From articles of the lifetimesnews (questionable source) it appears he said what was needed to receive Communion beforehand, so it was pretty clear that he would deny anyone who he had proper reason to.
However, the more and more I read, the more and more I get the impression the priest did not have enough information through any dialogue- the only way conceivable is if the woman said that she was sexually active. Anything else would be making assumptions or be known privately, thus not allowing the priest to deny her Communion in a public setting.
The only way he could be justified is if he was well aware of this woman's political and religious standpoints against the Church beforehand and knew what she was all about. Otherwise, her sin was too vague ("lover" is not enough to warrant it. 999/1000 times it would be the case, but there is always that 1/1000) and/or not publicly known, a major circumstance in denying Communion (well, at least to the priest's knowledge). Didn't confessions used to be much more public? Didn't this create problems, as people would know everything you did wrong? Or, if the nature of the sin was kept a secret, lead to rumors?
No, confessions weren't public but penances were... as a penance you might've had to tell everybody what you did and ask their forgiveness.
many priest do this, make a general statement before Communion, that only those not in sin should receive.
But its a priest's call. He is with in his rights to deny who he wants.
I remember years ago, like 15 years or better, through a co worker, this young girl. I was barley familiar with this young girl but I knew who she was and she knew who I was and I knew she had decided to up and be a Lesbian. She was like 20 years old.... the co worker had mentioned she started being a Lesbian. That's how I knew.
Well, one Sunday evening I'm at Mass minding my own beeswax and this girl is seated behind me with her girl friend and I was like, woe, man... and she whispers in my ear, "hi" and reminds who she is, she's so and so's friend... and I'm like, "hi..." and I'm thinking to myself, ah man... these two are in Church. you can tell the other girl she was with is clearly a lesbian, she was just butch.
so they go up to communion like its nothing and I was like, wow.
when I go back to work I told the other friend, I saw your friend with her G/F at Church, of all places, and said to her, you know they can't having Communion like that and that's when the girl says to me that her G/F is "real religious..." and I said, okay but they still should not take Communion.
the next Sunday they're back and I don't know how the priest got a hold of it because we have hundreds at Mass, but he says during his homily that lesbian and homosexuality- the lifestyle not the peoples, should not take Communion because its a sin... and he said a lot more on why its a sin to take Communion when you shouldn't, etc and I was like, wow, how did he know what's going on?
anyway, the two still went up... he didn't refuse them that I know of and I saw them a few more times and then I stop seeing them. I do not know what happen to the girl. the other friend kinda stop hanging with her.
and even I can't believe I have all these stories to tell. So a priest can choose to handle it how he wants. He connected his own dots here and I guess he can do that if he wants. Is it smart of him to do that? We'll have to see.