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JReducation
Guest
rguerra;5191766:
Let us be careful not to do what Fundamentalist Protestants do and begin quoting scripture out of context, without proper exegesis, and without the Church’s interpretation, only to apply it randomly where we believe it applies.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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JReducation
Guest
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Jaypeeto4
Guest
It is not Father Cutie himself, but rather some of the loud-mouthed female “groupies” (personality cult worshippers) from St. Frances de Sales Parish on South Beach who are stirring up a stink against the Church with their picket signs and expressions of disrespect for the Church and demanding “changes,” even though they know that Father Cutie has admitted to having Fornicated with the woman too. Shame on these protestors, they have NO CLUE what it means to be a follower of Christ and to put GOD first.
Such personality-cult groupie trouble-makers need to be warned once, or twice, that if they continue in their rebellious behavior ----- which Father Cutie does NOT support ----- they will be publically excommunicated. Then if they persist, carry out the sentence.
+JMJ+
Such personality-cult groupie trouble-makers need to be warned once, or twice, that if they continue in their rebellious behavior ----- which Father Cutie does NOT support ----- they will be publically excommunicated. Then if they persist, carry out the sentence.
+JMJ+
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CatholicLife
Guest
Has he been excommunicated?
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bobzills
Guest
I didn’t know it was an excommunicable offense to be in favor of a married priesthood? When did this rule go into effect?
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phes3
Guest
At this time we can only pray for father Cutie, so he can make the right decision specially to be honest with his flock, God have the absolute knowledge; nobody can hide anything from the Almighty Father, we all are sinner and need constant the sacrament of reconciliation, we cannot judge father Cutie. Again we MUST PRAY and ask God for forgiveness and Mercy upon him and all of us so we can also forgive.
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DeusVeritas
Guest
You are correct in that we must pray for him but right now my heart just cannot. It is very hard for me to pray for him when he constantly keeps conducting interviews. He just did a one hour interview for Spanish TV called “The Confessions of Father Alberto” and it was sickening to watch. In the interview he said that he tried to follow Christ but that the Catholic Church no longer works for him.At this time we can only pray for father Cutie, so he can make the right decision specially to be honest with his flock, God have the absolute knowledge; nobody can hide anything from the Almighty Father, we all are sinner and need constant the sacrament of reconciliation, we cannot judge father Cutie. Again we MUST PRAY and ask God for forgiveness and Mercy upon him and all of us so we can also forgive.
It’s these kind of statements and the fact that the Archdiocese is doing nothing to discipline him so that he is not permitted to make such interviews just makes me sick to my stomach.
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phes3
Guest
I have not seen that interview but if he said that , is a pitty, because God cannot accomodate to our desires , we are the imperfect and we need His mercy in all our trespasses, Still keep praying , because if we forgive, God Almighty will forgive us. Leave father Alberto with his conscience because at the end judgment will be between God and him. nobody else. I feel bad when someone make that coment to me about what happen initially and I start criticizing him and his lover lady mostly for the scandal…… he is a catholic priest , and id he was struggling with his feeling towards a woman and knew that sooner or later will fail to God,:tsktsk: he should resign before keep doing what he did but even if he abandon the catholic faith,like ther rumors said, he will try also to acomodate any other cristians denomminations to his life;… not his life to the service to that church. Will see … God have mercy on father Alberto!!! just keep praying 
… he is a catholic priest , and id he was struggling with his feeling towards a woman and knew that sooner or later will fail to God,:tsktsk: he should resign before keep doing what he did but even if he abandon the catholic faith,like ther rumors said, he will try also to acomodate any other cristians denomminations to his life;… not his life to the service to that church. Will see … God have mercy on father Alberto!!! just keep praying
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rguerra
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cathgal
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LUKBAN
Guest
Father Cutie’s inclination to switch to Episcopalia is a matter of personal choice. He alone can make that decision. Apparently he is making celibacy as the issue. I think and I believe that from the very start of his early years in the seminary he knew very well that celibacy is a must in catholic priesthood and he accepted it. Not only that, if I’m not mistaken, they are given the chance to explore the physical world before committing to the spiritual world to test their true desire to become a priest. If he really wanted to marry why not ask for a dispensation from the bishop or (Pope)? He can still serve God as a family man, probably much better than being a priest if his heart is not 100% into it. God service is not limited to priesthood. The rational is “why burn the bridge behind you after crossing it”. Apparently he desires to be both - a priest and a family man. Then if this is the case he has no place in catholic priesthood because celibacy in a must in this vocation. This is very clear (unless this person is a married Anglican Priest and become a Catholic Priest.They are allowed to keep their family, but their role in the Catholic Priesthood has some restrictions. Correct me if I’m wrong). Probably there’s some other issues involved behind this, am I right?
