"Uh, hey, I was forced to write the story that way..."

Did you read of this little news story?

A Toledo school teacher forced out of his home by his wife for having an affair announced he is the father of a baby boy by his mistress, to whom he now engaged. Mr. Bill Smith never denied his infidelity, appearing in public on numerous occasions with his mistress, Goldie Digger, while insisting his wife had no grounds for asking him to leave their home.

Or this one?

A Los Angeles businessman was forced out of the business he co-founded when it was discovered that he had misused over $2.5 million in company funds. Mr. John Smoothe insists that he had every right to spend the money on gambling and investments in a number of failed action movies.

How about this one?

A Miami priest forced out of the Catholic Church for having an affair announced he is the father of a baby girl. Ruhama Buni Cutie, wife of the Rev. Alberto Cutié, gave birth to the child, Camila Victoria, Tuesday, The Miami Herald reported.

The first two stories are fake, although they aren't too difficult to imagine actually being true. The third is the lead of an actual newspaper story. The problem is the presentation: Cutíe is presented as a helpless victim, cast aside by the heartless Catholic Church—and for what? Spreading the love, while going light on the Gospel. But it's rather hard to reconcile the description of him being forced out of the Catholic Church with this from a May 28, 2009, CNA story:

Archbishop John C. Favalora of Miami made a statement on Thursday afternoon in which he revealed that he was kept in the dark about Fr. Alberto Cutié's decision to join the Episcopal Church. The archbishop also stressed that by his actions, Cutié has forfeited his rights as a cleric but is not dismissed from the promise of celibacy he freely made.

“I am genuinely disappointed by the announcement made earlier this afternoon by Father Alberto Cutié that he is joining the Episcopal Church,” Archbishop Favalora began.

The Archbishop of Miami then detailed the consequences of Fr. Cutié's action, saying that the priest had separated himself from the communion of the Roman Catholic Church “by professing erroneous faith and morals” and by “refusing submission to the Holy Father.” Father Cutié will no longer be allowed to legitimately celebrate the sacraments in the Archdiocese of Miami, and he cannot preach or teach on Catholic faith and morals.  “His actions could lead to his dismissal from the clerical state,” the archbishop stated.

Despite his decision to leave the Catholic Church, Archbishop Favalora pointed out that “Father Cutié is still bound by his promise to live a celibate life, which he freely embraced at ordination.”

So, let's see: Cutíe fornicates with a woman. Cutíe breaks his priestly vows. Cutíe lies to his bishop. Cutíe breaks communion with the Catholic Church and then, a bit later, takes a position with an Episcopalian group. All of this constitutes him being "forced" out of the Catholic Church.

• How about vows against stupidity? (May 11, 2009)
• "Padre Oprah" (aka, Fr. Cutie) is leaving the Catholic Church... (May 28, 2009)
• TIME "renews" the celibacy debate. What's the point? (June 22, 2009)

Comments

[Nick]

"Father Cutié will no longer be allowed to legitimately celebrate the sacraments in the Archdiocese of Miami, and he cannot preach or teach on Catholic faith and morals. “His actions could lead to his dismissal from the clerical state,” the archbishop stated."

Now compare this to the disobedient Medjugorje friars, especially Vlasic. How many fanatics defend them?

[meg]

"When a priest lives together with a woman,
one must examine whether a real will to marry is present and whether they could build a good marriage. If that is the case, they must follow that path. If it is a question of a failure of moral will, but no real interior union is there,
one must try to find paths of healing for him and for her. In any case care should be taken that justice is done for the children—they are the primary good—and that they obtain the living and educational surroundings they
need.
The fundamental problem is honesty. The second problem is respect for the truth of the two individuals and of the children, so as to find the right solution. The third is: How can we again raise young men for celibacy? How
can we support the priests who live it out in such a way that it remains a sign in these confused times, in which not only celibacy but also marriage is seriously in crisis?"

p. 39 LIGHT OF THE WORLD

yeah, it's a tragedy he and his family have left the Church , and no, no one forced him, but the Pope's generosity in speaking of priests who leave to marry is instructive. Maybe it was too "hidden" for you to notice?

[Thomas S]

When Cutie "offers Mass" in his new Episcopalian digs, is it invalid if he uses Episcopalian liturgical books? Or, provided the words of institution are the same, is it validly confected?

I could see this slime actually using the Missale Romanum, however, just to cover his bases. He has to know in his heart that Anglicanism is a fraud. There's no way this guy's conscience doesn't bother him. He threw it all away out for lust. Hopefully his conscience wins the battle in the end.

