Published by The Washington Post, 29 Feb 2012.
Deep in grief, Barbara Johnson stood first in the line for Communion at her mother’s funeral Saturday morning. But the priest in front of her immediately made it clear that she would not receive the sacramental bread and wine.
Johnson, an art-studio owner from the District, had come to St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg with her lesbian partner. The Rev. Marcel Guarnizo had learned of their relationship just before the service.
“He put his hand over the body of Christ and looked at me and said, ‘I can’t give you Communion because you live with a woman, and in the eyes of the church, that is a sin,’ ” she recalled Tuesday.
She reacted with stunned silence. Her anger and outrage have now led her and members of her family to demand that Guarnizo be removed from his ministry.
My deepest sympathy to the Johnson family. The tension between religious freedom and homosexuality rights has been stretching the principles of human rights to breaking point. It was unfortunate that the struggle should involved the deceased and her family at the time of bereavement. Indeed it is commendable that the Johnsons, despite their outrage, agreed the incident is not a reason to "bash" the church.
However, I remain steadfast in supporting the priest for having the courage to stand firm. The holy communion or the Eucharist is a sacrament in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ's sacrifice. Rev. Marcel Guarnizo was speaking, as he believed, the truth. Barbara Johnson should be prepared to abide by the church's practice and beliefs when she chose to attend the funeral in the particular church. When in Rome, do as the romans do. True believers are humble and do not cause strife among the community. The church has the right to observe its religious practices and rituals however absurd it may seem to the rest of the world.
Barbara has her legal right to be a lesbian. She has the right to conduct the funeral in another Catholic church that supports gay rights. Why should she be so adamant to compel the priest to sin (as his belief) against God?
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed, We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post_now/post/gaithersburg-catholic-priest-suspended-for-intimidating-behavior/2012/03/11/gIQAF4lk5R_blog.html?hpid=z4&tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost
ReplyDeleteGaithersburg Catholic priest placed on leave for ‘intimidating behavior’
Specific details about why the Rev. Marcel Guarnizo was barred from ministry – a severe penalty – were not immediately available. The Post learned of the action from a letter dated March 9 that is written to other archdiocesan priests.
The letter from Bishop Barry Knestout, a top administrator in the archdiocese, which covers Washington and the Maryland suburbs, says the punishment was for “engaging in intimidating behavior toward parish staff and others that is incompatible with proper priestly ministry.”
The archdiocese on Sunday confirmed Guarnizo's removal, and noted that Knestout's letter was read at all Masses this weekend at St. John Neumann. The pastor there, the Rev. Thomas LaHood, added some additional comments, including noting -- and repeating -- that the removal was not related to the Communion standoff, but "pertains to actions over the past week or two." He did not elaborate...
In the days after the funeral Mass, the archdiocese issued an apology to Johnson and sent a letter stating that Guarnizo’s refusal of Communion to her was against the policy of Archbishop Donald Wuerl, who has said it is not the right time or place for a spiritual standoff. But in a public statement published by the Post, the archdiocese seemed to imply that both sides were at fault:
“We believe that to receive Communion, a person should be in the state of grace, which means that they are not conscious of having committed a sin serious enough that it ruptures their relationship with God. As with any relationship, it is not just a one-sided judgment that determines what hurts the relationship with God. This determination is based on what the Church teaches objectively from sacred Scripture and tradition of Christian experience. If a person is conscious of having committed a grave sin, he or she may not receive Communion until they have received absolution in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A person who is conscious of grave sin but has no opportunity to go to Confession may receive Communion for a serious reason, but first that person must pray to Christ expressing their sorrow, also known as a perfect act of contrition, and have the intention of going to Confession as soon as possible.”
According to Johnson, this weekend's homily from St. John Neumann's pastor, the Rev. Thomas LaHood, repeated that the suspension was unrelated to her case. Some local Catholic bloggers have reacted angrily, though, calling for a boycott of donations to the archdiocese.