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Priest denies communion to lesbian at mother's funeral

Well known locally for his vivid anti-abortion homilies, a priest in Maryland has sparked controversy by witholding the sacrament of communion from a lesbian parishioner.
Priest denies communion to lesbian at mother's funeral
Published: February 28, 2012 07:27 AM GMT
Updated: February 28, 2012 07:28 AM GMT

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 Infoblog 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." Full Story:Father Marcel Guarnizo, Maryland Priest, Denies Communion To Lesbian Parishioner At Her Mother's FuneralSource:Huffington Post Religion

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