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Rev. Alberto Cutié | 05/07/2009 9:25 am

'Padre Oprah' Catholic Rev. Alberto Cutié Caught With Woman on Beach, Church Peeved

Wildly popular Cutié recently said Catholic priests should be allowed to marry, Church makes him take leave; supporters rally.
By The staff at wowOwow.com
Rev. Alberto Cutié © AP

The Catholic Church is none too happy with popular Rev. Alberto Cutié after the popular Miami Beach priest said priests should be able to marry — and was then caught out and about with a woman.  

Rev. Cutié, 40, is wildly popular in Florida and is a bestselling author and host of his own show, "Padre Alberto." He’s known as "Padre Oprah" for his advice on love and relationships. But last week he told a Spanish-language Miami TV station that Catholic priests should be allowed to wed, saying: "If they [church officials] want to discipline me, let them discipline me, but I think the option would be better and healthier.” He was then caught getting a little too cozy with a woman in public. He was relieved of his duties, and while the Church says it’s up to him whether he wants to repent, the Episcopalians may have a better offer for him.

”He is welcome in our church,” Bishop Leo Frade of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida told The Miami Herald. ”For us, a single guy on the beach with his girlfriend is no problem. Episcopalians look at this and scratch their heads.”

Meanwhile, Cutié’s supporters — and there are a lot of them — are holding a rally this morning in support of him in South Beach.

”We are gathering together to show our friendship and support for all the work he has done in Miami and around the world,” Yohayra Dajud de La Fuentes, a parishioner and rally organizer, told the Herald. "He changed our lives and is a channel of God’s light.”

What do you think? Should Catholic priests be allowed to marry? 

50 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Diana T
This is a good example of how out of touch and antiquated the Catholic Church is. He was doing what young men his age do.  He’s normal, he’s hetero, and he must have been a very dedicated person to join the priesthood in the first place.  Hopefully, he will become an Episcopalian so he can continue his good works, but also lead a normal life.
By Diana T on 05/07/2009 9:39 am
DeBúrca obj
Another reason to love the Episcopal Church!
By DeBúrca obj on 05/07/2009 11:18 am
Diana T
So right, DeB… :-)  It is not at all unusual for former Catholic priests to be priests in our Church for just this reason.  The Catholic Hierarchy is requiring the unrealistic for normal men.  BTW,  it’s ok to be a woman and be a priest also in our denomination…
By Diana T on 05/07/2009 12:35 pm
DeBúrca obj
The Episcopal Church I’ve been attending has a woman priest. I don’t know what to call her! The United Methodists (my church as a child) and the United Church of Christ (the church I attended since I first married in 1979) have woman pastors, but you just call them "Reverend ________" whether it’s a man or woman.
By DeBúrca obj on 05/07/2009 4:19 pm
Diana T
I just call them Reverend Mary or Reverend Marsha.
By Diana T on 05/07/2009 7:34 pm
DeBúrca obj
That’s what I would have probably assumed, but somebody called her "Mother Susan" and that sort of threw me off. I’d feel strange saying that.
By DeBúrca obj on 05/07/2009 8:39 pm
Diana T

She would have felt strange, too, I assure you.  She’s probably too polite to correct them.

BTW,  I have posted a lot of source material in the Pakistan refugee section; tell me what your thoughts are.

By Diana T on 05/07/2009 8:44 pm
Maggie W
Yes, of course, I do.  Why not?  They might be happier and there might be fewer scandals.  But no one goes up against the archaic laws of the Catholic Church.  Alberto needs to know when to fold ‘em and run with the Episcopalians .
By Maggie W on 05/07/2009 9:40 am
Kristy B
Why aren’t they allowed to marry?  Protestant clergymen are allowed to marry.
By Kristy B on 05/07/2009 9:44 am
Diana T
Because the Pope says so, that’s why, Kristy…
By Diana T on 05/07/2009 8:45 pm
aud b

Money.  The vatican doesn’t want to support a family.  Thus the reason for the vow of poverty.  The vatican supplies the priest with everything, home, car, food, clothing, healthcare, EVERYTHING.   Cheaper to pay for 1 man vs man, woman, children. 

By aud b on 05/07/2009 10:02 pm
L. P Sodano
That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I read that…!!!   Then followed by jealousy that he’s so popular you’d think that popularity would bring more into the church now you’ll probably lose people!
By L. P Sodano on 05/22/2009 11:37 am
Rachel F

LOL, the church throws out someone for hanging with an adult woman, but shelters pedo priests. Is there something wrong with this picture?!

He’s right, of course…priests should be able to marry…

By Rachel F on 05/07/2009 9:46 am
Deena B.

We are so on the same page here.  I am not familiar with this priest but it sounds like he at least openly stated his opinion and was not doing something creepy behind closed doors.

I was not raised in the Catholic Church but my husband was.  At one time I had respect for the Church.  That all went out the window when the scandal broke a few years ago.  When the previous pope died, a young priest I am acquainted with said he believed the new pope would allow priests to marry.  Obviously he was mistaken about that. 

The weird thing is, the Church seems to not understand why people are not attending mass in droves the way they used to.  They simply don’t get it.    

By Deena B. on 05/07/2009 10:23 am
Rachel F
I know…and the funniest part of it is, of course, that that "rule" simply isn’t in the book they follow. :P All this hullabaloo over nothing (except control…).
By Rachel F on 05/07/2009 10:34 am