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    Gay woman wants priest relieved of duties after communion

    By Joe Danielewicz | Reuters – Wed, Feb 29, 2012

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (Reuters) - A lesbian woman from the nation's capital wants a Catholic priest relieved of his duties after he denied her communion at her mother's Maryland funeral because she lives with another woman, she said on Wednesday.

    The local archdiocese has apologized for the actions of Father Marcel Guarnizo, but Barbara Johnson, who is gay and lives with her lesbian partner, said that was not enough.

    Guarnizo officiated at a funeral mass for Loetta Johnson on Saturday at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, about 25 miles northwest of Washington. He told attendees that only church members in a "state of grace" would be allowed to receive communion, Johnson said.

    Johnson said that when she approached, the priest covered the communion chalice with his hand, "looked me in the eye and said 'I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman.'"

    The priest told her "in the eyes of the church, that is a sin," she said. She and her family told the Archdiocese of Washington, which has issued an apology.

    Catholic church teachings condemn homosexuality, and the church considers homosexual acts to be sinful. But the Archdiocese said in a statement that questions about a person's right to receive communion should be addressed privately and it was not policy to "publicly reprimand" worshipers.

    The Archdiocese would not comment on Guarnizo's status, citing the matter as a personnel issue. Johnson said she does not want to focus on the incident as a gay-rights issue but wants the priest to stop doing pastoral work for the way he handled her mother's service.

    "We're urging the church to make that decision, so that this doesn't happen to anyone else, to any other families," Johnson said. "It's the right thing to do."

    "I think everyone has their gifts, and my family believes performing the responsibilities of a parish priest does not fall under his list of gifts," she added.

    (Editing By Ellen Wulfhorst and Cynthia Johnston)

