SoFLa Local: O Father! Scandal-Prone Miami Priest Welcomes a Baby Girl

Former Roman Catholic priest Alberto Cutié – the man who was embroiled in a scandal last year when he admitted to having a relationship with a woman – has welcomed a baby with his wife.

On Thursday, Ruhama Cutié gave birth to a baby girl.

"With thanksgiving to God, the giver of all life, my wife and I announce the birth of our beautiful baby daughter Camila Victoria Cutié," the couple said in a statement. "We also take this opportunity to thank our family, church community and friends for your love and support."

Added Cutié: "There is great joy in being a Father, who is also a 'father.' We are truly blessed!"

The Miami priest, dubbed "Father Oprah" because of the relationship advice he offers people on Spanish-language radio and TV shows, came under fire in May 2009 over his relationship with Ruhama.

The couple got married in June of last year.

Cutié left his Miami catholic church to become an Episcopal priest (they do not take vows of celibacy).

SoFLa Local: Is Father Cutie Gay?

That is the accusation of José Linares Suarez, Cutie's radio-show producer, who spills his guts to TV y Novelas in the July 1st issue.

You'll recall that last month, Cutie (also dubbed "Father Oprah") was photographed on the beach in Miami with a ladyfriend, which prompted him to leave the church and marry her. Suarez says that was all a set-up because Miami was already buzzing about Cutie's homosexuality.

Suarez says Cutie's sexuality is well known to those around him, that he lived with a priest who was his lover for two years and, most specifically that he had a younger (36 or 37), chubby lover named Leonardo who would arrive to Cutie's quarters late at night. Once, Suarez walked in on Cutie and Leonardo, finding the younger man's pants down as Cutie caressed his genitals. Cutie asked for discretion, which Suarez apparently provided—until now.

I must say, it makes a lot more sense that Cutie deliberately went out in public with his secret "girlfriend" if he were actually trying to salvage some of his brand by at least marrying a woman instead of coming out as gay. There are falls from grace and then there are falls from grace.

SoFLa Local:Former Priest Alberto Cutié Gets Married

Sitting in the passenger seat of a champagne-colored Lexus and hiding his face behind a newspaper, former Roman Catholic priest Alberto Cutié left a Coral Gables courthouse shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday as a married man.

But Cutié, who left the Catholic church to become an Episcopalian in late May, will have to wait more than a week before his new church recognizes the marriage in a religious ceremony. That will take place in an unnamed church under Rt. Rev. Leo Frade, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida.

Cutié, 40, and his wife, 35-year-old Ruhama Buni Canellis, quietly slipped into the Coral Gables Branch Court at 3100 Ponce de Leon Blvd. through a gated back entrance around noon Tuesday, avoiding a growing group of news crews.

The couple presented identification and proof of premarital counseling to a clerk as they filled out a marriage license application. Then, they joined Miami-Dade County Judge Jacqueline Schwartz in her chambers for a quick ceremony, according to a court employee.

The couple slipped out a back door, where a half-dozen police officers guarded the front and back entrances. Security officers had been warned to be prepared to open and close courthouse doors at a moment's notice.

The recession-friendly wedding set the couple back $91. That's a $61 application fee and $30 for the marriage ceremony. The marriage licenses - one for each - were free.

Cutie and Canellis have kept a low profile since he preached his first sermon as an Episcopalian - but not a priest - May 31 at Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park.

He and Canellis left the Catholic church just days prior during a private ceremony at Miami's Trinity Cathedral, where Cutié also announced that he was starting a year-long process to become an Episcopal priest.

Cutié left his position at St. Francis de Sales Catholic church in Miami Beach when photographs showing him nuzzling Canellis on a Florida beach - a violation of his vow of celibacy - were published in a celebrity magazine in early May.

SoFLa Local: Padre Alberto Cutié's Leap of Faith - New Church & Marriage

The Rev. Alberto Cutié, the celebrity priest photographed nuzzling a woman on a Florida beach, has left the Catholic Church to join the Episcopal Church and marry his girlfriend -- a move that attracted a strong rebuff from Roman Catholic leaders.

