Married priest: Fr. Cutie’s just a brick in the wall!
Tags: Alberto Cutie, Bill Brooks, Catholic Church, laicization
| Tuesday 12 May 2009 3:16 pm
If someone in this area can empathize with the high-profile Miami Beach Catholic priest recently photographed canoodling on the sand with a hottie, it’s Palm Beacher Bill Brooks.
Bill Brooks (Jeffrey Langlois/Palm Beach Post)
Not that the former WPTV-Channel 5 executive was ever caught in a scandal similar to the one that made Father Alberto Cutie, a 39-year-old Latin media darling, a household name among English speakers.
But 38 years ago Brooks, now 76, also was a priest.
And he quit in protest against the church’s official stand on the Vietnam War. Brooks was against it.
Eight months later, he met and eventually married a former nun, Martha. The two are still happily married.
“There’s no doubt these are difficult times for the young man,” Brooks told me Tuesday. “He’ll probably end up being moved to a much different church. I know he’s tossing and turning at night like I did when I had to make my decision.”
For more of the story, and Brook’s views on celibacy, look below
Cutie hasn’t decided what he’ll do and is on reflective leave.
Alberto Cutie
But the bigger picture, former Town of Palm Beach Councilman Brooks says, is whether Cutie’s admission that he is in love with a woman will affect the Catholic Church’s debate on celibacy.
“What this poor priest is going through shows that we are all human,” Brooks said. “Credit the Church, it itself says that celibacy is unnatural. But it says it’s necessary to serve God unfettered by human entanglements.
“The story is one more instance where a brick in the high wall of celibacy comes out. Brick by brick, that wall crumbles. I don’t expect that it’ll happen in my lifetime, but eventually the promise of celibacy will be eliminated.”
One thing that won’t happen to Cutie, Brooks says, is that he’ll be kicked out of the Church outright.
“Once a priest, you’re always a priest,” he says. “I’m still a priest. But I went through a process called laicization, and that young man may chose that route. He just won’t be able to perform any public ministry.”
WHO iS ANYONE TO SAY THAT ANOTHER PERSON CANT FALL iN LOVE. A PRiEST GiVES ADViCE TO PPL WHO ARE MARRiED BUT CANT BE HiMSELF… OH PLEASE!! YOU CNT CONTROL LOVE. GOD LOVES US AND GAVE US THE ABiLiTY TO LOVE FOR A REASON, THE SOONER iTS USED THE BETTER OFF WE WiLL ALL BE
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The Apostle Paul wrote Two Letters the Corinthians Church. Infact it was to admonish some for their carnal behavior. In the Second Letter Chapter 7 verses 6-10, the Apostle Paul explicitly advocates that by permssion only, not by commandment, to be celibate. He also testifies that though he had the gift of celibacy, there are others that dont, so it would be better for them to marry than to burn with lust….Also, in the Letter to Timothy, Chapter 3, the Office of Bishop, The Apostle Paul lays down the guidelines on selecting a Bishop. One of the guidelines is…for him to be of ONE WIFE…so this would imply that its justified to be married…to a women ofcourse. Did Cutie violate the 900 year old policy on celibacy??? Perhaps. Will he or other priest violate a Commandment that is from God Almighty if they are to marry? Absolutely not! So all those Priest and Bishops that dont have the Gift of Celibacy (given by the grace and spirit of God)…go get married if your burning with lust…
This is a reply to fReSh, who posted above: No one told Fr. Cutie that he couldn’t fall in love! How did you come to that conclusion? Very simply, Fr. Cutie took a vow of celibacy when he joined the priesthood. If he has no intentions of continuing to honor that vow, there are steps he can take to rectify the situation and remove himself from public ministry.
It is absolutely refreshing to hear an honest answer from a public figure. Especially in the wake of all of the controversy in the Catholic Church. Our politicians should take a lesson from Father Cutie. Im sure that God will lead him to make the right decision.
Wait a minute! Doesn’t everyone know that Father Cutie plays for the other team???
Apparently he doesn’t! His GIRLFRIEND is a hottie!
To claim that Father Cutie’s situation should cause *us*, or anybody, to rethink celibacy for priests is downright ridiculous.
If a race car driver gets arrested for speeding, does that mean we should repeal speed limit laws?
If a politician does not pay his income tax, should we address that situation by simply not requiring politicians to pay income tax?
If a priest decides he can no longer follow a vow he thought about for at least 4 years before he made that vow, he should simply remove himself from the priesthood.
Some people are suggesting that Father Cutie should be able to marry the woman he was rolling around on the beach with and still be a priest to make everything right. Huh?
By the way, there are only a few churches that decide their policy and morality by popular vote like American Idol. I’m glad I belong to a church that has a firm foundation, not shifting sands.
Oh Billy B, the bottle in your desk is empty.
I agree with Rick, the catholic church’s stand on priests and nuns not being able to marry is NOT Biblical..that is a man-made rule. The firm foundation for God’s Laws are in the Bible. Look it up for yourselves.
The 900 year celibacy rule of the Roman Catholic Church is there to basicly keep the material wealth of the church controlled by the Vatican and not dispersed through the families of the clergy. History shows that many of the early church leaders, including Saint Peter, were married. Celibacy will eventually be dropped,but not while Benedict XVI in on the throne.
If people want to tell catholics how their faith should be changed, then perhaps the jews should stop the brutal bris.
It’s an attack on catholics. Anti-catholics publicizing anything negative about catholics.
Why is it okay to bash catholics, but it’s a “hate” crime to bash jews?
Fr. Cutie should have been laicized or asked to be relieved of his priestly duties BEFORE he decided to pursue the woman he loves. He should not have been canoodleing so opening nor having sex with her, as was reported in the media.
It was poor judgment on his part since because he is so well-known, his actions give an okay to teenagers who might be thinking about having sex before marriage.
That is the main issue!