Let me preface my comments by saying that, in general, clergy in the PNCC are married. The PNCC has had married clergy since the Holy Synod of 1921. Some of our clergy have the gift of celibacy and have lived so all their lives.
That said, I did want to delve into the issues and the drama surrounding the Rev. Alberto Cutié, a former Roman Catholic priest, who left the Roman Church to join the Episcopal Church. If you want to read the details of the drama you can look here (and here, here, here, and here).
I think my readers know my position in regard to forced celibacy. It is wrongheaded and dangerous. It involves a demand on the Holy Spirit for gifts the Spirit gives freely to those whom He chooses. Forcing a promise from a priest without the necessary grace inevitably leads to all sorts of negative consequences, for the priest, for those around him, and in particular for the victims these men reach out to in an attempt to fill the void in their lives. The victims are more often than not left behind as damaged goods.
Here’s how I see the rights and wrongs in this case:
The right
Rev. Cutié did the right thing in leaving the active Roman Catholic ministry and in making a commitment to the woman (Ms. Ruhama Buni Canellis) he was illicitly involved with. He did right in treating her with dignity. He could have used her and cast her off as so many clergy do. He could have abandoned her to financial settlements his bishop would arrange. Rather he regained some shred of honor in not treating her like yesterday’s dirty laundry.
The wrongs
He used another human being: He did wrong in using her in the first place, and that’s what it was, using another person. Holding a position of power and prestige, with broad license to reach out to his community, he put his self interests first – not because he entered into a relationship, but because he entered into a relationship dishonestly. He failed to judge by any positive standard: honor — no, vows to his bishop — no, sin — no, his office — no, his people — no, his God — no. All that mattered was that he fulfill his need to ‘get some action.’ This was selfish, abhorrent, and based on his position — abusive. Again, he recouped a bit in so far as he finally committed to her, but the start shows a certain attitude toward the world. ‘I do it because it feels good;’ without regard for any objective standard of right and wrong.
He left the Catholic faith: He left for a form of Protestantism that’s so out there you can’t even call it Christian anymore. Sure it still has some of the words right, it uses a few of the books, but the essential marker in his new denomination is ‘We believe in anything we define as feeling good.’ The National Post’s religion blog, Holy Post, describes Rev. Cutié’s philosophy this way:
Father Cutié had worked to show the church was in touch with modern concerns.
Which is why he seems to fit in this new denomination. This statement means that he, like his denomination, believes nothing really, except whatever may happen to be a modern concern. Yesterday it was green jobs, today Adam Lambert’s sexuality, tomorrow… who knows.
I’m not saying that he belongs in the Roman Church, but if Catholicism, core Catholicism were of any value to him it would have played out differently. If he had any concern for objective truth he would know that he is in need of repentance for the wrongs he committed against his bishop, his people, his vows, and Ms. Canellis. Rather than glory and center stage, he would have made his commitment to Ms. Canellis, and would have gone into prayerful seclusion. Emerging, I’m sure he could have reached out to other Catholic Churches for acceptance. That would have been the choice made by a person caught in his situation who was Catholic in his attitudes, in his core.
Living for modern concerns will leave Rev. Cutié empty in the end. If the National Post article had said: Father Cutié had worked to show the church was in touch with the truth much of the outcome would be different. Rather, what Rev. Cutié is left with is this: What is modern is what is today. If his commitment to Ms. Canellis is to mean anything it will have to set aside today, because tomorrow’s today won’t be marked by a lovely young woman in a bikini on Miami Beach. Today may be marked by the spotlight, but tomorrow’s today will be marked by a failing congregation in a broken down parish, a congregation of needy sheep with their small problems and petty sins. Tomorrow’s today’s will leave Rev. Cutié not quite the cutie anymore and perhaps then he will understand that there are truths that surpass today, a relevancy that is eternal.
