Kevin V. Kelton
Rutgers University
Email: kvk95@ionaprep.org

The Seduction of Padre Alberto

As "El Show/Padre Alberto" opens, the viewer is treated to a series of images of the star flashing across the screen: A dark and handsome young man with beautifully cropped hair first in a gym weight-lifting, then on a beach surrounded by young people, then sitting on the ground, a guitar in hand singing, while obviously also celebrating Mass as is evidenced by his white alb with a stole draped over it, and finally, the image transforms into that of a clearly identifiable priest in a clerical vest, a perfectly pressed white shirt with French cuffs and a French collar as he prepares for his role as talk show host. In these few seconds the viewer is subtly introduced not only to the talk show which is to follow, but also to a rather attractive representative for the Catholic Church but one which screens the issues inherent in being an official representative, an attractive young man, and a minor celebrity in U.S. Latino circles as well as Latin America. The performance spans quite a few distinct roles. But that is precisely the dilemma and enigma of Padre Alberto Cutié.
It would be hard to imagine the contemporary Latin American cultures without the cultural signifier of the priest. From the arrival of Columbus, the Spanish invaders were rarely without a priest as they claimed land and people for cross and sword. But even this reality calls to the forefront the unique problematic of the priest as one ordained and set apart for a mission which is often firmly in the service of Patriarchy. How has the central cultural figure of the priest been at once a signifier of "other" on the one hand, and a symbol of the Lacanian "le nom de père" and an instrument of Patriarchal domination on the other? And how does the performance evident in Padre Alberto both play out these issues and seduce the viewer into his religious milieu? I will begin with an effort at a kind of "thick description" of the subculture of the priesthood in the style of Clifford Geertz in which I will demonstrate the "difference" of the Roman Catholic priest and the extent of his performance. Then I will explore how Padre Alberto illustrates the ongoing popular interest in the priest as "Other," seducing the viewer into an encounter with the rather traditional and patriarchal discourse of Catholicism.
A "thick description" of the priestly subculture
While the ecclesial culture has made its institutional presence felt to a great extent in Western Civilization over the course of the centuries, the subculture of the priesthood has rarely been explored "in se." Historically speaking, the institutionalization and standardization of the priesthood was deeply affected by the reforms of the Council of Trent in the Sixteenth Century and the essence of the priesthood as it was then defined was only somewhat modified by the modernizing Second Vatican Council of 1962-65. In short, the priest as a religious figure was constituted as a subject set apart by theological discourse in a Foucaultian understanding. He is constituted as a kind of "other" as is evidenced by the theological underpinnings of the priesthood and its spiritual and sociological repercussions.
Theologically, the priest is a man who, from his ordination, enjoys a separate, special sacramental character that marks him as different from other believers and sets up the dynamic of his performance. The indelible mark on his soul is permanent, can never be expunged, and he is empowered with certain gifts which no lay person, even a saint, can achieve. Among the sacramental powers that separate him from the rest of the faithful are the power to effect the Eucharist, to forgive in the name and the person of Christ, to witness the marriage of lay people, and to heal the sick through the sacrament of anointing. The ordained minister enjoys the privilege of "speech act" in a way conceived of by Austin and others. Particularly in these sacramental settings, the priest's words have the power to effect what they say, i.e., they are performative. So when the priest says, "this is my body...this is my blood", the Church teaches that he acts "in loco Christi" and the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ, and for better or worse, the Eucharist (also known as the Mass), remains the central liturgical celebration of the Catholic community. Another example of great potential significance is the words "I absolve you of your sins," the recitation of which frees the penitent of all sin confessed. So, when the priest is "performing" in his role as sacramental minister, acting, if you will, in the place of Christ, his words are charged with performative power.
But beyond these powers, the priest is himself a sacramental, he enjoys a special status and a cultural import as the intercessor on behalf of the people, their link between God and humanity, and their direct experience of Christ, for the priest is said to be an "alter Christus." He is the acknowledged authority on all things religious, at least within the local community and is rarely challenged directly by the faithful on any issue. The priest is even today treated in contemporary the U.S. and Latin American cultures with a fair bit of deference largely because of his special ordained function and role in the community.
From these brief theological underpinnings flow certain spiritual and sociological repercussions. If the priest is set apart theologically, then he inhabits a special psychic and spiritual role as shaman or the Jungian Archetype of priest. Whether or not he actually possesses any authentic spiritual powers (and he often doesn't), he is recognized as a cultural figure who is "other" than the usual man or woman. He is an odd combination of in-between and often becomes a screen or text for the projection of all kinds of spiritual, emotional or religious projections, whether they be positive or negative. On the cinematographic screen there have been some prominent performances such as the zenith experience, at least for the Pre-Vatican II North American Catholic, of the icongraphic Father O'Malley in "The Bells of Saint Mary's." Perhaps Padre Alberto himself is the contemporary Father O'Malley for the post-Vatican II Church and its newer immigrants. It is still not uncommon for lay people in Latin America, particularly elder believers of great piety, to kiss the hand of the priest as a sign of its sanctity and an acknowledgement of his difference. But there are equally grotesque performances of priests on screen and in real life, images largely unseen in the Pre-Vatican II era. "El crimen de Padre Amaro" is a powerful example of the latter but U.S. residents have been made aware of a great number of ogres worthy of condemnation in the recent pedophile and ephebophile scandals and awareness of other crimes perpetrated by priests seems to be growing.
