Father Marcel Guarnizo, Maryland Priest, Denies Communion To Lesbian Parishioner At Her Mother's Funeral

A Maryland-based priest is garnering heat in the blogosphere today after allegedly denying communion to a lesbian parishioner attending her mother's funeral.

As The New Civil Rights Movement blogger David Badash is reporting, Father Marcel Guarnizo of Gaithersburg's Saint John Neumann Catholic Church reportedly covered the bowl containing the Eucharist as the woman, who is identified only as Barbara, approached him.

“I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman and that is a sin according to the church," he is quoted as saying.

Badash quotes from an Addicting Info blog written by Ann Werner, who also notes, "To add insult to injury, Fr. Guarnizo left the altar when she delivered her eulogy to her mother. When the funeral was finished he informed the funeral director that he could not go to the gravesite to deliver the final blessing because he was sick."

Werner also notes, "I will tell you a little about the woman who drove that priest from the altar. She is kind, she is smart, she is funny and she works hard promoting the arts. She pays her bills, she cares deeply for her family and she loved her mother and her mother loved her right back. And now she will never set foot in a Catholic church again and who can blame her?"

Other bloggers seem to agree with Badash's assessment of Guarnizo. On Restore DC Catholicism, one reader notes, "We need to have a mass protest against this HYPOCRITE! He is one of these reactionary evangelical zealots who believe the pulpit is a place to condemn others and control public policy."

Comments

[Patriot Dad]

10:34 PM on 03/15/2012

The daughter could not allow her mother's last wishes of a Catholic service without creating a Narcissistic scene. Shame on the daughter. She is more concerned about some ideological/sexual agenda than honoring the woman who birthed her. Shame on the daughter and shame on the media that has once again chosen the sickest of sides to propogandize.

[Franjipani]

08:31 PM on 03/12/2012

The HYPOCRITE is the one who calls herself a Catholic and goes directly against the tenets of the faith. She professes love of God, but only as it suits her. Canon 319 states, specifically, that the priest must act as Father Guernizo did. I'm just glad he had the backbone to do it. This woman put herself before Christ; she has chosen to live outside the faith. The Catholic Church does not disallow gays Communion or entry to the church as long as they are not practicing their sexuality. It's the same with any mortal sin. If the priest knows you're in mortal sin, he is obliged, under said law, to deny you the Eucharist. An adulterer, a thief, a murderer, read the Commandments. If you break one of them, you are in Mortal sin and cannot receive the Eucharist. That's why we have Confession. You theophobes and Catholic haters - please - get over yourselves. Go have a piece of cake.

[lhowe48]

04:53 AM on 03/13/2012

thank you for stating a fact and for ....coming forward! the poor priest has but one friend, God, keep up the good writing...

[Franjipani]

08:08 PM on 03/13/2012

I have also Faxed the other hypocrite, "Most Reverend" Barry Knestout and asked him to reinstate Fr Marcel - I hope it does some good.

[lhowe48]

07:02 AM on 03/14/2012

Corintheans 6:9 READ it ........................it should let many realize God's way, not my way, or Father Marcels way. Somebody in that parish who placed him on leave did not remember the laws of the Church, or of God.or the person may be a little, not in the relm of what is happening, or corruption is heading where it shouldn't........I am trying to figure out why a priest, who is doing the right thing and is standing up for the truth is hurt for this........And Gay people don't run right over and apply yourselve with pen to the woman who was refused.....she was told before Mass and still this occured.......what do you want the priest to write a formal note and send it??????

[lhowe48]

04:58 AM on 03/13/2012

stand by your man ( PRIEST) cause nobody is around that i can see. Witness these days by surrounding the truth again you did a great job....

[daBinsi]

02:30 PM on 03/12/2012

Who knows if the "Body of Christ" could have saved Barbara from sinning and Barbara would go back to the church, eh?

[daBinsi]

02:19 PM on 03/12/2012

Catherine you are only wasting your time defending your man. You could have done so many things instead.

[Spice Merchant]

05:43 PM on 03/08/2012

She's my new hero.
i mean look at it, how much courage does it take to talk to a priest before mass, saying that she is a lesbian? since her mother was catholic, she had to have known the priest beliefs as well as lots of other people's who where in attendance. such courage! and when she then went up to take communion it must have taken so much strength to put him on the spot!

