Priest gets heat for denying lesbian Communion at mother's funeral

Chany

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Uh, I don't like adding fuel to the fire, and i don't know if this was posted here, but...

News Outlets Failed to Reveal Lesbian Denied Communion at Mother’s Funeral … is a Buddhist and Gay Rights Activist | CatholicVote.org

However, it still isn't known if the priest knew enough to withhold communion.

I think the priest was put in a difficult spot, but most likely acted on his conscience, making him personally okay anyway. But still, his action may not have properly valid, as he may not have been aware of her publicity.
 
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Tigg

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Uh, I don't like adding fuel to the fire, and i don't know if this was posted here, but...

News Outlets Failed to Reveal Lesbian Denied Communion at Mother’s Funeral … is a Buddhist and Gay Rights Activist | CatholicVote.org

However, it still isn't known if the priest knew enough to withhold communion.

I think the priest was put in a difficult spot, but most likely acted on his conscience, making him personally okay anyway. But still, his action may not have properly valid, as he may not have been aware of her publicity.

Thanks for the interesting article. I believe Father was correct in his assessment and action, God bless him. Take care and God bless.
 
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benedictaoo

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According to the article, the priest only learned of her orientation just before the Mass. There is NO indication that he had any information as to the entire nature of the relationship between the daughter and her partner. He made a judgement when he said that he couldn't give her Communion based on the fact she was living with a woman! What? That's all he knew at the time and still denied her Communion? That's the problem I have. I don't know that the priest needs to be removed from the pulpit, but he does need to better understand the actual teachings. I say, when in doubt, give the Host. Let God be God and take care of the rest.

I went to a wedding once at a Catholic Church for a collegue of mine. The priest announced before Communion that any Christian by baptism could come forward. Now that is scandalous!

The deceased monseigneur that I loved and adored use to say if you are catholic, you can come but examine your conscious first, if you are in serious sin, you need to go to confession first because its a mockery and a sin to receive that way and he would leave it at that.

My thing is this, how many un married couples and civilly married only couple go up? If priests are going to police this, who is in sin and who's not, they need to do it across the board.

I can honestly speculate many teens and adults go up when they ought not. So to the outside world it really looks a lot like they are ruling out and picking on the gays because of the political fight against gay marriage and their appearing to looking gay or lesbian.

This is just a very sticky situation.
 
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benedictaoo

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NO the priest cant win.

IF he says she told him she was gay and living with her lover - it looks like he is talking about something that should remain in the pastoral setting.

Either way - she is going to twist a knife into him. She set it up this way.

AND see the part that has been said many times now - LOVER - LOVER means they are active...so he wasnt with holding because she is gay - BUT because she said she has a LOVER.... See the word LOVER brings in a whole new context. It means sexually active to have a LOVER.

SO you can tell me 1000 times and you probably have byu now - that it doesnt matter if someone is gay they are ok in the Churches eye - big flippin whoop Bene - no one here is talking about that...so get over it already.

SHE HAS A LOVER..... thats is another thing altogether.


SHE said she has A LOVER.
So she can be told she cannot receive.

NOR is she [practicing] CATHOLIC. That small tid bit - that no one seems to understand.

EVEN if she wanted to be Catholic she is excommunicated by her lifestyle and choice of living in MORTAL SIN.

She can be told and he can deny her if it was clear that lover meant a sexual lover. I agree 100%.

we do not know what was siad and THAT is our problme here. Not what was his right.

He can deny who he wants, I do not think there is a rule that he has to give communion out to who ever wants it.

But for the sake of this being made public, the priest and his bishop really needs to come out and give the details and a good explanation why he denied her so we can end the speculation.

would you not agree that they do need to give their side and stop allowing other ppl to do it for them?

I don't have a dog in this fight... he can deny who he wants but the person denied can run to the media if they want and so the Church really would do itself a favor if it just stop being so ambiguous and publicly explained to non Catholics and un catechized Catholics why they can deny a person.

they are making themselves look bad by being quite and allowing this to be turned into a discrimination case.
 