As far as the sociological ramifications, the priest is a cultural figure who is drawn from out of the community yet no longer of it. Because of this he is often thought to be asexual (though he is not, of course), and must renounce marriage in the obligatory vow of celibacy. This a step apart from all believers who are called merely to observe chastity. This further complicates his relationship to both women and men for, while unmarried and presumably a sexually "safe" being, he is married to Christ and the Church, serving the interest of God the Father, the capital "P" of the "Patriarchy." What's more, he is vowed to obey his "father" superiors in all ecclesiastical matters which, in effect, is most every aspect of his life. In exchange, the priest is given a special, often extensive education and indoctrination to which few others are entitled. He enjoys a deep sense of entitlement, is largely free from personal financial worries, and is taken care of in terms of health, food and shelter. A priest has a special legal status as an ordained member of the Church, an institution that operates the longest standing legal system in the world, while he is often exempt, officially or unofficially, from civil prosecution. In the U.S. recent developments have made this less likely but the situation in Latin America would seem to be more fluid. The priesthood is largely characterized by a level of leisure and independent living unknown to the majority of the laity, and when the priest does not live alone he has his own room which he shares with no one else in single-gender residences. Certainly the fact of all-male environments would raise many more eyebrows if not for the special status as "other" afforded the priesthood, his performance of asexuality, and the cover of the institutional Church. Indeed, though not a focus of her research, the living situation of priests is well described by Sedgwick's adjective "homosocial," and the Church in the U.S. has not been free of rumors or scandals involving significant homoerotic relations. It must be stated that the Church promulgates such living situations because it senses that a clergy divided without anyone to love or love them is a class of easily controlled agents of Patriarchy.
Lastly, it would not be possible to describe the special status of the priest without mentioning clerical garb. Whether by a habit or a Roman collar or vestments, the priest is marked as "other" by his clothes which tell the world that he is different from the rest of the laity. Indeed, in the contemporary culture of the Church, some lay people are often upset when the priest fails to present himself in this sign of difference. They want to know and identify their priests and feel that they might have acted differently knowing that an ordained minister was present. Surely the priest would never consider taking part in a solemn event without these outward signs of his difference.
In this barebones description of the subculture of the priesthood some paradoxes are immediately evident. No one can doubt that, while the priest is singled out as "Other," he is also an instrument of Patriarchy. The figure of the priest is completely a construct of the Church which illustrates well the Lacanian concept of the father who anchors the signifying chain. In a highly ironic twist, these clerics who are not married carry the name of "father" and thereby become take on the symbolic function of the "Law of the Father". There are religious as well as political ramifications for calling the priest "father", a practice which Jesus himself discourages when he says, "Call no one your father." It implies at least a handing over of spiritual power to the priest and an abdication of the subject's responsibility for his or her own spiritual, religious and moral life. Such is a real danger in the clerical and rigidly hierarchical Catholic Church. The moralistic function of the Church expressed by its ministers reflects well the Lacanian sense of the "`no' of the Father." No one can dispute that the Church has often spoken vociferously and worked tirelessly for a significant moral agenda while at the same time being complicit in the crimes and sins of its priests. Indeed, it is the figure of the priest who assists in situating the subject, the "je", in relation to other subjects through his proclamation of and ministry for the communal mission of the Church. Priests still enjoy enormous influence over the faithful, particularly certain classes of people (e.g., the more marginalized), and many do not hesitate to wield their power on behalf of patriarchy.
But to what extent are the individual priests also victims of that same Patriarchy? Following Geertz's insight that cultures operate through a series of symbolic representations as seen above in the "thick description" of the priesthood as a subculture, what conflict is being ritually and symbolically enacted? I can see a number of possible answers to this question but I sense that the primary conflict which is being repeated is the very struggle between being singled out as "Other" and the knowledge that he is the same as the rest, a struggle in essence between the alterity and humanity of the priest. I believe that the manner of dealing with this central conflict dictates how the priest takes on or rejects the role of "Other" and the Patriarchal program which it signifies.
Padre Alberto as a Celebrity
While we took as our starting point "El Show/Padre Alberto", Padre Cutié is actually an institution which extends beyond the three years he spent (1998-2001) as the host of a nationally syndicated talk show on Telemundo in the U.S. and internationally. According to the Catholic Digest article found on Padre Alberto's website, not only is he found on the web, he continues his work on the radio for the Archdiocese of Miami as director of Radio Paz, continues to be seen on Telemundo Internacional in the reruns of the talk-show, has principal responsibility for the bilingual Mass seen throughout the world, and perseveres in writing a five-day-a-week advice column for El Nuevo Herald of Miami called "Consejos de amigo" . In addition, he is active in the Catholic media in Latin America including another talk show taped in Santo Domingo once every six weeks focused on young people called, "El Padre Alberto y sus amigos," a show co-produced by a Catholic (Televida) and a secular channel. Another link on the website notes how "Padre Alberto" and another show, "Cambia tu vida con Padre Alberto" along with his role as one of the presenters of the show "América en vivo" "se convirtieron en palabras muy conocidas en la television latinoamericana." Meanwhile Cuadra García counts more than 400 television programs and 800 interviews to Padre Alberto's credit as recently as February, 2003. Any participant in multi-media in Latin America would be able to observe a truly contemporary image which manifests this dynamic of priest as "Other", yet part of Patriarchy, in the celebrity performances of Padre Alberto.
