For the past decade he has been the face of the Roman Catholic Church in South Florida in the US. A dashing priest and charismatic TV talk show host, Father Alberto Cutié also combined a Cuban heritage and bilingual skills, making the perfect package for a church struggling to find new recruits.
Then a week ago, photos appeared in the tabloid press showing Cutié entwined in the sand with a 35-year-old divorced woman.
One picture showed his hand down the back of her bathing suit, while another showed the pair kissing at a beach-front bar.
The photos left little in doubt regarding the status of his priestly vows of celibacy. The Catholic Church quickly relieved Cutié (pronounced KOO-tee-ay) of his duties at St Francis de Sales on Miami Beach, as well as the church radio station. His weekly newspaper column was cancelled.
But unlike most “fallen” priests who are quickly shuffled off into obscurity, Cutié is media savvy and has strong community ties.
While he has yet to make a decision about his future, the celebrity status which the church happily helped foster over the past decade could convert him into a major thorn in its side.
The photos — 25 in all — have ignited a long-standing debate over celibacy, and the church’s refusal to allow priests to have sex and marry.
In a Miami Herald poll, 77% said the Catholic Church should reconsider celibacy.
“The church needs to be very careful,” said Joe Garcia, a prominent political activist and parishioner at one of the churches where Cutié served.
“He could start his own congregation in a different denomination if he chose to. He could pull it off.”
That is something the church can ill afford. The number of Catholic priests in the US has fallen 30% in the past 40 years, according to studies. In 2008, more than 3000 parishes were without resident priests.
Cutié grew up in Miami and first made his name as a teen DJ, hosting a weekly music show on public radio. His rise was meteoric after joining the church, filling pews and collection trays wherever he went.
He also hosts his own Oprah-like TV show, Padre Albert.
A potential tell-all book deal could become a bible for the anti-celibacy cause. He already has one bestseller under his belt, aptly titled, Real Life, Real Love.
Dozens of Cutié’s supporters turned out at an emotional rally in Miami Beach on Thursday, carrying posters and chanting: “I admire, respect and forgive Father Alberto.”
His defiance, though, has riled some who say he let the church down by not coming forward before he was caught.
In a TV interview last week, Cutié was asked if he felt any guilt. “Do I feel bad, horrible? No. I am a man. Under this cassock, there are pants,” he said.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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