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bobzills
Guest
Has the Catholic Church loosened up on whether or not a single man can date and married a divorced woman?
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cathgal
Guest
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JReducation
Guest
You can’t excommunicate a secular priest for something like this. He would be excommunicated if he attempted marriage, but not otherwise. It’s not an excommunicable offense.
The Church considers this a simple sin against the PROMISE of celibacy, not the vow of chastity, because he has never made a vow of chastity.
Fraternally,
JR
J
JReducation
Guest
He is not making it an issue of celibacy. His problem is celibacy. He admits that he cannot live as a celibate man. He also said that celibacy is a good thing for the priesthood and the Church, but he failed at it.
He knew this and he admits that he knew this. He also admits that he thought he could do this.
As a religious myself, I can tell you that this is not the process for either religious or secular clergy. There is no period to explore anything. A secular man enters a secular seminary and lives in a cloister for eight years. There is very little contact with the outside world. It’s discouraged. At the end, you are ordained a deacon and a year later a priest.
Bishops cannot grant dispensations. The Holy Father has already told secular priests and religious brothers in solemn vows not to bother asking for a dispensation. There is a shortage of both. Only religious orders have a large number of priests.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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CatholicLife
Guest
Was it in Univison? I watched it, and was sickened.You are correct in that we must pray for him but right now my heart just cannot. It is very hard for me to pray for him when he constantly keeps conducting interviews. He just did a one hour interview for Spanish TV called “The Confessions of Father Alberto” and it was sickening to watch. In the interview he said that he tried to follow Christ but that the Catholic Church no longer works for him.
It’s these kind of statements and the fact that the Archdiocese is doing nothing to discipline him so that he is not permitted to make such interviews just makes me sick to my stomach.
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DeusVeritas
Guest
Yes, it was on Univision and was an hour long. I keep hoping that God will cause a conversion in his heart and watched it but ended up feeling my heart heavy with sadness.
I hope that God will soon open my heart in praying for Mr. Cutie.
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JReducation
Guest
Dear Deus:I hope that God will soon open my heart in praying for Mr. Cutie.
As I have posted before, we must remember that it is not our place to judge a man’s soul. We can only make an objective judgment, the way the Church does in these cases. Fr. Albert has committed a sin against his PROMISE of celibacy. But that does not make him an evil person. All of us commit sins. Many of us break promises or fall short of Christian ideals. But are we evil? Should we be hated? Do others not owe us the charity of forgiveness and prayer?
Our holy father Francis wrote for us that if a brother sins against the rule we should correct him for his faults. If he does not listen to our correction, we should take him before the superior. If the superior admonishes or consequences such a brother, the other brothers are bound under penalty of sin to remain by his side. We are to pray for him. If he wishes, we are to pray with him. Under no circumstances are we to judge the state of a brother’s soul, not even his religious superior or confessor should do this, but only God. We should judge the action, not the person said our holy father Francis.
This is the action that the Archdiocese of Miami and the bishops have taken. They have heard his story. They have stated that his behaviour is unacceptable. They have also reminded the world that these events are meant to call all of us to examine our consciences and stay clear of that which can lead us to sin.
