Church was founded on the lust of a powerful man who wished to break his (marriage) vows. Call it “The Way of Henry VIII": A man cannot keep his sexual promise and ends up blaming the Church and her authorities for the stringent rules.

Call It Infidelity

At the heart of the case is infidelity, plain and simple, though the term is rarely heard in connection with Father Cutié. Rather, somehow the fact that a priest was unable to keep his promise of sexual continence has resulted in a renewed round of criticism of the discipline of celibacy, proving once again that celibacy is a sign of contradiction, unacceptable to our hyper-sexualized age.

In following the case in the media, I have had a few recurring thoughts:

1. What about the woman? Has anyone thought about the plight of the young lady who apparently has fallen in love with a priest and gained his love in return? Has anyone suggested to her that a man who would break a sacred, sacramental vow before God related to his priesthood might be prone to break a sacred though non-sacramental vow related to his marriage? (Marriage is not a sacrament in the Anglican tradition).
2. Whither the Episcopal Church? It seems beyond strange that the Episcopal bishop in Florida who received Father Cutié and his fiancée into the Anglican communion would give him immediate faculties to preach, with an eye toward ministerial ordination. Is there no thought that Father Cutié has acted hastily and is fresh from breaking promise after promise to his Catholic bishop and the Catholic Church? The bishop’s stance seems to be that any behavior that rejects sexual restraint and glorifies the self is to be praised and accepted. But I guess that has been the direction of the Episcopal Church for years.
3. Both Father Cutié and the Episcopal bishop acted irresponsibly in relation to the Catholic Bishop of Miami, John Favalora, who was kind enough to grant Father Cutié a leave of his duties and time to reflect after the beach photos were published. According to Bishop Favalora, Father Cutié never informed him of his decision to abandon his priesthood and the Catholic Church, though the priest had promised loyalty and obedience to his bishop at ordination. Likewise with the Episcopal bishop – he never consulted Bishop Favalora about receiving this high-profile Catholic priest into the Episcopal fold.

The big loser in all this, of course, is Father Cutié. He remains a priest of Jesus Christ, with the indelible mark on his soul from his Catholic ordination, yet he is giving up the privilege of consecrating bread and wine into the true Body and Blood of Jesus, for in the Anglican tradition he will no longer intend to do this.  

My hope and prayer is that Father Cutié will come to his senses, if nowhere else, at least on his deathbed. As he faces his final moments, may he call for the anointing of a Catholic priest.