Alberto Cutie and the media’s misunderstanding of celibacy

Deacon Keith Fournier’s opinion article “The Media Exploits a fallen priest“, written before Fr Cutie’s departure from the Church, contains some interesting observations (emphases and comments are mine):

The real story behind this fall in the life of this celibate priest is the media feeding frenzy (true, but the scandal is real and genuine). The secular press has used it to attack the countercultural witness of consecrated celibacy in Catholic life. Fr. Cutie was exceedingly popular and is a very gifted communicator. He was the head of the Archdiocese of Miami’s Radio Paz and Radio Peace broadcasts and loved by the faithful. He has been affectionately named “Father Oprah” because he dispensed advice for people in relationships on Radio and in his syndicated column. He also authored a popular book entitled “Real Life, Real Love: 7 Paths to a Strong, Lasting Relationship.” Celibacy was not the “cause” of Fr. Cutie’s sin (Hear! Hear!).

The reports demonstrate the agenda; using this story of a priest who broke his vows as an opportunity for talking heads and ill informed pundits to mock the Catholic Church. Many have presented the vocation of consecrated celibacy as an “antiquated practice.” They made smug comments about how “behind the times” the Catholic Church is and how long it will take to change such outdated practices. They even took polls! All of this has nothing to do with the facts of this story – a young celibate priest sinned (the Reverend Deacon is cutting through the piffle with the axe of common sense). He broke his vows and had an affair with a woman. This came to light when he and that woman were photographed in inappropriate behavior (let’s be clear, it was inappropriate behaviour… there has been much sympathy for Fr Cutie, arguing from the emotive reality that he fell in love. That is as may be, but we cannot avoid the fact that the Reverend Father’s behaviour was unacceptable).

This has become a platform from which some who do not understand the Catholic Church and others who do not like it have chosen to attack a practice which is a part of the history of Christianity. All of the discredited claims concerning how the discipline of celibacy in the Catholic Church came about are once again being presented to the public as ‘facts’. You have heard the most prevalent- that celibacy wasn’t imposed in the Church until the 6th (or 9th, or 10th) century and that the motive for imposing celibacy was to prevent Church property from being inherited by the children of the clergy. Both fall short of the truth. The witness of consecrated celibacy “for the sake of the kingdom” goes back to the invitation of Jesus Christ (Matthew 19:12). It is bolstered by the witness of some of the Apostles and encouraged by their pastoral experience (see, e.g. 1 Corinthians 7) of the early Church. It is a gift and treasure for those who embrace it and for the Church which has been deeply enriched by their witness (again, I am pleased to see this being noted. Celibate chastity is emphatically not an onerous obligation forced upon Catholic Priests. It is a vocation – a gift freely given and freely received).

This way of life was even more “counter cultural” in the Semitic world of the time of Jesus than it is today in the West (Yes! When Paul encourages celibate chastity he is doing it in a culture conditioned by a condemnation of celibate chastity. So counter-cultural was celibate chastity many Jewish scholars have a great deal of trouble accepting Christ did not marry). The prophetic witness of voluntary celibacy has endured beyond the ranks of celibate clergy for over two millennia (Wonderful! Many people who are not priests, choose to be celibate, let us not forget this!). It is flourishing in the inspired vowed life of monastic orders and the sacrificial witness of religious men and women. It is experiencing a great renewal in our day in the new “ecclesial movements”, the associations of lay men and woman serving the Church in and through their daily work in the world. Many of them have chosen celibacy, not to avoid marriage, but to live as a prophetic sign of the kingdom and be more available for mission and ministry.

Rev’d Mr Fournier’s article is well worth reading. My continued interest in this story is not one of wishing to “point the finger” at Alberto Cutie, but a desire to expose some of the fallacies of the media’s reporting.

Our Novena for Priests continues.

We continue to hope and pray for Fr Cutie, hoping for peace and reconcilation in the spirit of Archbishop Favalora’s statement.

Novena for Priests – Day 3

St. John Vianney, Adorer of the Blessed Sacrament

O holy Priest of Ars, you had such an overwhelming love for Christ in the Blessed Sacrament that you prayed for hours in His presence. You said that “when our Lord sees them coming eagerly to visit Him in the Blessed Sacrament, He smiles upon them. They come with that simplicity which pleases Him so much.” O Saint of the Eucharist, may your example enkindle in Father N a deeper love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. By your prayers, never let him doubt Christ’s Real Presence, but obtain for him a firm faith rooted in the Eucharist. Help him not to be afraid to defend or preach Christ’s Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Obtain for him the grace to approach our Lord with simplicity of heart as he lays his soul’s innermost thoughts before Jesus’ Sacred Heart. Keep Father N under your continual protection, that he may be supported by your example and assistance and be faithfully devoted to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. May his life reflect the belief of our Lord’s abiding presence with us. O St. John Vianney, by the power of your intercession, give us Priests devoted to the holy Sacrament of the Altar. 

O holy Priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, you loved God and served Him faithfully as His Priest. Now you see God face to face in heaven. You never despaired but persevered in your faith until you died. Remember now the dangers, fears and anxieties that surround Father N and intercede for him in all his needs and troubles especially console him in his most difficult moments, grant him serenity in the midst of crisis, and protect him from evil. O St. John Vianney, I have confidence in your intercession. Pray for Father N in a special way during this novena.

Novena for Priests – Day 2

St. John Vianney, Full of Zeal for Souls

O holy Priest of Ars, you taught men to pray daily: “O my God, come to me, so that You may dwell in me and I may dwell in You.” Your life was the very living out of this prayer. The divine life of grace abided in you. Your zeal for the salvation of souls was manifested by your total self-surrender to God, which was expressed in your selfless service to others. You gave of yourself unreservedly in the confessional, at the altar, in the classroom, in fact, in every action you performed. O great St. John Vianney, obtain for Father N the realization that God also dwells in him when he is free of sin.