To feel that one cannot pray for a fallen sinner is contrary to the mystery of the cross. Christ gave his life for sinners, not for the righteous. As my superior said when this scandal broke out, “Thank God the Church is like a hospital, a home for sinners. The mystery of the cross as St. Francis taught us is the mystery of sin and mercy. Therefore, I forbid any brother from denying Father Albert their mercy and their prayers.”
The archbishop himself said that he would not deny Fr. Albert the rights and graces of his priesthood. I noticed that you call him “Mr. Cutie”. He is still a secular priest. He has not been suspended, nor dispensed from his priestly rights and oblgiations. He remains a member of the clergy in full standing. These are the wishes of the Holy Father. He does not want any priest or religious brother in solemn vows to be ejected from the Church, a diocese or a religious order for any reason except those found in canon law that would automatically exclude you from either the priesthood, religious life or the Church.
A violation of celibacy does not automatically exclude you from either. If Fr. Albert were to embrace heresy, disobey the bishop in matters that are forbidden by canon law, or deny the faith, only then will he excommunicate himself. The only thing that the diocese took away from him was his parish and his media ministry.
As far as the Holy See is concerned he can say mass, hear confessions, celebrate the sacraments and perform other priestly duties. He will be a priest until the day he dies. There is no way that the Sacrament of Holy Orders can be taken from a man, any more than one can take away a person’s Baptism.
Judas became a priest and bishop at the Last Supper, even though he was to betray Christ. So did Peter, even though he was to deny Christ. Neither was stripped of Holy Orders. Judas died a priest, abeit a sinful one, but a priest nonetheless. Peter we all know the story. Even Thomas who lacked faith in the resurrection, never lost his priestly state. Of course we know how that story ended too.
We judge actions, not souls. We cannot make objective judgment over souls, especially when our own feelings are in the way, never mind when someone else’s feelings are involved. That is why the bishops did not suspend Fr. Albert. He is currently on leave of absence at his own request.
The purpose of a leave of absence is to give the person time to think and pray what the next step is to be. There are several options that Fr. Albert has to choose from them.
He can ask for a dispensation, but all of us who are either secular priests or brothers in solemn vows (my case) have been told that there are no dispensations, because there is a shortage of secular priests and religious brothers.
So, Fr. Albert remains a priest until death. He will be allowed to exercise the priesthood, even if it is with restrictions, unless he violates canon law.
The thing about a sin against celibacy is that while it is unacceptable and a scandal, it can be forgiven in confession, if the person repents and has the intention of moving forward.
Usually, a leave of absence can extend up to five years. During that time the secular priest remains a priest. Most distance themselves from the ministry to have some space and time to think and to try living as a lay person. But they must remain in contact with their bishop. The bishop can recall them to active ministry at his discretion and they must obey.
If they refuse to return and remain away, without a dispensation, then they incur a suspension, not an excommunication. If he joins another Church, he excommunicates himself as did the founders of the Protestant ecclesial communities.
I have said before, that I feel pity for the people of St. Francis de Sales Parish. They have lost three consecutive pastors whom they dearly loved. They need our prayers.
Fr. Cutie also needs our prayers. That is our gift of mercy, the same mercy that Christ and his mother show on the cross. Remember, Christ opened his arms on the cross for sinners. At the foot of the cross, Mary, who had no sin, accepted all sinners as her children. She and Jesus were victims of sin. Yet, they intercede for sinners and so should we.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
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Shin
Guest
‘But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.’
Matthew 18:6
“If priests sin, all the people are led to sin. Hence every one must render an account of his own sins; but the priests are also responsible for the sins of others.”
St. John Chrysostom, Father, Bishop, & Doctor of the Church
“There is not in the whole world a monster to be compared with a priest in the state of sin, for the unfortunate man will not bear with correction.”
St. Jerome, Father, Bishop, & Doctor of the Church
‘O Priest! You are not yourself because you are God. You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ. You are not you own because you are the spouse of the Church. You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man. You are not from yourself because you are nothing. What then are you? Nothing and everything. O Priest! Take care lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you: “He saved others, himself he cannot save!”’
