Former Catholic priest marries girlfriend

MIAMI, June 17 (UPI) -- A former Roman Catholic priest and his new bride will wait more than a week before saying their vows in an Episcopalian ceremony in Southeast Florida.

Alberto Cutié, 40, and 35-year-old Ruhama Buni Canellis were married in a civil ceremony at the Coral Gables courthouse Tuesday after entering the building through a back entrance, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday.

Miami-Dade County Judge Jacqueline Schwartz conducted the brief ceremony in her chambers, a court employee told the Herald.

Cutié left his post as priest at St. Francis de Sales Catholic church in Miami Beach after photographs showing him nuzzling Canellis were published in a celebrity magazine.

He left the Catholic Church to become an Episcopalian late last month and preached his first sermon at Church of the Resurrection in Biscayne Park on May 31.