Lesbian denied Communion at Funeral

[DaemonSeid]

As her elderly mother was dying, Barbara Johnson lay next to her on the hospital bed, reciting the "Hail Mary." Loetta Johnson, 85, had been a devout Catholic, raising her four children in the church and sending them to Catholic schools.

At her mother's funeral mass at the St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Md., a grieving Barbara Johnson was the first in line to receive communion.

What happened next stunned her. The priest refused Johnson, who is gay, the sacramental bread and wine.

"He covered the bowl with the Eucharist with his hand and looked at me, and said I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman and that is a sin in the eyes of the church," Johnson told ABC News affiliate WJLA.

Her older brother, Larry Johnson, couldn't believe what he had seen.

"I walked to the side of the church to console her, because she was clearly distraught," Johnson told ABC News.

Larry Johnson said his sister, who has been in a committed gay relationship for 19 years, composed herself enough to give her mother's eulogy, but then he was shocked at what happened next. The priest left the altar, Johnson said, and didn't return until his sister was nearly finished speaking.

Family members added that the priest failed to come to the grave site, and the burial was attended by a substitute priest found by the funeral director.

Larry Johnson and his sister were outraged at what occurred on "what would already have been the worst day of my life," he said.

They want the priest, the Rev. Marcel Guarnizo, removed from dealings with parishioners. They also believe he owes them an apology.

"This isn't about gay rights and it isn't about Catholic bashing, it is simply about the conduct of a reprehensible priest," said Johnson.

But the head of DignityUSA, a group that focuses on gay and lesbian rights and the Catholic Church, sees the incident as part of a wider problem.

"The reality is, in some ways, it is very emblematic of the hierarchy's approach to gay people, transgender people," said Marianne Duddy-Burke. "There are little messages of rejection that happen all the time."

Guarnizo did not return an email asking for a comment about the incident.

The Archdiocese of Washington had no public comment about the priest's behavior, but issued a statement that indicated Guarnizo should have taken up the matter of whether Johnson could receive communion in private.

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs...-abc-news.html

[sdtennisgal]

Absolutely reprehensible. A good friend of mine was told her gay brother could not take communion (and was generally unwelcome) at her son's first communion ceremony. The entire family has since converted to the Episcopal Church, and their diocese lost three very smart and talented children from their school.

[DaemonSeid]

Originally Posted by sdtennisgal

Absolutely reprehensible. A good friend of mine was told her gay brother could not take communion (and was generally unwelcome) at her son's first communion ceremony. The entire family has since converted to the Episcopal Church, and their diocese lost three very smart and talented children from their school.

As one of my friends said, if there's any trend some have noticed between members of the clergy and politicians that make such open statements against the gay community, it's that their closets are always full of fun pieces of hypocrisy.

[ThetaPrincess24]

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

As one of my friends said, if there's any trend some have noticed between members of the clergy and politicians that make such open statements against the gay community, it's that their closets are always full of fun pieces of hypocrisy.

yes!

[agzg]

Ugh, how sad.

[Old_Row]

I am very sad for her but the church's doctrine is the church's doctrine. There may be plenty of hypocrites within the hierarchy of the church but the church's stand on the matter isn't a secret. Membership and participation in a religion isn't a right but those who aren't happy about a church's doctrine do have a right to find another that more closely aligns with their personal beliefs.

[PiAlphaGammaFM]

Originally Posted by Old_Row

I am very sad for her but the church's doctrine is the church's doctrine. There may be plenty of hypocrites within the hierarchy of the church but the church's stand on the matter isn't a secret. Membership and participation in a religion isn't a right but those who aren't happy about a church's doctrine do have a right to find another that more closely aligns with their personal beliefs.

when you are raised to believe in something, and that something is one of the only ways to maintain a connection with your deceased mother and find comfort and meaning is not the best time to consider changing religions. I have a feeling that this lesbian is a much better catholic than many other in her congregation.

Funeral arrangements take time, she could have been warned that she would have been denied communion. the priest was exceedingly rude and cruel to this woman and her family. furthermore, by treating her in this way he also showed disrespect for the woman being remembered. she is grieving and she was looking for comfort in the church. a decent human being would have granted her that comfort or at the very least treated her like a person. the church preaches we should love another as jesus loves us... that is its most basic and simple tennant and this priest got it wrong. he should face consequences.