St. Norbert
Priests who fall into sin lose light, and lose also the fear of God. Be hold, the Lord himself assures us of this. If I be a master, where is My fear, saith the Lord of Hosts, to you, O Priests, that despise My name? St. Bernard says that priests falling from on high remain so immersed in their malice, that they forget God, and disregard the divine threats to such a degree that the danger of their damnation has no longer any terror for them. . .
What chastisement does not the priest deserve who, instead of carrying with him to the altar flames of divine charity, brings the fetid fire of unchaste love! Speaking of the punishment inflicted on the sons of Aaron for having offered strange fire, St. Peter Damian says: “Let us take care not to mingle unholy fire, that is, the flames of lust with the salutary sacrifices.”! Whosoever, adds the saint, shall dare to carry the flame of lust to the altar, shall certainly be consumed by the fire of God’s vengeance. . .
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Remember, O priests, my brothers, how it is written in the law of Moses, that those who transgressed even in corporal sacrifices were condemned by God to death, without any mercy. What a far more terrible punishment will he deserve, who tramples under foot the Son of God, and treats the Blood of the New Testament by which he is sanctified as a vile thing, and offers insult to the Holy Ghost! A man stained with sin despises and tramples on the Lamb of God, when, as the Apostle says, not discerning the sacred Bread, which is Christ, from other food, he eats unworthily by being guilty of unworthy actions; for the Lord has said by His Prophet: “Cursed is the man who does the work of God with negligence or fraud.” And on account of those priests who will not lay these things seriously to heart, we are condemned, when Our Lord says: “I will curse your blessings.”’
St. Francis of Assisi
But what shall be the unhappy end of such priests? Behold it: the land of the saints he hath done wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord? The end shall be, first, abandonment of God, and then the fire of hell. But, Father, some may say, this language is too terrific. Do you, they ask, wish to drive us to despair? I answer with St. Augustine, " being myself frightened, I frighten others." Then a priest who has offended God since his ordination may ask, Is there no hope of pardon for me? Yes, there is hope, if he repents and. entertains a horror for the evil he has done. Let such a priest, then, thank the Lord with his whole heart if he, too, finds himself aided by divine grace; but he must instantly give himself to that God who calls him. " Let us listen to the Lord," says St. Augustine, “while he is calling us, lest he may turn a deaf ear to us when he judges us.”
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
‘This is the way I am dealt with by the priests who are my betrayers. . . Their sentence is condemnation. David condemned those who were disobedient to God, not out of anger or bad will or impatience, but out of divine justice, because he was a righteous prophet and king. I, too, who am greater than David, condemn these priests, not out of anger or bad will but out of justice. Accursed be everything they take from the earth for their own profit, for they do not praise their God and Creator who gave them these things. Accursed be the food and drink that enters their mouths and fattens their bodies to become food for worms and destines their souls for Hell. Accursed be their bodies that will rise again in Hell to be burned without end. Accursed be the years of their useless lives. Accursed be their first hour in Hell that never will end. Accursed be their eyes that saw the light of heaven. Accursed be their ears that heard my words and remained indifferent. Accursed be their sense of taste by which they tasted my gifts. Accursed be their sense of touch by which they handled me. Accursed be their sense of smell by which they smelled delightful things and neglected me, the most delightful of all. May they be accursed by earth and sky and every brute creature. These obey and glorify God, whereas they have shunned him. Therefore, I swear by the truth, I who am the Truth that if they die like this with such a disposition, neither my love nor my virtue will ever encompass them. Instead, they will be forever damned.’
The Lord, to St. Bridget of Sweden
Matthew 18:6
“If priests sin, all the people are led to sin. Hence every one must render an account of his own sins; but the priests are also responsible for the sins of others.”
St. John Chrysostom, Father, Bishop, & Doctor of the Church
“There is not in the whole world a monster to be compared with a priest in the state of sin, for the unfortunate man will not bear with correction.”