     
    • Robert
      Robert  •  Santa Clara, California  •  2 mths ago
      I am glad she got that nazi catholic bigot kook out.
    • KidMedic
      KidMedic  •  2 mths ago
      Look, I know this sounds bad, but homosexuality is against Catholic doctrine. If she is Catholic, she knows that. If you walked into a Muslim temple with a ham sandwich and ignored the other 4 pillars of Islam, you would be corrected. If you break any church's rules, there are consequences. If you disagree with a religion's doctrine, don't join that religion.
      • pov
        pov 2 mths ago
        it is obviously not against the catholic religion with the priests history with young boys. do you not remember all of that? Catholic are hypocrites.
      • Rob
        Rob 2 mths ago
        Did he ask who uses birth control although that it is well known that 95 percent of Catholic women use it. Technically using that keeps you from a state of grace also. He had the opportunity to say something to her before the service at a minimum. He chose the wrong path in his pastoral duties. He needs to go on a very long retreat.
      • U.S. Citizen
        U.S. Citizen 2 mths ago
        Pov, you are grossly ignorant....
    • William
      William  •  2 mths ago
      If your gay, why would you care about a Catholic organization? Seems kind of ironic and hypocritical.
    • maureenm
      maureenm  •  Binghamton, New York  •  2 mths ago
      If you wish to remain a Catholic- follow the rules!
      Homosexuality is not allowed in the Catholic Church!
      it is a Mortal sin!
      grow up............
      • What Now
        What Now 2 mths ago
        And that's why I left it. It is a business full of corporate dogma.
      • John
        John 2 mths ago
        Absolutely! We must abide by the opinions of others, otherwise we run the risk of free thought. And what a tragedy that would be!
      • Marjorie H
        Marjorie H 2 mths ago
        Catholics don't believe in Birth Control either. How many of you pious people use birth control even if you are Catholic?
    • K
      K  •  2 mths ago
      This makes no sense. The church has certain guidelines. If this woman doesn't identify with the catholic faith, she is free to, and should, join another church.
      • What Now
        What Now 2 mths ago
        You are right. She should get out of there.
      • ken
        ken 2 mths ago
        being free are from slaves.being queer or lisbian.is of the devil god siad scatter there blood read the bible sometimes it might help but understand it.for not all fools that say lord lord will make it there in???
      • Realist
        Realist 2 mths ago
        Ken: You are no longer allowed to post until you learn to write. Back to elementary school.
    • VC
      VC  •  2 mths ago
      The Archdiocese made a mistake like many are doing today. By appeasing this woman who still wasn't satisfied opens the door for a lot more of bending for a perverse lifestyle that should never be accepted.
    • A Publius in training
      A Publius in training  •  Ridgefield, Connecticut  •  2 mths ago
      WHAT THE #$%$ DID YOU EXPECT. Know the rules.. don't like em.. don't go. No one is forcing you to go to a Catholic church. The priest was right but the archdiocese was waaaaay wrong.
      • f00k
        f00k 2 mths ago
        The Archdiocese was probably threatened in some form or other.
      • armymediccampbell
        armymediccampbell 2 mths ago
        The priest did what his conscience dictated, and seems to have acted in line with doctrines and custom. If this woman feels so strongly about her lesbian lifestyle and the social agenda associated with it- perhaps she should reconsider her religious affiliation. There are plenty of liberal/progressive Protestant denominations that would accept her choices. She clearly does not believe in or accept the authority of the Catholic Church and its well-known, easily understood teachings-- so why remain Catholic?
      • renee
        renee 2 mths ago
        The priest selectively enforced the rules. Really, do you believe no other person who took communion that day had done some sinning including the priest himself? Who is he to decide who is in a "state of grace" anyway?
    • K
      K  •  2 mths ago
      This is ridiculous. There are all sorts of things for which the catholic church prohibits catholics from receiving communion. In my case I left the church. It seems this woman does not agree with the catholic faith and should find another religion.
    • f00k
      f00k  •  New York, New York  •  2 mths ago
      Catholic doctrine is pretty clear that you are not supposed to go to Communion if you have committed a grave sin without an honest Confession. This goes for everyone, homosexual or not. I don't believe this pervert is at all sorry for her behaviour. The Priest has a higher power to contend with, he shouldn't be worried about what a few perverts and their enablers think or want.
    • 3puttblues
      3puttblues  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  2 mths ago
      It's called Freedom of Religion and something the Left doesn't know much about unless it is appealing and benefiting them. If you don't want the church in the state don't bring the state in the church. It was his right to decline her based on the foundational beliefs of the church. If you don't like it then don't take communion.
    • Brandon
      Brandon  •  Chicago, Illinois  •  2 mths ago
      I love how people always want their own rights enforced without regard to others' rights. Get over yourself lady, you are not the only one on the planet with rights. Every individual, not just groups, has the right to not just hold, but EXERCISE their religious beliefs. I don't care if you like it or not, it is a right.
    • Kanna-Chan
      Kanna-Chan  •  2 mths ago
      She has no right demanding anything, the Catholic church has to follow strict rules.
    • Robert
      Robert  •  2 mths ago
      "He told attendees that only church members in a "state of grace" would be allowed to receive communion, Johnson said." sounds like he was trying to be polite here give her a heads up he wasn't going to give her communion. I don't think she was a member of that particular church or this issue would have been resolved earlier. I think as a priest of that Church he had the choice. If he believed her sexual preference is a sin then giving her communion would in essence hurt him! So the woman would be causing the Priest to do wrong in his mind. How UN-Christian to knowingly try to make someone go against their beliefs.Yes a different church is advised.
    • Jay G
      Jay G  •  Tucson, Arizona  •  2 mths ago
      So is it or is it NOT a sin to be a lesbian in the eyes of the church? Im confused. Because it sounds like the "church" didnt back this dude up - but caved.
    • Nels
      Nels  •  2 mths ago
      Sodom and Gomorrah
    • ThomasL
      ThomasL  •  Spring, Texas  •  2 mths ago
      I sure hope the Church stands up to this women and does not do what she demands.
    • psionycx
      psionycx  •  2 mths ago
      While I would like to be sympathetic, and I definitely agree that the priest showed all the sensitivity of a rock in the way he handled the situation, there are limitations on these kinds of things. My family is almost entirely Catholic, but I myself am a Protestant (a fact that is, ironically, more controversial with my family than my being gay). This does mean that at various family events such as weddings and funerals I have to sit in the pews when almost everyone else gets up for Communion. That's just the way it is.
    • Live Wire
      Live Wire  •  2 mths ago
      LOL!!! good luck with that lesbian. Shame on you, making a political statement out of your moms funeral. Her mom was a devout Catholic. I'm sure the lesbian knew very well the Catholic perspective.
    • Jarvis
      Jarvis  •  2 mths ago
      Support my sin or resign.
    • andy
      andy  •  Boston, Massachusetts  •  2 mths ago
      why'd they apologise?
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