The opening images of this popular television talk show, as we noted above, immediately underline the conflict between being different and yet the same as well as the attempt to seduce the viewers by the performance of difference/sameness. From the Roman collar, to a classroom of young people, to a tee shirt playing basketball in a gym, to strumming a guitar while he celebrates Mass, these images invite the viewer into the dynamic of alterity. The final image returns to a close-up of Padre Alberto in his French cuffs and half collar, a look which emphasizes at once not only his difference from the viewer but his difference from the image of most other priests the viewers have ever seen.
As television talk shows go, "El Show/Padre Alberto" seems to be more subdued but largely similar to others I've seen. The studio audience is naturally Latino and clearly well-dressed and well-behaved, reflecting the location of its filming, Miami, a cultural capital of Latin America. The topics seem tame in comparison to most talk shows, high school dropouts, whether boy/girlfriends of adolescents should be allowed to sleep over, abuse, machismo and putting family members in nursing homes. One wonders if the only reason why Padre Alberto has the show is his status as priest and if the viewers only watch him because he is a curiosity, an "Other." The on-line article by Melo addresses the origin of the show quoting Nely Galan, Telemundo's president of entertainment, "What would make me feel good?, she said. "I thought that if I can find a priest to host a show it would really be great because they can guide you spiritually." His tone is pastoral and he generally takes his turn, is respectful of guests, and is fair and even-handed with participants. Robles writes, "Hay menos espectáculo en el talk show del Padre Alberto" and notes a curious difference in its likely audience. "Es muy probable que a diferencia de los talk shows aludidos [Cristina y La Bozzo], capte la atención de una cantidad mayor de público de sectores socioeconómicos medios y altos." It seems likely that going up against just such competition did the show in after three years. While Padre Alberto does give his opinions, he does so without a lot of religious language unless the topic is specifically religious (e.g., the Biblical portrayal of women). The priest seems to want to perform the role of regular guy as seen in the opening images, as he helps change a tire on one show and as he's seen on his website with youth and other Latino celebrities like Eric Estrada. His comment in an on-line article is further illustrative, "no me gusta predicar de arriba a abajo. Me gusta hablar de tú a tú, así como Jesús quién se hizo amigo de las personas." But the viewer is constantly aware of the black and white of his collar and the power, influence and Patriarchy they signify. There is one aspect of the show that struck me as curious. At some breaks advertisements are aired in which Padre Alberto appears in collar and is either offering help or soliciting prospective participants to appear on the show. This viewer was not absolutely certain if Padre Alberto was offering to help those on drugs to come clean, those who are having sexual problems to get assistance, those who wanted to change their sexual orientation, were contemplating suicide, wanting to get out of poverty or those with a secret to relieve their burden, or asking them to come forward for future shows. If the telephone numbers were help lines it seems like a wonderful pastoral solicitation.
An odd dynamic evident on the show as well as in the column written by Father Alberto is their confessional nature and the double performance of Father Cutié as confessor and psychotherapist. It is not a new insight to see in the modern media a trend towards self-revelation as a means towards auto as well as communal absolution, but Padre Alberto seems to be a new and curious twist on this trend. While Melo calls the show "part confessional, part entertainment," there is definitely an extra layer when the front man is garbed in clericals. It is an acknowledged fact that very few of the faithful take part in sacramental confession nowadays. Instead, the act of confession has moved back to the public forum and the people flock to the modern church assembly, media outlets like television and the internet to hear confessions and receive absolution.
The seductive dimension of Padre Cutié is best expressed by the promo found on the Telemundo Internacional website. "Padre Alberto Cutié es una voz refrescante...trabajando con gentileza y persuasión para que los invitados revelen sus sentimientos más íntimos dentro de las francas discusiones." He has "cutie pie" looks as Melo notes, and is "articulate, affable and self-possessed." But he describes himself as "un hombre tradicional" according to Carcuro, and his describes his mission as selling the Church as "the best message in the world (Scanlon)." It is obvious from all these media that he is serious about his performance as a priest and his number one job is connecting people to a "very old institution that's perceived by many as outdated and old-fashioned (Scanlon)."
The final occurrence on "El Show/Padre Alberto" is the priest's closing monologue or fervorino. It struck me unusual to see a closing moral at the end of the talk show but its alterity was further emphasized by the fact that it is given from a close-up view of the priest in collar. Like the show itself though, the closing sermons are not necessarily religious and the advice given psychologically and emotionally sound. The same is true of his columns. In short, his is a seductive performance and we viewers find ourselves drawn into the dynamic of sameness/otherness all the while enjoying the pleasantness and intelligence of the experience.

