A priest in Florida bit the forearm of a woman he says was desecrating the Eucharist in a Communion line at church this past Sunday and has now been charged with one count of battery.
Father Fidel Rodriguez, 66, admitted to police that he bit the woman but said he did so only after she reached into the ciborium and tried to grab a host from it, damaging other hosts as she did so.
“The only defense that I found to defend something that for us, for all of us, is sacred, was biting her. I have recognized that I bite her. I’m not denying that,” Rodriguez told police, according to body camera video obtained by CNA.
“I recognize that I bite her, as a defense, and as defending myself and defending the sacrament,” he said in English with a Spanish accent.
The woman told police the priest denied her Communion after she refused to answer his questions about whether she had been to confession recently.
“I just wanted a cookie. That’s all,” the woman told police, according to body camera video.
Firefighters treated the arm of the woman at the police station. She refused to go to a hospital, according to police video.
Police in St. Cloud, Florida, have charged Rodriguez with one count of battery stemming from the incident, which occurred during the noon Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
St. Cloud is a city of about 65,000 located about 21 miles south of Orlando.
First Communion leads to scenes
The woman told police she went to the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday, May 19, with her same-sex partner because it was the woman’s niece’s first Communion.
The parish’s video of the 10 a.m. Mass shows an interaction between the priest and the woman, who neither presents her hands to receive the host nor opens her mouth to receive on her tongue. The priest and the woman speak for about 45 seconds, holding up the Communion line, though their conversation can’t be heard over the music and singing.
The woman later told police she suspected the priest wouldn’t give her Communion because of the way she was dressed and because of her sexual orientation.
“I believe that his excuse was that I wasn’t super-holy, in his eyes,” the woman, who was wearing a white shirt and pants, told police.
But the priest told police sexual orientation had nothing to do with it.
When the woman didn’t hold her hands out one on top of the other or open her mouth and didn’t say “Amen” after he said “body of Christ,” he said, he knew she didn’t know what she was doing.
He said he asked her when the last time she received Communion was, and that she said it was many years ago. He said he asked her if she had gone to confession, and she replied, “I don’t need to explain you that.”
He said he told her that he has the authority to ask her that question and that he could not give her Communion, but he could give her a blessing instead, which he said he did.
Second Mass
The woman and her partner then went to the noon Mass in Spanish, which Rodriguez celebrated, and the woman again went to him to receive Communion.
He told police he asked her if she had gone to confession in between Masses.
According to him, she replied: “No, I don’t need to explain to you, I don’t need to give an explanation, you don’t have authority, you don’t need to judge me.”
To which he says he said: “I’m not judging you, I’m asking you only, did you confess after the other Mass [to] received the Communion now? Because if you did not confess, I can’t give you the Communion.”
“And she grabbed all the hosts in the hands, because she wants to receive for herself. She is not permitted. And she break all the hosts, spreading them,” the priest said.
The priest said he was worried that she would spill the hosts on the floor.
The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Jesus, whom Catholics worship as God. The Church also teaches that to receive Communion a person must be a Catholic in a state of grace, meaning not being mindful of having committed a serious sin without getting absolution from a priest in confession.
The woman told police that during the second Mass the priest “forced it in my mouth,” which she didn’t want.
“He wouldn’t give me a cookie. I don’t know if it was how I’m dressed. You know, what it is that I like,” the woman said. “He said basically I needed to do confession and do all of this, I need to go to Mass every Sunday or whatever. And I said, ‘That doesn’t matter. I’ve done everything I needed to do as a kid. I’m just here to accept the bread.’ And he wouldn’t give it to me.”
“And I’m not gonna front. I tried to just grab another cookie, and that when he grabbed my hand and he just bit me,” the woman said.
Video of the incident published by WFTV Channel 9 in Orlando shows the woman’s hand in the ciborium, which is the bowl that holds Communion wafers, while the priest holds onto it with both hands. It also shows the priest moving his head down toward the woman’s right arm but does not show the actual bite.
The Diocese of Orlando released a statement Thursday supporting the priest’s efforts to defend the Eucharist while not endorsing the bite.
The statement notes that during the noon Mass the priest offered the woman Communion on the tongue.
“At that point, the woman forcefully placed her hand in the vessel and grabbed some sacred Communion hosts, crushing them. Having only one hand free, Father Rodriguez struggled to restrain the woman as she refused to let go of the hosts. When the woman pushed him and reacting to a perceived act of aggression, Father Rodriguez bit her hand so she would let go of the hosts she grabbed. The woman was immediately asked to leave,” the diocese said in a written statement.
“It should be noted Father Rodriguez had no prior knowledge of the woman’s background. Further, while the Diocese of Orlando does not condone physical altercations such as this, in good faith, Father Rodriguez was simply attempting to prevent an act of desecration of the holy Communion, which, as a priest, Father Rodriguez is bound by duty to protect,” the diocese said.
