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Rev. Alberto Cutie, celibacy, and the Mormons
May 11, 2009 by Giuseppe Martinengo Leave a Comment | Filed in Mormon Church, Mormon Doctrine
These are excerpts from Cnn.com about the recent “scandal” involving Rev. Alberto Cutie.
The Rev. Alberto Cutie was removed from his duties after pictures showed him bare-chested with a woman… The Rev. Alberto Cutie — sometimes called “Father Oprah” because of the advice he gave on Spanish-language media — said Monday on CBS’ “Early Show” that he is in love with the woman and is considering his options: Whether to break up with her or leave the priesthood and marry her. The woman, who has not been publicly identified, wants to get married, Cutie said.
In a message posted on the Miami, Florida, archdiocese Web page last week, Archbishop John C. Favalora apologized to parishioners and radio listeners for what he called a “scandal.” “Father Cutie made a promise of celibacy and all priests are expected to fulfill that promise with the help of God,” Favalora said. “Father Cutie’s actions cannot be condoned despite the good works he has done as a priest.”
This happening really caught my attention, because before becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) I was involved in the catholic church, and in spite of never considering seriously the possibility of becoming a priest, I never liked the idea that priests were not supposed to get married. I had the feeling that it is was wrong.
It is not my intention to discuss policies of the Catholic Church, but I simply want to quote a scripture from the Bible, from the book of Genesis, and comment it briefly.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth..(Genesis 1:27-28)
From this scripture it is clear that God intended marriage to be part of life and to be good, not something to be avoided. He did not say that some men are more blessed because they do not marry. He did not say… “be fruitful, and multiply… but not all of you, just the normal people, the most special among you will live the higher law of celibacy..” He did not say that.
There is a lot of confusion about what happened with Adam and Eve in the Christian literature, and many believe that in order to live a more spiritual life (like priests are supposed to live) marriage can be an hindrance and should be avoided. However, this is a mistake; marriage is ordained by God and it is a higher standard than celibacy. Moreover, celibacy is unnatural and may become a serious problem, has it has become for Rev. Alberto Cutie.
In the Church of Jesus Christ (Mormon Church), nobody is expected to avoid marriage to pursue a religious life. On the contrary, marriage and families are of extreme importance in God’s plan and Mormons believe that a religious life is better pursue by living a full life, as was intended by our Creator.
I am glad to have such knowledge now, and I am glad that I can live with my family and still pursue a religious live at his best, without having to give up any of the blessings that our God intended for us. I am confident that those who wants to know what really God wants for them, will be able to find the answer, if they have the faith and the courage to look for it.
