“I did not find out that my father had been a priest even after his death in 1985”, affirms in this testimony our columnist.

The city remained astonished when the news went out. But I not.: “What scandal”, did they say any. But for me it was something that I have always thought it would be inevitable.

The Father Alberto, since they call him his followers, has never done anything that takes me to think that he is not a God's man, dedicated completely to his vocation of transmitting the God's word for young and old, rich and poor, couples and entire families. The people continue it in search of inspiration, support, a guru. He is not only a faith man, but anybody who possesses a special charisma that has created almost a cult between his fans. Yes, his fans. And the fact is that in the priestly world, the Father Alberto is a rock star. But over all the things, he is a man.

That's why, when a magazine of gossip – known by his sensationalist and scandalous holders - published his images with a woman whom fondness shows, I did not surprise it. What I surprised is that he has been exhibited to the scrutiny of the mean press amarillista.
What has led it to taking so important step in his life is something that probably will remain in his soul and in his conscience, in spite of his public comments. The important thing is that he continued to his heart. More than six decades ago a man very near to my heart was fighting against the same change of life. My own father.

I did not find out that my father had been a priest even after his death in 1985. Since then it was fighting against the suspense of not knowing the circumstances under which he left the priesthood and if my mother had something to do with it. During more than two decades I did the impossible thing for discovering the truth. My search took me from the files of the archdiocese in the city of Mexico up to the foyers of the Vatican. He wanted to understand intensely why a man who had done the very strict votes of the bachelorhood would break them and would risk to the condemnation of the institution of the Catholic Church. Even more worrying for me was that he did not know why my father supported secretly such an important episode of his life.

Across the years and the investigation that I did for my book: "I Am the Daughter of My Father: A Life Without Secrets”, I discovered some of the details of his life like priest. For example, that was educated in a seminar in Rome, that his brother also had been a priest, that during more than one decade had served in several parishes in the Mexican capital and that in some moment he complained before his family from which a serious disappointment of the church had suffered.

When I examined the old files of the archdiocese, a young priest tried to pacify my agitation reminding to me that what it might never decipher is what it was spending exactly for his mind when he took this decision. This was a secret that took to the grave.
I found out then on the part of members of his family of his long struggle to be reconciled by the Catholic Church. And the fact is that in the decade of 1940 a priest could not decide to go away so easily of the institution and be still a practicing Catholic. His efforts were documented in a letter written in Latin in which he was asking for the acquittal of the Holy See. It was, in fact, the father Alberto Cutié who helped me to translate the document for the Englishman and helped me to understand how much my father was valuing the power to give to his daughters a religious education, as he was telling in the letter.

The father Cutié and I have had many conversations about the Church across the years, his educations, his rules and his imperfection. The bachelorhood is not natural, he was saying to him. But it is the sacrifice that we do for the Gentleman, he was answering. I remember to have discussed with him the irony of the canonical law during the icy sexual abuse scandal on the part of catholic priests. I could not understand how according to the article 1395 of the canonical law, the sex between a priest and an adult woman is an affront more serious to bother sexually to age minors. The first thing can give as turned out a suspension, but the second thing can be punished by not stated roastings. It is a position difficult to defend.

It is difficult to do parallels between the history of my father and that of the father Cutié. With only 40 years of age, his future is still uncertain. I am sure that it will keep on being the valued figure that has given consolation and inspiration to thousands, although many people condemn his actions. But if he was going so far as to continue somehow the steps of my father, marrying and having children, being supported like a faith man, it might leave a legacy of love and fortitude for many future generations.


(c) 2008 by Maria Helen Salinas.