A tabloid exposé of a celebrity (now former) Catholic priest’s
cavorting with his bikini-clad consort on the sands of a Florida
beach has ignited an ecumenical brouhaha between the Catholic
Archdiocese of Miami and the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast
Florida.
“This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and
cooperation between us,” observed Archbishop of Miami John
Favalora about a May 28 press conference featuring the smooching
priest and his new supervising prelate, Episcopal Bishop of
Southeast Florida Leo Frade. “The Archdiocese of Miami has
never made a public display when for doctrinal reasons Episcopal
priests have joined the Catholic Church and sought ordination. In
fact, to do so would violate the principles of the Catholic
Church governing ecumenical relations. I regret that Bishop Frade
has not afforded me or the Catholic community the same courtesy
and respect.”
The amorous priest is Alberto Cutié, a telegenic 40-year-old
Miami-based television and radio talk show host sometimes called
“Father Oprah” for his love advice and chatty broadcast presence.
Easily recognizable to millions of Spanish-speakers after his
years on Telemundo and EWTN Español, Cutié could not have been
overly surprised when a photo spread of his frolics with
girlfriend Ruhama Buni Canellis splashed across a
Spanish-language tabloid in early May. In the following days,
Cutié coyly told inquiring media that that he supports the
Catholic Church’s expectation of celibacy for priests but was
uncertain about his own vocation, about which he was supposedly
consulting with his own archdiocese.
So the Archbishop was surprised when Cutié and a smiling Miss
Canellis, whom some press reports describe as a fiancée, appeared
at a lavishly covered press conference with Episcopal Bishop
Frade and his own beaming wife. The two couples, appearing
outside Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Miami after Cutié’s
reception into Episcopalianism, more resembled a presidential
ticket than parties to a transfer of ecclesial allegiance. “We
welcome Father Alberto into the ministry of the Episcopal
Church,” gushed Bishop Frade, whose flashy purple and red
vestments, with towering miter, were perhaps more suited to a
medieval pope consecrating a Holy Roman emperor than a Miami
press conference. Surrounded by 50 clamoring reporters and
photographers, Bishop Frade dressed the part for what was
undoubtedly the media zenith of his church career. “Our ministry
has centered on spiritual growth, love, forgiveness, and a sense
of community,” Frade pronounced. “Guided by a spirit of
fellowship and understanding, the Episcopal Church remains a
beacon of hope and faith for all.”
An Episcopal News Service report
was enthusiastic about Cutié’s transfer. “He and Mother Angelica,
they are the Roman Catholic televangelists,” pronounced one
Episcopal Church official. “This is like Joel Osteen [a popular
Christian preacher, author and televangelist] changing faith,
abandoning ship.” Another quoted Episcopal official was equally
excited, calling Cutié “very good looking,” “eloquent,” and
“charismatic,” who’s “hung out with stars,” befriended Gloria
Estefan, and now, himself a “celebrity,” is “very boldly go[ing]
against his promise to the church and its teachings.”
Bishop Frade credited the media frenzy to there being “nothing
like a priest committing a sin, as seen by Rome; a good looking
man finding someone he loved.” The bishop claimed: “We were
hoping that it would be low key, but that was impossible.”
Purportedly, unknown to the archdiocese, Cutié’s high profile
switch to Episcopalianism was preceded by two years of
“discernment.” “I thank God for the many people in our community
who have shown me their love and support,” Cutié told the press
conference. “Your prayers have truly sustained me at this time of
transition in my life. With God’s help, I hope to continue
priestly ministry and service in my new spiritual home.” Bishop
Frade’s news release hailed Cutié’s “bilingual skills,
evangelical voice, and cultural sensitivities” as a “natural fit”
for Miami area Episcopalians.
The Frade-Cutié press conference was a reminder that Episcopal
bishops, presiding over an ever diminishing flock, typically only
get media play in the midst of sexual imbroglios, usually
involving controversies over homosexual clergy, a cause of
increasing church schism. Unlike the other two Episcopal bishops
in Florida, Frade sides with his church’s dominant liberal
faction. Last year, he publicly denounced Florida’s successfully
approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as between
man and woman. He has celebrated the Episcopal Church’s
affirmation of various “sexual orientations.” Last year, Bishop
Frade marched with other Anglican bishops through the streets of
London in an anti-poverty demonstration, wrapping his own placard
with a rainbow flag, because, “when we talk about justice and
mercy, we need to remember that gay and lesbian persons are
discriminated against by the church and the government.”
Archbishop Favrola, who presumably has never marched with a
rainbow flag, pronounced that Father Cutié had separated himself
from Roman Catholicism by professing “erroneous faith and morals,
and refusing submission to the Holy Father.”
Favrola said Cutié had “caused grave scandal within the Catholic
Church, harmed the Archdiocese of Miami — especially our priests
— and led to division within the ecumenical community and the
community at large,” whose “wounds” were deepened by the press
conference with Bishop Frade. “He has never told me that he was
considering joining the Episcopal Church,” he noted of Cutié. As
for the Episcopal bishop, the Catholic Archbishop curtly
observed: “I have only heard from him through the local media.”
Wasting no time, Cutié delivered his first sermon from an
Episcopal pulpit on May 31, though he will have to wait another
year before formal ordination. According to the Miami
Herald, he got several standing ovations. “The spirit of God
has been with me,” he told his now fellow Episcopalians. “And I’m
going to tell you something: God is the only one we follow.”
Fawning Episcopalians predicted Cutié would bring energy and new
members to the numerically declining Episcopal Diocese of
Southeast Florida. With only 35,000 members (compared to the
growing Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, with 800,000 members), the
Episcopalians of Miami surely could use the help.