[Carl E. Olson]

Meg: A "tragedy"? Now you're being as sloppy with words as the reporter in the piece I quote. No, it wasn't a "tragedy"; it was an act of willful sinfulness. As the Holy Father states, "the fundamental problem is honesty"? So, am I wrong in labeling Cutie's actions for what they were? Am I wrong in pointing out the way some journalists warp the truth about such matters? Was I less than generous in doing both? I don't think so. Nor do I think your gratuitous attempt at a condescending insult showed anything to the contrary.

[Bender]

I wonder, with this and the condom controversy, whether we have got to the point where people would say that because the Church offers absolution in her loving compassionate mercy, seeing the residual good even in sinners, that somehow that sin is no longer a bad thing.

[Dan Buckley]

The "condom controversy" is simply misunderstood application of principles. Condoms are not in themselves evil- they are inanimate. The evil is in using them to prevent conception. In the case of male prostitutes, no such intention exists. Their use does not make an immoral act more immoral. Compassion for sinners cannot be confused with acceptance of sin.

[Mack]

Poor Fr. Cutie. Someday he will be just a little old man distrusted by everyone. But the Church will be open for him, just as it is for us.

[Julie]

The press puts interesting spin on things. When the Catholics welcome protestant clerics, they refer to it as poaching. When protestants poach Catholic clerics, they call it welcoming. I recall the Episcopalian bishop speaking quite triumphantly about the opportunity to attract Hispanics via Cutie. I wonder if that has panned out. In press speak, Catholic always "force out," we "slam," we "condemn," etc. If my only knowledge of the Catholic Church came from the media, I'd really hate it.

[Dan Deeny]

Meg,
Thank you for this very interesting section from Benedict XVI's interview.
Carl,
You are much too harsh to Meg. And, I didn't read about sin in the section she quoted. Perhaps you are referring to another section or a continuation?

[Brad]

Meg: we don't know if Cutie's relationship is merely, as they say, a one night stand that's gone on too long, or, as the Holy Father wrote, a "real interior union". If the former, then the "paths of healing" for the fornicators in question are probably not embracing mistaken lust but repenting of it: begging forgiveness from the Trinity, the Virgin, and the people in the mystical body of the Church. I don't think, in any event, the Pope would be pleased with anyone, least of all a priest, leaving the Church over it: throwing the baby out with the bath water. No one in his right mind would pleasantly and fatalistically wave adieu to someone who is leaving the majority of the Sacraments and thus Sanctifying Grace.

[Carl E. Olson]

Dan: No, I was not too harsh. Regardless, her use of the quote from Light of the World is misleading, even if indirectly, on a key point: the Holy Father is not talking about any and all situations in which a priest becomes romantically/sexually involved with a woman. It seems quite clear he is talking about those priests who do get involved, and then who relationship is properly assessed and judged by those in authority over the priest (Brad's point, above, is right on target; after all, the final goal is the salvation of souls, not the encouragement of broken vows). Here is first part of the section from LOTW (p. 39):

The case of Maciel is unique, but in addition there are priests everywhere who either secretly or else with the knowledge of their religious community or even of the Church authorities are living in a quasi-marital relationship. The scandal becomes that much the worse when children from those unions end up in orphanages while the Church pays for their support.

That should not be. Anything involving lies and concealment should not be. Again and again in the history of the Church, unfortunately, there are times when such situations occur and spread, especially when they lie, so to speak, within the trend of the spiritual climate of the time. This is of course also an especially urgent challenge for us all. When a priest lives together with a woman, one must examine whether a real will to marry is present and whether they could build a good marriage.

Implicit here is the understanding that there is a proper way for a priest to seek removal from his duties/station as a priest, which is obviously a serious matter; it would usually be dealt with under canon 290 of the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 290 Once validly received, sacred ordination never becomes invalid. A cleric, nevertheless, loses the clerical state:

1/ by a judicial sentence or administrative decree, which declares the invalidity of sacred ordination;

2/ by a judicial sentence or administrative decree, which declares the invalidity of sacred ordination;

3/ by rescript of the Apostolic See which grants it to deacons only for grave causes and to presbyters only for most grave causes.

Also applicable, in certain cases, are canons 740-47. The basic point is that the Holy Father, while urging pastoral care and compassion, is not writing a blank check for wayward priests to cash as they will. In fact, he frankly states, "Anything involving lies and concealment should not be." The case of Cutie clearly involved a substantial amount of lying and concealment, in addition to the sexual sins.