Culture

From Here To Eternity in Real Life

Chuck Warnock

Chuck Warnock

— 1 min read
Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity.
Father Al and friend in the remake. Or makeout.

I can't figure out what I don't like about the story of former Catholic priest Alberto Cutie (pronounced ku-tee-ay, not cutie-pie), who has now become an Episcopal priest.  But, maybe it's the fact that...

  • Father Al was caught in a Burt-Lancaster-From-Here-to-Eternity scene, rolling in the tide with a bikini clad woman; or that,
  • Father Alberto is called Father Oprah because of the popularity of his TV talk show; or that,
  • Alberto has jumped ship to the Episcopal church and will preach this coming Sunday in an Episcopal church in Biscayne Park that needs reviving; or that,
  • The Episcopalians welcomed him with open arms and are putting him right to work; or that,
  • According to CNN, he said, "Through the photos, it looked like a frivolous thing on the beach, you know, and that's not what it is. It's something deeper than that." Okay, so deeper makes everything fine.  Or that,
  • This is another example of "Pastors Gone Wild."  As if we needed any more examples.

So, that's my take on Father Al.  I personally hope he finds the happiness he seeks, and that he is indeed in love and that everything ends happily ever after.  I would have liked it better if he'd taken at least a few days off, gone on a retreat or something, and started in a lower profile position than savior-of-a-dying-parish.  But, hey, only in America, right?

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