Works Cited

Austin, J.L. How to Do Things with Words Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,
1962.
Carcuro, Pedro. "Padre Alberto. El rey del talk show." 11 December 2002. Online.
http://www.padrealberto.net/TELEVISION.htm
Cuadra García, Ricardo. La Prensa. El Diario de los Nicaragüenses No 22997, 9 Febrero,
2003. Online. http://www.padrealberto.net/Prensa.htm
Geertz, Clifford. The Interpretation of Cultures. New York: Basic Books, 1973.
Lacan, Jacques. Ècrits: A Selection. Trans. Alan Sheridan. New York: W.W. Norton,
1977.
Melo, Diana. "Priest busy with parish, fans, TV talk show," posted Wednesday, October
27, 1999. Online. http://www.padrealberto.net/Fr%20Albert's%20Tv%20articles.htm
Robles, Farah. "El Padre Alberto: 'Venid a mí dice el Señor y yo os aliviaré," Online.
http://www.padrealberto.net/Prensa.htm
Scanlon, Christopher. "On the Go with Padre Alberto." Catholic Digest Jan 2003. Online.
http://www.padrealberto.net/New.htm
Sedgwick, Eve. Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire New
York: Columbia University Press, 1985.
www.padrealberto.net
www.telemundointl.com

Appendix

An image from http://www.telemundointl.com/asp/show.asp?show_id=390

Link to "Consejos de amigo": http://www.miami.com/mld/elnuevo/entertainment/columnists/padre_alberto/5932587.htm

An example of this column:
Posted on Fri, May. 30, 2003

`Tú y tu hermana tienen derecho a sus vidas sin abandonar a tu mamá'