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benedictaoo

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Mortal sin means we are not in His friendship and may not receive.
This is not a new teaching - it has been here since the beginning.

I really do not think you understand what is the real issue here.

Its not that we can take communion when in sin or that a priest can't deny. he can- if that is what he wants but when it is brought to the media and a stink is made about it- the Church really needs to speak up and tell their side.

We gripe and complain about Catholics not knowing whats up but look at why...? the Church does not explain itself in situations like this and allows bloggers to do it for them and the generally screw it up.

They think its a matter of we need to educate ourselves and they do no want to do it.

They need to go on the news and say what happened. Yes, the news guy will try to trap them and spin it but if they have a swift enough person on there, they'll be able to handle themselves.

That's my thing... if the public don't know Church teahing- the Church should be the ones to come and tell them.

This sitting back and being passive, letting lay ppl fight their battles for them, s'not working.
 
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benedictaoo

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Uh, I don't like adding fuel to the fire, and i don't know if this was posted here, but...

News Outlets Failed to Reveal Lesbian Denied Communion at Mother’s Funeral … is a Buddhist and Gay Rights Activist | CatholicVote.org

However, it still isn't known if the priest knew enough to withhold communion.

I think the priest was put in a difficult spot, but most likely acted on his conscience, making him personally okay anyway. But still, his action may not have properly valid, as he may not have been aware of her publicity.

and did he tell her before hand, if you come up, I will deny you?

the whole point is, he won't say and that's what's my problem with the priest.
 
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Chany

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and did he tell her before hand, if you come up, I will deny you?

the whole point is, he won't say and that's what's my problem with the priest.

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?
 
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Michie

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JacktheCatholic

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Remember the woman who was recently denied Communion at her mother's funeral? Turns out she's actually a Buddhist...
According to Barbara Johnson’s version of events, and the version of events unquestioningly passed on by the mainstream media, she was denied Communion at her own mother’s funeral by a priest who then proceeded to snub her departed mother by refusing to be present at the burial. Now Johnson is on a crusade to get the priest, Fr. Marcel Guarnizo...

Then the priest, either knowingly or unknowingly, did good by denying the Host to a Buddhist.

Knowing this, my opinion of this lady is that she is doing wrong and should not receive any good publicity for for deceit and actions.
 
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Chany

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Remember the woman who was recently denied Communion at her mother's funeral? Turns out she's actually a Buddhist...
According to Barbara Johnson’s version of events, and the version of events unquestioningly passed on by the mainstream media, she was denied Communion at her own mother’s funeral by a priest who then proceeded to snub her departed mother by refusing to be present at the burial. Now Johnson is on a crusade to get the priest, Fr. Marcel Guarnizo...

Ha! I finally beat you:p.
 
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benedictaoo

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On a semi-related note, my dad once got a call from someone who said that he was a practicing Buddhist, but his dog died, and so he was wondering if he could receive communion.

My dad says that it's one of the stranger phone calls he's gotten as a priest.

that is weird.
 
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benedictaoo

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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.
 
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benedictaoo

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Remember the woman who was recently denied Communion at her mother's funeral? Turns out she's actually a Buddhist...
According to Barbara Johnson’s version of events, and the version of events unquestioningly passed on by the mainstream media, she was denied Communion at her own mother’s funeral by a priest who then proceeded to snub her departed mother by refusing to be present at the burial. Now Johnson is on a crusade to get the priest, Fr. Marcel Guarnizo...

so did he deny her because she's a Buddhist, or because she's a lesbian or because she's a lesbian Buddhist?
 
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FullyMT

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so did he deny her because she's a Buddhist, or because she's a lesbian or because she's a lesbian Buddhist?
And if he did deny her because of either, way it painfully obvious to everyone in the congregation that she was either or both?
 
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FullyMT

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I dunno, but either way, why would a practicing Buddhist-Lesbian want Communion?
To not feel left out or (ironically given this situation) stand out? (Which is not the right reason of course, but I imagine it is why many receive communion who should not go up and receive and the genius, I think, of the offering of blessings who do not want to receive communion but go in line anyways.)
 
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