 Remind him that the salvation of his soul is the fulfillment of his existence. Awaken in him a sense of self-giving for the salvation of souls. Obtain for Father N, by your intercession, a zeal for souls like your zeal. May he see that God dwells in him and in his fellow men. Obtain for him from our Lord the grace to lead all men to salvation. Let your prayer be his: “If you really love God, you will greatly desire to see Him loved by all the world.”

O holy Priest of Ars, St. John Marie Vianney, you loved God and served Him faithfully as His Priest. Now you see God face to face in heaven. You never despaired but persevered in your faith until you died. Remember now the dangers, fears and anxieties that surround Father N and intercede for him in all his needs and troubles especially console him in his most difficult moments, grant him serenity in the midst of crisis, and protect him from evil. O St. John Vianney, I have confidence in your intercession. Pray for Father N in a special way during this novena.

Fr Cutie on the Prodigal Son

A few days ago I noted that Archbishop Favalora of Miami had used the parable of the prodigal son in relation to the case of Fr Alberto Cutie. Today, I found this prophetic exegesis of the parable by Fr Cutie himself, from a few years ago:

“.. the Father with the hands spread out, arms wide open, is waiting for us to come back to Him…”

Our novena for priests continues.

Father Cutié – Comments and Forthcoming Novena

I have received an unusually large number of hits to yesterday’s post regarding Fr Alberto Father Cutié. Please take the time to read the entirety of Archbishop Favalora’s statement, which can be found on the Archdiocesan website. I have been quite disappointed that various news agencies have produced portions of the Archbishop’s statement that miss out key comments regarding the nature of ecclesiastical punishments.

The Church’s sanctions against Fr Cutie are not designed to be retributive, but are issued with the hope of an ongoing conversion of heart – they are issued in the hope that one day they will no longer be needed. In the case of priests who defect from the Church, these sanctions are also issued to protect the faithful. The Church has a duty of care both to her priests and to all people – this duty primarily entails being faithful to what we believe and serving truth. At times, this requires that lines are drawn… but the drawing of lines is not exclusive as in the drawing of a nation’s boundary – they are drawn with the invitation to cross back over – to return to truth, to return to the Lord’s flock. This was emphasised by the Archbishop, when he said:

“The Catholic Church seeks the conversion and salvation of sinners, not their condemnation. The same is my attitude toward Father Cutié.”

There are some high profile Catholic Canon Lawyers who are active in the blogospher – I think particularly of Dr E.N. Peters of Sacred Heart Major Seminary – and I am sure that, in God’s good time, they will publish something far more eloquent, incisive (and correct!) than anything I have to say.

Without wishing to become condemnatory, I have decided to commence a novena for priests who are experiencing difficulties. I will begin posting a little bit later, and I hope you will join me. Augustine once observed that our hearts are always restless until they find their rest in God. Our prayers for priests are not simply about our need for priests, or for the protection of the Church, they touch the deepest humanity of the men we are praying for: their calling and their happiness.

Father Cutié and the Forgiving Father

Archbishop Favalora, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, has released a press statement concerning the reception of (Fr) Alberto Cutié into the Episcopal Church following a widely publicised love affair. Much ink has been spilled about this matter – in support of Father Cutié, in condemnation of the Catholic Church, in condemnation of the Episcopal Bishop etc, and it seems that there have been some statements made by some of the protagonists that demonstrate an interesting ecclesiology (albeit one I have no sympathy with) - but I was rather moved by His Excellency’s conclusion to his statement (emphasis mine):

In my nearly 50 years as a priest, I have often preached on Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son – which really should be called the parable of the Forgiving Father (Luke 15, 11-32). Perhaps the story told by the Lord so long ago is applicable to our discussions this afternoon.

 A father had two sons. One of them took his inheritance early and left home, spending his money wantonly. The father waited patiently for the return of his prodigal son, who after he had seen the error of his ways, repented and returned home. Upon his return, the father lovingly embraced him and called him his son. I pray that Father Cutié will “come to his senses” (Luke 15, 17) and return home. The Catholic Church seeks the conversion and salvation of sinners, not their condemnation. The same is my attitude toward Father Cutié.

 We must not forget, however, that there were two sons in the Lord’s story. The other son, who never left home, was angry that his erring brother was welcomed home by the father. To all faithful Catholics, I say what the father said to this second son: “You are with me always and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice. This brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost, and is found” (Luke 15, 31-32).

 In this beautiful parable Jesus teaches us that God is a loving and forgiving Father. Each of us has experienced that love, each of us needs that forgiveness; for we are all sinners. If our brother comes home, let us celebrate with the Father.

 In conclusion, I commend and salute the priests of the Archdiocese of Miami and all priests who faithfully live and fulfill their promise of celibacy. By their fidelity to their promise they reflect more clearly to the world the Christ whose total gift of himself to the Father was pure and chaste love for his brothers and sisters. In our times so pre-occupied with sex, the gift of celibacy is all the more a sign of the Kingdom of Heaven where, as scripture says, there will be “no marrying or giving in marriage” (Matthew 22, 30). I encourage all Catholics to pray for and support our dedicated priests.

Let us respond to Archbishop Favalora’s encouragement and pray for our priests, especially as we move into the year that has been designated by the Holy Father as “The Year of the Priest”. Pray! Stop here, Stop Now and Pray! Our priests need our prayers… Pray Now!