Q uerido Padre Alberto:
Tengo 34 años. A los 20 vine para Estados Unidos. En mi país dejé a mis padres y una hermana menor. Papá murió enseguida y mi hermana se hizo cargo de mámá, que quedó ciega.
Mi hermana abandonó sus estudios para cuidarla y yo tuve me hice responsable de ellas. Trabajé muy duro. Luego me casé, pero mi matrimonio no duró mucho, mi esposo no entendía lo que hacía y eso causó el divorcio.
Dos veces al año las visito. Mi hermana se la pasa quejándose de que toda su vida la ha gastado al cuidado de nuestra madre, yo trato de comprenderla y también de complacerla en todo lo que está a mi alcance.
Ella, que tiene ahora 30 años, se ha encontrado un hombre con el que quiere casarse. Ahora me exige que yo me ocupe de nuestra viejita. Eso significaría dejar mi empleo, en el cual gano lo suficiente para sostenernos y quiere que regrese a mi país para cuidar de mi madre. No es que yo no la quiera, pero pienso, que en mi país no voy a encontrar un trabajo que nos permita vivir a las dos dignamente. Mi hermana no quiere darse cuenta de nada. ¿Qué me aconseja hacer?
Mercedes, indecisa con mi madre.
Estimada Mercedes:
Estás entre la espada y la pared, ya que negociar y llegar a un acuerdo con los seres queridos, no es cosa fácil. Aquí se aplican las palabras de Jesús en el Evangelio: ''Nadie es profeta en su propia tierra''. Darle explicaciones a tu hermana es una cosa, pero que las acepte, es otra.
Hay quienes sacrifican el transcurso normal de sus vidas por los padres. Conozco innumerables casos de mujeres jóvenes que han optado por quedarse solteras, para dedicarse a cuidar a sus padres mayores o enfermos. Esto es algo muy honorable, pero debe ser una opción y no se debe forzar. El que lo hace sin plena libertad, se convierte en una persona difícil de tratar.
La vida tiene sus momentos y sus ciclos para todo. Nadie quiere enfrentarse a las limitaciones que causan la enfermedad, los accidentes y las tragedias --incluida la muerte--, pero todas estas realidades son parte de la vida misma. Siempre hay ciertos miembros de la familia que están más dispuestos a ayudar y a sacrificarse con las personas mayores, que otros que prefieren vivir su vida e ignorar la carga que puede producir esta situación para toda la familia.
En Estados Unidos, muchos latinos sufren por tener que enviar a un ser querido a una institución donde se cuidan ancianos las 24 horas del día. Pero, en el caso de la gran mayoría de las familias, ésta es la única opción. De otra forma, la familia tendría que dejar de trabajar y convertir su casa en un hospital de cuidados intensivos. Hay quienes lo logran, pero es muy difícil cuando se tiene que trabajar todos los días.
Tu hermana tiene todo el derecho de casarse y vivir su vida, pero esto no significa que tú tengas que abandonar tu vida y tu trabajo para cuidar a tu madre a tiempo completo porque ella así lo quiera. Tú y tu hermana tienen derecho a sus vidas sin abandonar a tu mamá, que debe vivir dignamente. Pueden encontrar el justo equilibrio para sus tres vidas. Creo que puedes conseguir alguien responsable que les eche una mano durante el día, una persona a la que se le pague razonablemente por cuidar a tu mamá.
Un abrazo, Padre Alberto.
Envíe sus cartas a:
Consejos de Amigo
Rev. Padre Alberto Cutié
Radio Paz 830 AM
PO BOX 421500
Miami, Fl 33142

Text of the "El Show/Padre Alberto" closing monologue, Friday, August 4, 2000
(As is obvious this translation is my own.)
Friends, human life is full of stages of growth and development which bring with them a series of changes that we cannot ignore. Adolescence and youth are precisely the years of greatest change in the human being, emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual changes. These make the child that until now we thought we knew so well, very different. Suddenly he changed. The most important thing is that the parents do everything possible so as not to be afraid of these changes but, nstead, to see it as a period of growth and the years in which the young person is going about creating their own identity, the process of preparation of arriving at being an adult. But, in spite of these changes, this is the moment in which the young people most need us. In my experience, the one who does not listen can't guide. We have to listen to our young people and share our ideas with them without preaching a lot of sermons. They need guidance as well as the freedom to act correctly and make good decisions. They have the need to feel that they can think and act for themselves even though to us it seems that they lack maturity and wisdom. They will only act correctly when they understand the why behind things and, at times they only will learn after giving themselves some good lumps. They need a lot of patience and dialogue.
This is my advice.
I wish you peace and love.