St. Jerome, Father, Bishop, & Doctor of the Church
‘O Priest! You are not yourself because you are God. You are not of yourself because you are the servant and minister of Christ. You are not you own because you are the spouse of the Church. You are not yourself because you are the mediator between God and man. You are not from yourself because you are nothing. What then are you? Nothing and everything. O Priest! Take care lest what was said to Christ on the cross be said to you: “He saved others, himself he cannot save!”’
St. Norbert
Priests who fall into sin lose light, and lose also the fear of God. Be hold, the Lord himself assures us of this. If I be a master, where is My fear, saith the Lord of Hosts, to you, O Priests, that despise My name? St. Bernard says that priests falling from on high remain so immersed in their malice, that they forget God, and disregard the divine threats to such a degree that the danger of their damnation has no longer any terror for them. . .
What chastisement does not the priest deserve who, instead of carrying with him to the altar flames of divine charity, brings the fetid fire of unchaste love! Speaking of the punishment inflicted on the sons of Aaron for having offered strange fire, St. Peter Damian says: “Let us take care not to mingle unholy fire, that is, the flames of lust with the salutary sacrifices.”! Whosoever, adds the saint, shall dare to carry the flame of lust to the altar, shall certainly be consumed by the fire of God’s vengeance. . .
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Bishop & Doctor of the Church
Remember, O priests, my brothers, how it is written in the law of Moses, that those who transgressed even in corporal sacrifices were condemned by God to death, without any mercy. What a far more terrible punishment will he deserve, who tramples under foot the Son of God, and treats the Blood of the New Testament by which he is sanctified as a vile thing, and offers insult to the Holy Ghost! A man stained with sin despises and tramples on the Lamb of God, when, as the Apostle says, not discerning the sacred Bread, which is Christ, from other food, he eats unworthily by being guilty of unworthy actions; for the Lord has said by His Prophet: “Cursed is the man who does the work of God with negligence or fraud.” And on account of those priests who will not lay these things seriously to heart, we are condemned, when Our Lord says: “I will curse your blessings.”’
St. Francis of Assisi
But what shall be the unhappy end of such priests? Behold it: the land of the saints he hath done wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord? The end shall be, first, abandonment of God, and then the fire of hell. But, Father, some may say, this language is too terrific. Do you, they ask, wish to drive us to despair? I answer with St. Augustine, " being myself frightened, I frighten others." Then a priest who has offended God since his ordination may ask, Is there no hope of pardon for me? Yes, there is hope, if he repents and. entertains a horror for the evil he has done. Let such a priest, then, thank the Lord with his whole heart if he, too, finds himself aided by divine grace; but he must instantly give himself to that God who calls him. " Let us listen to the Lord," says St. Augustine, “while he is calling us, lest he may turn a deaf ear to us when he judges us.”
St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori
‘This is the way I am dealt with by the priests who are my betrayers. . . Their sentence is condemnation. David condemned those who were disobedient to God, not out of anger or bad will or impatience, but out of divine justice, because he was a righteous prophet and king. I, too, who am greater than David, condemn these priests, not out of anger or bad will but out of justice. Accursed be everything they take from the earth for their own profit, for they do not praise their God and Creator who gave them these things. Accursed be the food and drink that enters their mouths and fattens their bodies to become food for worms and destines their souls for Hell. Accursed be their bodies that will rise again in Hell to be burned without end. Accursed be the years of their useless lives. Accursed be their first hour in Hell that never will end. Accursed be their eyes that saw the light of heaven. Accursed be their ears that heard my words and remained indifferent. Accursed be their sense of taste by which they tasted my gifts. Accursed be their sense of touch by which they handled me. Accursed be their sense of smell by which they smelled delightful things and neglected me, the most delightful of all. May they be accursed by earth and sky and every brute creature. These obey and glorify God, whereas they have shunned him. Therefore, I swear by the truth, I who am the Truth that if they die like this with such a disposition, neither my love nor my virtue will ever encompass them. Instead, they will be forever damned.’
The Lord, to St. Bridget of Sweden
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