While the Catholic Church requires priests to hew to a vow of celibacy, the Episcopalians, who broke from Rome in the 16th century, have no such rules. Cutié was formally welcomed into the Episcopal Church in a small, private ceremony early Thursday afternoon at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, the church's South Florida headquarters in downtown Miami.

''I am continuing the call to spread God's love,'' Cutié said after the ceremony, adding that he has gone through a ``deep spiritual and ideological struggle.''

In attendance at Trinity was Cutié's girlfriend, Ruhama Buni Canellis, 35, a divorced mother living in Miami Beach. It was the first public sighting of the couple since compromising photos appeared in a Mexican magazine early this month that led the telegenic cleric to take leave from his South Beach parish.

Cutié sat smiling beside Canellis during the half-hour ceremony. Deacons and former Catholic priests now in the Episcopal Church were by his side -- many notably accompanied by their wives.

Bishop Leo Frade, head of the Episcopal Diocese of Southeast Florida, officiated as Cutié and Canellis knelt in front of him to be received into the church.

''We recognize you as a member of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church; and we receive you into the fellowship of this communion. God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bless, preserve and keep you. Amen,'' Frade recited in Spanish.

At a news conference a few hours later, Archdiocese of Miami officials expressed disappointment in Cutié and had strong words for the Episcopal Church, especially Bishop Frade.

''This truly is a serious setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us,'' Archbishop John C. Favalora said.

Favalora said he had not communicated with Frade about the transition and had not spoken with Cutié since May 5, adding that Cutié never told the archbishop he desired marriage.

Battle of Words

''Father Cutié is removing himself from full communion with the Catholic Church and thereby forfeiting his rights as a cleric,'' Favalora said, later adding that Cutié is still ``still bound by his promise to live a celibate life, which he freely embraced at ordination. Only the Holy Father can release him from that obligation.''

Not so, Frade said Thursday afternoon. ''That promise is not recognized by our church. If you can find it in the Bible that priests should be celibate, that will be corrected,'' he said. ``The only thing we can say is that we pray for ecumenical relations. . . . I am sorry they are sorry, and we love them.''

Cutié, who gained media fame across the Spanish-speaking world doling out relationship advice on TV and radio and in print, had telegraphed his intentions for weeks in interviews, during which he spoke about his wish to marry and start a family.

After Thursday's ceremony, Canellis stood beside Cutié as he read a statement outlining his desire to continue serving God while enjoying the freedom to raise a family. Cutié took no questions, but referred to Canellis, a former parishioner whom he met in church, as his fiancée.

''With God's help, I hope to continue priestly ministry and service in my new spiritual home,'' Cutié said in a statement.

It will take Cutié at least a year to become a priest. But Bishop Frade made Cutié a lay minister, meaning he can preach in Episcopal churches but not celebrate the Eucharist, the sharing of the body and blood of Christ. Cutie will give his first sermon as an Episcopalian 10 a.m. Sunday at the Church of The Resurrection in Biscayne Park.

Cutie's Reputation

Cutié will play a key role in revitalizing struggling Episcopal churches, Frade said.

''He has a successful history of rebuilding churches'' said Frade, alluding to Cutié's success at turning around several troubled Catholic parishes, including his most recent church, St. Francis de Sales in Miami Beach. John Villafuerte, a member of that church, reacted with shock to the news about Cutié but said he was still behind the priest.

''I wish him the best. I will definitely miss him. A lot of us will miss him,'' said Villafuerte, 41.

Frade publicly invited Cutié to join the Episcopal church after scandal embroiled ''Padre Alberto'' -- as he is known to millions of Spanish-speaking followers -- for breaking his vow of celibacy. Frade said at the time that Episcopalians would have no problem with a single clergy member having a date on the beach.

The more-liberal Episcopal church considers itself the ''middle way'' between Protestantism and Catholicism. It ordains women and has an openly gay bishop.

The church represents the U.S. wing of the 77 million-member Anglican Communion and traces its roots to the Church of England. In South Florida, the Episcopal diocese has 38,000 members, compared with the 800,000-member Catholic archdiocese.

While the Episcopal and Catholic churches have almost identical worship services, there are significant differences. Episcopalians, for instance, do not believe in the infallibility of the Pope.