[ForeverRoses]

Originally Posted by PiAlphaGammaFM

Funeral arrangements take time, she could have been warned that she would have been denied communion. the priest was exceedingly rude and cruel to this woman and her family. furthermore, by treating her in this way he also showed disrespect for the woman being remembered. she is grieving and she was looking for comfort in the church. a decent human being would have granted her that comfort or at the very least treated her like a person. the church preaches we should love another as jesus loves us... that is its most basic and simple tennant and this priest got it wrong. he should face consequences.

THIS! As an active member of the catholic church, I have to say this whole article makes me cringe. The priest is definitely in the wrong on how he handled the situation. DURING a mass is not the time for him to do these things. If he has approached the family PRIOR to the mass, in private and explained everything, that would have been different. Even if he had done that, she should have been allowed to approach the priest during communion for a blessing.

It sounds like the priest made a major mistake and decided to make a statement at the wrong time.

[Gusteau]

When I was a Eucharistic Minister in high school and college both times I did training we were told that we shouldn't be making judgement calls on whether or not the person that came up to us was eligible to receive communion. I do not know if the rules are different for priests, and I will concede that they might be.

Regardless, the above posters are correct, there were many opportunities for this situation to be avoided with dignity.

[Psi U MC Vito]

The priest has a right to deny communion to a notorious sinner IIRC, however he should approach that person privately about it.

[Cen1aur 1963]

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

The priest has a right to deny communion to a notorious sinner IIRC, however he should approach that person privately about it.

That's cool, but if that's the case then he shouldn't be serving anybody communion, including himself. To deny anybody communion based on "sin", gay or straight is foul as hell.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by violetpretty

Any Catholics correct me if I'm wrong because I very well could be, but I seem to recall that certain special occasions in the church invite all attendees to receive communion. Is this at the discretion of the parish/priest?

Not Catholic, but I don't think the Church "permits" that. I think what you're seeing is priests doing it on their own and risking reprimand from their bishops.

Originally Posted by Cen1aur 1963

That's cool, but if that's the case then he shouldn't be serving anybody communion, including himself. To deny anybody communion based on "sin", gay or straight is foul as hell.

Not defending the priest, but to be fair to the Catholic viewpoint, Communion is not being denied on the basis of "sin." From the Church's viewpoint, it's being denied on the basis of lack of repentance and of living in a way that endorses the sin as though it were not sin.

[TriDeltaSallie]

Disclaimer: Not a Catholic

Wouldn't the woman have known she would be refused communion? It couldn't have been a surprise to her that living in a state of unrepentence (according to Catholic teaching) would disqualify her.

And is it possible that the priest didn't come to the burial to avoid more confrontation?

The priest was in a no win situation. He either upholds the doctrines he has promised to uphold or he does something that he knows he is not supposed to do. Yes, he should have handled it differently, but I suspect there may be more to this story than is being told.

There are two sides to every story and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

[SWTXBelle]

To quote from one of my favorite sites, http://www.catholic.com/tracts/who-c...eive-communion

"The Church sets out specific guidelines regarding how we should prepare ourselves to receive the Lord’s body and blood in Communion. To receive Communion worthily, you must be in a state of grace, have made a good confession since your last mortal sin, believe in transubstantiation, observe the Eucharistic fast, and, finally, not be under an ecclesiastical censure such as excommunication. "

It sounds as if the daughter was not qualified to receive. If she was raised Catholic she should have known that. That said, I think the priest should have simply delivered a blessing and gone on without making a scene.

As to why most other Christians are not able to take RC communion:

"Scripture is clear that partaking of the Eucharist is among the highest signs of Christian unity: "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). For this reason, it is normally impossible for non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion, for to do so would be to proclaim a unity to exist that, regrettably, does not.
Another reason that many non-Catholics may not ordinarily receive Communion is for their own protection, since many reject the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Scripture warns that it is very dangerous for one not believing in the Real Presence to receive Communion: "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died" (1 Cor. 11:29–30).

[glittergal1985]

Originally Posted by TriDeltaSallie

Wouldn't the woman have known she would be refused communion? It couldn't have been a surprise to her that living in a state of unrepentence (according to Catholic teaching) would disqualify her.

It is very uncommon for individuals who present themselves for communion to be refused. However, the woman should have known that it was inappropriate for her to do so as she was living a lifestyle contrary to Church beliefs and thus not "in communion" with the Church. The act of receiving communion represents that a person is accepting of all Church teachings. In this situation, the woman could have instead presented herself for a blessing, as anyone is welcome to do. I do agree that this is quite an upsetting situation, but the priest probably felt that he was protecting the woman by not giving her communion.