Tag Archives: Father Alberto Cutie
Father Alberto Cutie CBS 'The Early Show' Exclusive Interview
Posted on 11. May, 2009 by CSS.
A popular Miami priest and media personality –nicknamed Father Oprah thanks to his role as an advice columnist — says he is thinking about leaving the Roman Catholic Church for a woman he loves after a Spanish language magazine ran pictures of the couple kissing and hugging last week.
Father Alberto Cutie told the CBS Early Show on Monday he supports the church’s stand that priests should be celibate and said he does not want to become the “anti-celibacy priest,” but admitted to having had sex with the woman and is conflicted about how to proceed in the wake of a scandal that has reignited the debate over celibacy rules in the Catholic Church.
In the images which ran in NOTAS Magazine last week, the priest can be seen caressing and kissing an unidentified woman. Both are in bathing suits.
“I don’t support the breaking of the celibacy promise. I understand fully that this is wrong,” Cutie said.
“I don’t want to be the anti-celibacy priest. I think that’s unfortunate. I think it’s a debate that’s going on in our society, and now I’ve become kind of a poster boy for it. But I don’t want to be that. I believe that celibacy is good, and that it’s a good commitment to God. This is something I’ve struggled with. And something that I never expected to become a public debate.”
Cutie insists that he is deeply sorry over all that has happened.
The Father says said the woman in the photos “is someone that I love. … I entered the seminary 22 years ago. And in 22 years I’ve never had a sexual relationship with anyone. I committed myself fully to my vows. I’ve never been sexually inappropriate with anyone. I’ve never had any type of scandal. This is the only person that I’ve had sexual contact with.”
“I believe I’ve fallen in love,” he added. “And I believe that I’ve struggled with that. You know, between my love for God and my love for the church and my love for service. Of course, it’s something that a man should never have to deal with in the sense of his commitment, you know. If I was clear in my commitment, I should have stuck to it 100 percent. And I didn’t.”