Frade, who has been friends with Cutié for seven years and met him through a Cuban ecumenical group, has said the popular priest also spoke with leaders of other Christian denominations, such as Baptists and Lutherans. It is unclear if those conversations focused on joining those churches.

Bishop C. Christopher Epting, the Episcopal church's national deputy for Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, said it is not uncommon for Catholic priests to become Episcopal priests and vice versa.

''It's possible to receive a Catholic priest straight into the Episcopal priesthood,'' he said, adding that Cutié could bypass the seminary but that he that would need to pass an examination in church history and doctrine.

Good God! Miami Priest in Love

The Miami priest who is called "Father Oprah," because of the relationship advice he offers people on Spanish-language radio and TV shows, is under fire over a relationship with a pretty brunette woman.

Marriage and children are a definite possibility, Rev. Alberto Cutié told the Miami Herald on Friday after first confessing his love for the woman on Univision, a popular Spanish language TV network.

"I'm not going to rush into marriage," he told the Miami Herald. "I know all about that. But I would like to have a family and at the same time serve God."

Cutié, 40, is embroiled in a scandal after revealing photographs of him laying shirtless with the young brunette on a south Florida beach appeared on the cover of TV Notas, under the headline, "Good God! Father Alberto!" One picture even shows the priest's hand inside of the woman's bathing suit. Another photo shows the couple smooching on a terrace bar.

Cutié told the Herald that his inner struggle over his love for the young woman and his dedication to the church have been plaguing him for nearly a year.

Media reports say the woman's name is Ruhama Buni Canellis, 35, a divorced mom living in Miami Beach, who has been fighting off photographers for the past week.

In a poll conducted by the Herald among 400 Catholics in Miami-Dade county, most supported the priest, saying the church's celibacy rules are outdated.

The newspaper also reports that Cutié has said he asked for time off for meditation.

SoFLa Local: Celebrity Miami Priest Punished After Being Caught with Woman

With this being the 1,000th posting on my website, I present to you my 1st SoFLa Local posting on what's making news in my hometown, South Florida.

Unfortunately, the focus of this posting may not be a positive one for everyone as it is about a recent scandal with the most popular Catholic Priest in our community, Padre Alberto Cutié (yes, that's his last name). I will share my opinion below, after the story.

The Rev. Alberto Cutié, a national figure with movie star looks, was removed from his Miami Beach church Tuesday after photographs appeared in a magazine showing him frolicking with a woman in the sand on a Florida beach.

A wildly popular Catholic priest, newspaper columnist and radio and television personality, Cutié will no longer run operations or say Sunday Mass at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church.

Word of Cutié's punishment came during a brief news conference in front of a small gathering of reporters at the Archdiocese of Miami headquarters on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami Shores.

''The vow of celibacy is part of the ordination,'' said spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta. ``A man who is a priest is able to totally focus on the church.''

Earlier in the day, Cutié spoke with Archbishop John C. Favalora, who said that the pictures of Cutié and the woman saddened him.

''Father Cutié's actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest,'' Favalora said in a statement. ``I ask for everyone's prayers at this time.''

Cutié also released a brief one-paragraph note, thanking those who support him and asking for the ``forgiveness of those who may be hurt or saddened by my actions.''

Local reaction to Cutié's removal and the 25 pictures that surfaced this week in the Mexican celebrity magazine TVnotas, was strong -- and varied. While some church leaders say Cutié violated a vow of chastity, churchgoers and the public at large were more forgiving.

''He's a human. So he can make mistakes,'' said St. Francis parishioner Karla Unda. ``I know he shouldn't do that. I know it's against the policies of the church. But it's OK. He's a human being.''

At WACC Radio Paz, where Cutié hosted a show until he was removed by the Church on Tuesday, listeners visited and prayed at the station chapel. Most callers to an afternoon show focusing on Cutié were supportive and forgiving.

An elderly woman told WWFE La Poderosa host Eddie Calderon that Cutié was very handsome, and that, ``If I were a young woman, I would go to church every day just to look at him.''

And at WOCN Union Radio, a man told host Ricardo Brown that Cutié's misdeed was inevitable. ''He was surrounded by too much temptation,'' the man said.