But hen he had to be cruel to by denying you communion! It make me cry to think of the humiliation you must have felt when he informed you in that he, in his conscious, could not give you the eucharist since it was against his belief. i mean, how could he silently humiliate you at your mother's funeral. wasn't like you where trying to impose your belief on him when you when you went to take communion; whereby if he gave it to you, he would be going against his very religion!
then in order to express your the indignation this guy bestowed upon you, you went to the press. it wasn't like you where trying to turn your mother's funeral into a social/political issue! Such bravado!

/end sarcasm

she could not have shown more disrespect for another's belief and doctrine. and seeing how she went public with this "sob story tells me that she planned this catch22. Even i have more respect for another's religion than she exhibited.

[outlier11]

04:47 PM on 03/08/2012

This woman used the very death of her mother for a political, anti-Catholic purpose. A woman who ran to the media with her story and an agenda while failing, for instance, to reveal that she no longer considers herself Catholic.

[Roseanne Sullivan]

12:48 PM on 03/08/2012

Turns out the woman is Buddhist. Now it is a rule of the Catholic Church to give communion only to practicing Catholics not publicly living in sin. So there are at least two reasons why the woman should not take Communion in a Catholic Church. It says in the back of the missals in the pews that only Catholics in a state of grace can receive. The priest probably left the altar during the eulogy because eulogies are not part of Catholic requiuem Masses, and lay people should not stand at the podium and do the equivalent of preaching. We cannot and will not change the definition of sin because other people want to redefine it as a lifestyle choice. To deny someone Communion who is in a state of sin is a protection. The Bible warns that those who take Communion unworthily will sicken. Is it loving for all you tender hearted people out there to force a 2000 year old Church started by Christ to change just because you want it to? If we don't do what you want you have tantrums and slander us and do all manner of hateful things.

[clicster]

09:30 PM on 03/04/2012

Well the bible does teach "it's better to be obedient than to sacrifice" thus for a good conscience before God the priest had to keep it real and deny what was not ~ that is, a woman trying to live like a man~sorry!

[bobk16]

09:12 PM on 03/04/2012

[e-mail] Please feel to write to the "good reverend" and express your views.

[catherine2012]

09:02 AM on 03/05/2012

Please feel free to get the whole story before you write.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-inside-sources-provide-new-info-on-priest-censured-for-denying-le

[bobk16]

09:06 PM on 03/04/2012

The "good father's" email address is [e-mail] if anyone would like to contact him and express their concerns.

[john rajah]

08:41 PM on 03/04/2012

Has not this priest read the Gospels,which contain the example and teaching of Jesus?

[michaelwg]

10:11 PM on 03/03/2012

Time to exit en masse. Catholics need their Exodus from this Church.

[catherine2012]

09:03 AM on 03/05/2012

Nope! I'm Catholic, proud, and loving it!

[NYC123]

08:12 PM on 03/03/2012

Regarding Christians, no one should be denied religious and/or spiritual rights! Scripture clearly states; everyone comes broken to Jesus; and with the taking-in of accurate knowledge, an open heart, a desire to be pleasing to God the Father, good associations, and time -- one will make the necessary changes to be a person that is pleasing to God. It is a journey -- one that is life changing!

Mathews3:1/3
1 Continue reminding them to be in subjection and be obedient to governments and authorities as rulers, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak injuriously of no one, not to be belligerent, to be reasonable, exhibiting all mildness toward all men. 3 For even we were once senseless, disobedient, being misled, being slaves to various desires and pleasures, carrying on in badness and envy, abhorrent, hating one another.

[williamabn]

11:32 AM on 03/04/2012

NYC , We these leaders set themselves in a position to guild people thru life and spiritual enlightenment and fail so miserably because of there religious or political stands , Its is they that have the furthest to fall from God grace and the judgement would be sever I could only guess . They are hurting Gods children .

[DianeJB]

05:08 PM on 03/03/2012

Here is the truth: http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/exclusive-inside-sources-provide-new-info-on-priest-censured-for-denying-le

[bkhart]

08:11 PM on 03/03/2012

Thanks for the source. After reading it I'm even more disgusted with the priest.

[catherine2012]

10:27 AM on 03/04/2012

Your loss. He's a great man.

[catherine2012]

03:46 PM on 03/03/2012

Hey Huffington Post,
Why not get the whole story?

This is a bad case of he said, she said.

You are a SORRY excuse for a news source.