"Father Oprah" Jumps Ship. Is it a setback for Christian unity? Or an opportunity to consider Christian health?

"This is truly a setback for ecumenical relations and cooperation between us," said the Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Miami, who was visibly disappointed.

Thus begins the article from Catholic Online about the ceremony this week wherein Rev. Alberto Cutié, the popular Roman Catholic priest who, along with his two-year girlfriend-turned-fiance, was privately received into the Episcopal Church. In so doing, Cutié implicitly renounced his full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Planning to marry the woman with whom he was caught in public displays of sexual affection, Cutié is now a candidate for ordination into the Episcopal Church with full preaching rights as a deacon.

The cited Catholic Online article by Deacon Keith Fournier laments the scandal that exploded with the publishing of paparazzi photos of Cutié, a Miami Beach priest famous for his Spanish-language talk shows. His media savvy with television and radio earned him the nickname "Father Oprah," so his public celibacy breach evoked a media furor. But, even more than Cutié's scandalous affair, the Catholic Online article laments that Cutié bailed out of Catholicism without any discussion about it first with his former Archbishop. This, incidentally or not, is the man responsible for Cutié's removal as administrator of his Miami parish and perhaps also for the replacement of Cutié's popular website with a bluescreen message begging forgiveness after the photos went public.

Although handsome, buff, and wise in the ways of popular music, Cutié was not known as a liberal priest. His televised perspectives did not stray from Vatican positions. One of his media shows even aired on Eternal Word Television Network, the bulwark of conservative Catholicism dominated by the stern-faced Mother Angelica. His abrupt bolt from Catholicism is all the more significant for that reason.

As a Roman Catholic I suggest the Church not let this incident spark a blame-laying session that assigns guilt on Episcopal leaders. They, after all, had no right, let alone responsibility, to break Cutié's confidence by disclosing his plans to his former Catholic superior. Rather, Catholics could take this opportunity to consider:

How critical and/or relevant is priestly celibacy to public ministry in the Church?

What disciplinary measures are appropriate when priestly celibacy is publicly violated? Is the violation of celibacy equivalent to violations of civil law?

Cutié's Spanish press statement bears our consideration: "I want to continue sharing the word of God. I've seen how many married men serve God. Those who know me know that I would be unable to hurt anyone especially my family and the faithful community. My personal struggle should not interfere with the work of other priests. Today, I have officially joined a new spiritual family. I ask that everyone respect my privacy. In the last few days, there have been rumors and respectfully, I ask you to stop. That's enough. May God bless you all."

Fournier suggests that Cutié turned a sad breach of celibacy into an even more scandalous breach of Christian unity. But what if Cutié instead took a personal step toward health and wholeness? If God is leading Cutié on a path that diverges with Catholicism, that need not upset the Roman Catholic family. An unhealthy family typically cannot accept the member who breaks rank. If Cutié has shaken the Christian "family tree" in the process of being true to himself, perhaps the Church could consider that little tremor as a call to self-examination--and not an affront.