The words were more harsh from inside the church.

''A commitment is a commitment,'' said the Rev. James Murphy, pastor at Our Lady of the Lakes Catholic Church in Miami Lakes. ``To me, it's similar to a vow a person takes in marriage to be faithful to one person. A priest takes a commitment to be faithful to the church.''

This week's cover of TVnotas shows Cutié, 40, laying on his back in blue shorts with an unidentified, long-brown-haired woman in a dark bathing suit wrapping her legs around him.

The other 24 pictures, which TVnotas says were taken over a three-day period in March, include one with Cutié's hand inside the woman's bathing suit touching her posterior. Still another shows the couple kissing at an unidentified terrace bar.

The photos came to light about six weeks after paparazzi tried to peddle them locally, but were turned away.

Isabel Bucaram-Montana, spokeswoman for Spanish Broadcasting System's Mega TV, said the station was offered the pictures for more than $100,000, but said no.

''We did not feel two or three days worth of ratings were worth it,'' she said.

The pictures were also offered to WSBS-TV, a Spanish-language station in Key West. Executive vice president Cynthia Hudson said the station was wary because it couldn't verify the photos. Hudson said they were being peddled as pictures taken on a North Florida beach near St. Augustine.

''We didn't know if they had doctored it,'' she said. ``These are career-destroying photos, we all know that.''

Cutié being tailed by paparazzi is testament to his celebrity status. More significantly, the Cutié incident is another unwanted problem for the Roman/ Catholic Church, still reeling from dozens of nationally scrutinized cases of illicit sexual contacts between priests and underage boys.

In a 1999 interview with The Miami Herald, Cutié spoke of the difficulty of maintaining celibacy, saying, ``it's a struggle, but it's a good struggle.''

Two weeks ago, in an interview with The Washington Post, Cutié said his celibacy didn't interfere with advice he gives to married couples.

Asked how he is able to preach on South Beach, land of nightlife and clubs and beautiful people, Cutie told the Post you remember God created it all.

''People come to the Beach for all kinds of things -- nightlife, partying, dancing, sex, vacations, to have fun,'' Cutié said. ``Probably the last thing on people's minds is that they would come for spirituality. But my little church is a spiritual oasis in the middle of the noise of South Beach.''

With few exceptions, Catholic priests are celibate, which means they don't marry, and refrain from sex. The Roman Catholic church has left the policy virtually unchanged for the past 900 years, saying it allows for a dedication to God and the church without distraction.

Still, some believe the rule is outdated.

''I believe that the Catholic priests should be allowed to marry because they are men and they like women,'' said Guillermo Rey, a neighbor of the Beach church at 621 Alton Rd. ``If a Protestant priest can marry, how come a Catholic priest can't? And I think he's a good guy, a very decent guy. He shouldn't be judged.''

Cutié, born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, is not a typical priest. He writes a column about relationships for El Nuevo Herald. He works out. He likes disco.

Cutié grew up in Kendall, graduating from Southwest Miami High in 1987. In 1995 he was ordained by the Archdiocese of Miami.

His popularity soared with the success of the daily Telemundo television show Padre Alberto in 1999. By 2002, he was hosting a weekly talk program on the network, reaching millions of viewers in Canada, Spain and most of Latin America.

A year later he officiated Celia Cruz's funeral in Miami. By 2006, his first self-help book, Ama de Verdad, Vive de Verdad -- Real Life, Real Love -- was published.

Newsweek gave him the moniker Father Oprah, which Cutié said he prefers to Father Springer or Father Cristino. In December, Cutié went on CNN to blast Playboy magazine for a cover in its Mexican edition that featured an Argentine model looking like the Virgin Mary.

He called Playboy ''hypocritical'' for saying it wasn't meant to portray Mary, and called the photo ``blasphemous.''

By Tuesday afternoon, Cutié's website, which featured information on his self-help book and his television and radio programs, was shut down.

[Editor's Note: Personally, I feel the catholic church needs to start accepting "choices" in the catholic world and allow priests to enjoy a personal life, however this choose to do it. Having a relationship with a woman (or even a man) does not affect any one's religious believes. This is purely my opinion. You decide upon yourself and feel free to share your comments below.]