Alberto R. Cutié (born April 29, 1969, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Cuban-American Episcopal priest who is also known as Padre Alberto. He was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1995. He has an internationally recognizable name, due to his work as the host of television and radio programs.
Cutié left the Roman Catholic Church in May 2009 after publication of photographs showing him with a woman at the beach and his subsequent admission that he was in love. He has said that mandatory celibacy was only one of the theological differences that led him to leave the Catholic Church. He later married Ruhama Buni Canellis and joined the Episcopal (Anglican) Church. He now serves as rector of St. Benedict's, an Episcopal parish in Plantation, Florida.
Media appearances
Cutié, the middle child and son of Cuban exiles, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. As a teenager he worked as a DJ.
He was ordained a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Miami in 1995, the first ordinand of the then-newly designated Archbishop John Favalora (retired 2010). Father Albert (popularly known as Padre Alberto) was the first priest or clergy person of any religious tradition to host a secular talk show both on radio and television. He is also a regular columnist whose writings appear in many Spanish language newspapers throughout the United States and Latin America. He gained worldwide recognition with his television debut in 1999 as the host of Padre Alberto (and later Cambia tu Vida con el Padre Alberto), a daily talk show televised on the Telemundo network. He later served as host of the weekly program America en Vivo on Telemundo International.
Beginning in 2002, Cutié hosted a weekly talk program called Hablando Claro con el Padre Alberto, reaching millions of households throughout the United States, Canada, Spain and Latin America on EWTN Español, which is part of the global network founded by Mother Angelica. In July 2003 he officiated at Celia Cruz's Funeral Mass in Miami, Florida.
Cutié also published his first self-help book, Real Life, Real Love (Ama de Verdad, Vive de Verdad) in January 2006. It sold thousands of copies and became a bestseller in the Spanish language market. His second book, Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle with Faith and Love (Dilema: La Lucha de un Sacerdote Entre Su Fe y el Amor), was released on January 4, 2011. He has been labeled as "Father Oprah" by various publications. He served as president and general director of Radio Paz and Radio Peace Catholic 24-hour radio station beginning in January 2001. He hosted several radio programs, such as Al Dia and Linea Directa, and directed the daily operations of Pax Catholic Communications for the Archdiocese of Miami until 2009. On April 2, 2009, he was named one of AARP's new Hispanic ambassadors.
On January 4, 2011, Cutié released a memoir, Dilemma. To promote the book, he appeared on Good Morning America, The View, Fox and Friends, and The Joy Behar Show as well as several national Spanish language television programs, including Don Francisco Presenta, Despierta America, and Al Rojo Vivo.
In 2020 he worked with Univision as the host of a radio program, and later that year, began to host his popular television program "Hablando Claro con el Padre Alberto" on Mega TV (owned and operated by SBS - Spanish Broadcasting System). Padre Alberto is known for his no-nonsense style and his program deals with a variety of issues of special interest to a diverse Latino community throughout the US and Puerto Rico.
Personal life
On May 5, 2009, Cutié asked church officials for a time of reflection and a leave of absence from his media programs and pastoral work after publication of pictures in which he was shown kissing and touching Ruhama Buni Canellis at a public beach while still a Catholic priest. Cutié asked the Archdiocese of Miami for some time to think and make a decision on where his life as a priest was heading. As a result, the Archdiocese of Miami granted him a leave of absence for an undefined period of personal decision making. After meeting with two of his bishops and informing them of his decision, he chose to continue his ministry as a married priest in the Episcopal Church, part of the Anglican Communion.
On May 11, 2009, Cutié was interviewed by Maggie Rodriguez of CBS' The Early Show. He said that he was thinking about leaving the Roman Catholic Church for a woman he loves. He said that he respected the existing rule of mandatory celibacy and acknowledged that some priests remain dedicated to that calling. There are many priests in communion with the Vatican who are married, but they are not members of the Latin Rite. He stated he did not want to become the "anti-celibacy priest".