A church scandal ends

Miami Herald: As scandals go, the saga of Alberto Cutie has had it all.

Celebrity, religion, clandestine photos, sexual innuendo, national TV exposure. There’s been a little shock, a little awe and lots of ink and video.

On Thursday, Cutie mercifully brought it to a close. By joining the Episcopal Church and announcing plans to marry the woman to whom he has been romantically linked, the 40-year-old former Roman Catholic priest made a decision that should put an end to the story. It was, in retrospect, where the story has been heading all along. As long as Cutie refused to renounce his temporal love, he could not continue on the same spiritual path.

Self ex-communication

The Catholic Archdiocese took his action to mean that he had ex-communicated himself. It’s a shame that Cutie did not reach out to the Catholic bishop to announce his intention to join the Episcopal Church. Still, his decision should bring the affair to a tidy end.

Now the archdiocese can concentrate on its more fundamental and worrisome problems — finding a way to keep struggling parishes and charities alive in a time of shrinking collections.

Some will be disappointed in the denouement of this drama. That includes those who believe the Catholic Church should have accommodated Cutie as well as those who feel that his behavior has weakened their faith.

Cutie’s charisma no doubt attracted believers to his former church. No surprise then that his sudden loss of standing within the church for which he so ably proselytized hurt many of his followers.