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	Embattled Priest Alberto Cutie Admits He's in Love with Miami Beach Woman By Mike Clary and James D Davis South Florida Sun-Sentinel May 7, 2009 http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/slf-priest-scandal-bn050609,0,5665100.story MIAMI - The Rev. Alberto Cutié acknowledged Friday that he was in love with a woman and has no regrets about the relationship, even though the romance has jeopardized his career as a Catholic priest, the Miami Herald reports. "Do I feel bad about it? . . . No," he said emphatically in a televised interview with Spanish-language network Univisión. The interview was done by Aquí y Ahora co-anchor Teresa Rodríguez. "I can say, with sincerity, that she's a woman I love," he said, noting he had known the woman, Ruhama Buni Canellis, a 35-year-old Miami Beach resident, for 10 years. He also said only he was to blame for his actions, which he knew would draw criticism from the public. Canellis issued a statement via e-mail this morning. "As a single mother," it said, "I ask that the members of the media respect my privacy and the privacy of my 14 year old son. I want to thank my family, my friends and so many others for their outpouring of love and support. I ask that everyone continue to pray for us. Thank you." Miami-Dade court records show Canellis is divorced with at least one child. She married in Florida in 1994, but divorced two years later. The couple had one child. Neighbors outside the woman's apartment told the Herald that Canellis has two sons, ages 5 and 15. Miami-Dade County court records show Canellis was cited in 2000 for operating a business without a license. She paid fines, and one of the counts was dismissed. She had been cited for operating a business without a license three other times before, but she was acquitted or the charges were dropped. She also applied for a license with the Florida Department of Business and Professional regulation to be a real estate broker. State business records indicate that Canellis was also licensed as a "body wrapper" and facial specialist. More than 60 Cutié supporters held a rally Thursday that was briefly interrupted by a scuffle between two men. As people rallied in front of Cutié's Miami Beach church, Jose Soler, walking home from a nearby bank, stopped to criticize the priest. Soler, 69, said Cutié used his popularity to manipulate followers and "hurt God." Felix Claro, 81, pushed Soler to the ground and the shouting crowd surrounded him, defending Cutié, the Herald reports. Police intervened and removed Soler, who had a cut finger. Archbishop John C. Favalora suspended Cutié from the pulpit at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church on Tuesday, and said the priest would no longer host a show on Pax Catholic Communications. The move came after a Mexican magazine published 25 photos of Father Alberto, as he is called, in the throes of rapture more carnal than spiritual. Cutié wrote an e-mail apology, asking forgiveness from "those who may be hurt or saddened by my actions. ... The commitment that I made to serve God will remain intact." The apparently brazen nature of Cutié's actions, and his precipitous fall from grace, prompted discussions on the role of celibacy in the Catholic church, a subject Cutié himself had raised. Some at today's rally said the church's celibacy oath is outdated and now is the time for it to be dropped. 'Celibacy no! Choice yes! 21st Century" was one chant in Spanish. And another: "I admire, I respect, I pardon Father Alberto!" Daniel Alvarez, an instructor in religious studies at Florida International University, said he was surprised recently when he heard Cutié assert that "a married priest would be just as holy" as a celibate one. "This is very clearly a heads-up to the church," Alvarez said. "Shame to have such a charismatic priest, and to lose him over this issue of celibacy. And I'm sure there are other men in the same conundrum here." Celibacy has been a church practice since at least the third century, when hermits retreated into the desert to pray. But it wasn't until a century later that Pope Siricius insisted on celibacy for priests and deacons. Even then, priests often married until the 11th century, when Pope Gregory VII banned clerical marriage -- and it took another century for the practice to spread churchwide. In Cutié's case, it's a simple matter of keeping a vow -- like a wedding vow -- in the view of Mary Carter Waren, a religion professor at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. "I don't think it's so much an issue of celibacy as one man's bad decisions," said Waren, whose school is run by the Archdiocese of Miami. "People make vows. People make mistakes. People get hurt." Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, Cutié grew up in Miami's Kendall area and graduated from Southwest High School in 1987. He entered the priesthood at 18. Cutié gained national prominence in 1999 when he was chosen from among 500 candidates to head an inspirational show on Spanish-language Telemundo network. He has written a best-selling book and a syndicated advice column, and been dubbed "Father Oprah" by Newsweek. Charismatic and bilingual, Father Alberto is on a first-name basis with celebrities such as Gloria Estefan, Andy Garcia, Willy Chirino and Shakira, and he often presides over high-profile ceremonies in Miami's Cuban community. Last year, for example, he conducted funerals for media mogul Pablo Raul Alarcon Sr. and music legend Israel "Cachao" Lopez. "I'm not the priest for the regular Catholic crowd," he told Hispanic magazine in 2007. "I made that decision a long time ago. I'm the priest for the lost sheep. Which is why I do the media thing and the press thing and the book thing." Mike Clary can be reached at mclary@sunsentinel.com or at 305-810-5007.
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