Father Albert Cutie Lashes Out at Catholic Church

Jan. 4, 2011. — -- Two years after the tabloids revealed Father Albert Cutie's secret relationship with a woman in his parish that prompted him to leave the church, he criticizes how the church handled the scandal.

"I think that on the outside there are all these rules. The church appears antiseptic like Listerine, you know we have no germs," Cutie said on "Good Morning America" today. "But then when the scandals come out, then the church reacts to those scandals."

Cutie, 41, was known as "Father Oprah" for his popular Spanish-language talk show, radio show and advice column, when he was photographed on a Miami beach kissing a woman in his parish. After 14 years as a priest, Cutie stepped down from the church, married parishioner Ruhama Buni and become an Episcopal priest. But he still does not agree with the way things were handled.

"What I am really, really bothered by is the fact that they would respond to this situation between and adult consenting female and an adult male, both of them single, in such a harsh way," said Cutie. "But when priests are caught in other situations, sometimes there's no statement, there's no public declaration, and I think some of that has to do with the church's dysfunction."

Cutie writes about his decision to leave the Catholic Church for love in his new book, "Dilemma: A Priest's Struggle With Faith and Love."

Cutie admits that he was no saint in the situation but told "GMA" that he just could not help but to love his wife despite the rules of the church.

"We avoided each other for a long time," Cutie said. " I always say it's like magnets that attract no matter how much you try and pull them apart."

Although he still holds some resentment toward the Catholic Church, Cutie is now an Episcopal priest, which allows him to keep his marriage. Cutie told "GMA" that celibacy was not for him, and is not for most clergy members.

"Celibacy works for some priests some of the time, but it does not work for most priests most of the time."

Many faiths, including Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and Orthodox Christians, allow their religious leaders to marry, but Roman Catholic priests are required to stay single and celibate.