Father Alberto Cutie, known as “Father Oprah,” has been much in the news after photos were published showing him hugging a woman at a bar and beach. Facing a resumption of celibacy, Father Cutie has discovered the Episcopal Church.
Father Cutie insisted that he “will always love the Catholic Church and all its members,” but that he has been accepted into the Episcopal Church and will now pursue the priesthood in the Episcopalian faith. It will be an interesting process since, regardless of the difference in the view of celibacy between the two churches, there remains the problem of Cutie violating in religious oath to God over years of his affair.
Even from my days at Quigley North Preparatory Seminary High School in Chicago, I have found the basis for celibacy in the Bible to be highly questionable. It has certainly diminished the ranks of priests, which are now at record lows. The same can be said for the ban on female priests.
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Father Cutie is caught in a compromised position with a lady. This lady knows he is a Catholic Priest. Father Cutie had taken a vow of celibacy. No one held a gun to his head, in taking this vow. Upon detection, he quits and then bad mouths the Catholic Church. I would not want him to be my pastor, no matter the denomination.
same as pig, some sort of bacterial or parasitic disease that results from consumption.
The bible has much good information, a handbook for life if you will. Now please don’t all pile on at once. I am speaking for example of the treaties on leprosy in Leviticus, I think. It goes into great detail about what to look for and the results of certain lesions for long term prognosis.
Mespo,
You might be asking someone to do something that they may be incapable of. Eat meat on Friday, damn straight. Eat fish when ever you want too. I have yet to figure out why you cannot eat shellfish? Any suggestions anyone?
Sarah:
“4. As a WOMAN, I can tell you that women will NEVER be allowed to be priests. It is DOGMA- which cannot change. Celibacy, however, is a discipline and is subject to change.”
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Oh, Catholic dogma changes all the time according to the times, checkout the Church’s fluctuating position on abortion over the centuries, or, if you are truly adventurous and spiritually gifted, ask all those glad souls who got out of Hell for eating meat on Friday when that nonsense was changed. When did you stop reading and start believing in fairy tales? BTW If all the disciples were men, did Mary Magdalene have a beard?
There is so much ignorance in from the post creator and numerous comments:
1. Celibacy is NOT causing the decline in Catholic priests- LACK OF ORTHODOXY is.
The Episcopal Church allows women and gays to be priests yet the number of men training to be Episcopalian priests is DRAMATICALLY DECLINING. Did you hear that? Their numbers are declining despite allowing men to be married.
2. Priests in the CATHOLIC Church CAN be married. Celibacy is a discipline in the Latin Rite, and not in the Eastern Rite, provided men marry prior to becoming Eastern Catholic priests.
3. Men can also become Deacons in the Roman Catholic Church and be married.
4. As a WOMAN, I can tell you that women will NEVER be allowed to be priests. It is DOGMA- which cannot change. Celibacy, however, is a discipline and is subject to change.
Priests are meant to be altar christi- they are meant to represent Christ- who was a MAN- not to mention that all disciples were MEN.
5. The Episcopal Church is on border of SCHISM, with many members converting to the Church that Jesus founded in 33AD- Catholicism.
Episcopals cannot even be agreed on whether homosexual relationships are sinful or not, or whether contraception and abortion is okay in God’s eyes.
They simply pick and choose beliefs according to the time- their is no absolute truth in the Episcopal Church which is why numerous Episcopal Priests are making their way back to Rome.
I’m sure Fr. Cutie and his future wife have been advised to consider an Anglo-Catholic parish. In addition to the familiar “smells & bells,” they can now discover and enjoy the rich treasures of the Anglican choral tradition. The ’82 Hymnal is full of wonderful music, from Orlando Gibbons and Thomas Tallis to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Herbert Howells.
For this recovering Southern Baptist, the chief glory of the Episcopal Church is that it’s smart enough to never claim to hold the “one true faith.” A Roman Catholic friend once said to me, “You Episcopalians confuse form with substance.” Maybe, but it’s hard to beat the liturgical and emotional impact of such civilized services as compline, evensong, and the burial office. I’ll take those inspired forms over the ossified substance of doctrinal certainty any day, and I am happy to be part of a church that — in most cases — strives to “uphold the dignity of every human being.” My best wishes to the newest members of the Episcopal Church.
Bron,
There are very few religions that DON’T see themselves as the one true faith.
Or I think it was: Catholics with options are called Protestants.
Stephen Colbert clearly stated this in regard to Father Oprah: Catholics who wants options are called Protestants.
Bron,
There are a lot of rich priests out there. Think over Mike A.’s plan, it’s a worthy option.
Mike A.
That is my understanding about the new old order of the priesthood.
mIKEA:
“I just read your post, Bron. Here’s the plan. You should begin a course of study resulting in your ordination as an Episcopal priest. Be sure that it is high church (preferably Anglican). Then you can complete your Catholic studies, become admitted to the Church and request formal recognition of your Anglican orders. Once that approval comes through, you can become a married Catholic pastor of a parish. I say go for it.”
Why? I dont want to be a priest or necessarily a Catholic. I dont even care if they do ordain women. I was merely stating my opinion based on what I have learned by attending church with my wife and going through part of the CCD course.
I just read your post, Bron. Here’s the plan. You should begin a course of study resulting in your ordination as an Episcopal priest. Be sure that it is high church (preferably Anglican). Then you can complete your Catholic studies, become admitted to the Church and request formal recognition of your Anglican orders. Once that approval comes through, you can become a married Catholic pastor of a parish. I say go for it.
I agree with mespo that the celibacy rule will be revised out of necessity. Diocesan priests will be allowed to marry, while the religious orders will be permitted to retain celibacy requirements. What is ironic in the case of Fr. Cutie is that had he begun his clerical career as an ordained Episcopal priest and gotten married, he could have converted to Catholicism thereafter, petitioned for the recognition of his ordination by Rome and continued his career as a married Catholic priest. I guess he should have consulted a good canon lawyer when he was much younger.
Mespo:
my wife is RC and I have been through a part of the course to become RC (although I did not finish) but it was very interesting in that they (RCC) see themselves as the one true keeper of the faith, actually they see themselves as the true faith and only faith. They may go for elimination of celibacy, that one can be argued away because it was instituted around 1100 A.D. during their cultural revolution caused by the reimergence of Aristotle’s works and the subsequent works of Abellard, Aquinas, et. al.
But women as priests, in my humble opinion it will never happen, they would condone abortion first.
I would have thought him more a candidate for the polygamist sect known as the LDS Church– better variety in er, scripture.
Seriously, your comment on priestly celibacy and the barring of women from the priesthood are prescient. I think we will see a change in these norms given the median age of current priests and nuns, and since the great rule of survival is change or die.