The statement continues:
“The full video and the police report show the woman initiated physical contact and acted inappropriately. The priest was trying to protect the holy Communion from this sacrilegious act.
“In the Catholic tradition, the Eucharist is considered ‘the source and summit’ of worship and faith. The act of participation in holy Communion therefore calls for a proper understanding, reverence, and devotion. It is not something a person can arbitrarily demand and is certainly not a mere ‘cookie’ as the complainant called it.”
A police spokesman told CNA on Thursday that the state attorney’s office will determine the next steps in the case.
Rodriguez did not respond to a request from CNA for comment.
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A defining theme of Pope Francis’ papacy has been his urging of humanity to better care for the natural environment, which he has done most prominently in his landmark 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ and numerous subsequent writings and speeches.
The pope’s emphasis on this topic — especially his foray into climate science via his recent encyclical Laudate Deum — has variously drawn both praise and consternation from Catholics in the United States, about half of whom do not share Pope Francis’ views on climate change, according to surveys.
In Laudate Deum, which was released in October as a continuation to Laudato Si’, Francis wrote that the effects of climate change “are here and increasingly evident,” warning of “immensely grave consequences for everyone” if drastic efforts are not made to reduce emissions. In the face of this, the Holy Father criticized those who “have chosen to deride [the] facts” about climate science, stating bluntly that it is “no longer possible to doubt the human — ‘anthropic’ — origin of climate change.”
The pope in the encyclical laid out his belief that there must be a “necessary transition towards clean energy sources, such as wind and solar energy, and the abandonment of fossil fuels.” This follows a call from Pope Francis in 2021 to the global community calling for the world to “achieve net zero carbon emissions as soon as possible.”
He further lamented what he called “certain dismissive and scarcely reasonable opinions [on climate change] that I encounter, even within the Catholic Church.”
In light of the new encyclical — which extensively cites the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) — Pope Francis was invited to speak at this week’s United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP28. Though the 86-year-old pope was forced to cancel his trip due to health issues, the Vatican has indicated that he aims to participate in COP28 this weekend in some fashion. It announced today that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin will represent the pope at the conference.
While various Catholic groups have welcomed the pope’s latest encyclical, some Catholics have reacted with persistent doubts, questioning whether the pope’s policy prescriptions would actually produce the desired effects.
How do Americans feel about climate change?
According to a major survey conducted by Yale University, 72% of Americans believed in 2021 — the latest available data year — that “global warming is happening,” and 57% believe that global warming is caused by human activity.
More recent polling from the Pew Research Center, conducted in June, similarly suggests that two-thirds of U.S. adults overall say the country should prioritize developing renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, over the expansion of the production of oil, coal, and natural gas. That same survey found that just 3 in 10 adults (31%) say the U.S. should completely phase out oil, coal, and natural gas. The Yale study found that 77% of U.S. adults support at least the funding of research into renewable energy sources.
Broken down by party affiliation, Pew found that a large majority of Democratic and Democratic-leaning independents — 90% — favor alternative energy sources, while just under half, 42%, of Republicans and Republican-leaning adults think the same. Within the Republican cohort, however, 67% of Republicans under age 30 prioritize the development of alternative energy sources, compared with the 75% of Republicans ages 65 and older who prioritize the expansion of oil, coal, and natural gas.
In terms of the expansion of alternative energy sources, two-thirds of Americans think the federal government should encourage domestic production of wind and solar power, Pew reported. Just 7% say the government should discourage this, while 26% think it should neither encourage nor discourage it.
How do America’s Catholics feel about climate change?
Surveys suggest that Catholics in the United States are slightly more likely than the U.S. population as a whole to be skeptical of climate change, despite the pope’s emphatic words in 2015 and since.
A separate Pew study suggests that 44% of U.S. Catholics say the Earth is warming mostly due to human activity, a view in line with Pope Francis’ stance. About 3 in 10 (29%) said the Earth is warming mostly due to natural patterns, while 13% said they believe there is no solid evidence the planet is getting warmer.
According to the same study, 71% of Hispanic Catholics see climate change as an extremely or very serious problem, compared with 49% of white, non-Hispanic Catholics. (There were not enough Black or Asian Catholics in the 2022 survey to analyze separately, Pew said.)
One 2015 study from Yale did suggest that soon after Laudato Si’ was released, U.S. Catholics were overall more likely to believe in climate change than before. That same study found no change, however, in the number of Americans overall who believe human activity is causing global warming.
Pope Francis’ climate priorities
Beyond his groundbreaking writings, Pope Francis has taken many actions during his pontificate to make his own — admittedly small — country, Vatican City, more sustainable, including the recent announcement of a large order of electric vehicles, construction of its own network of charging stations, a reforestation program, and the continued importation of energy coming exclusively from renewable sources.
Francis has often lamented what he sees as a tepid response from developed countries in implementing measures to curb climate change. In Laudate Deum, he urged that new multinational agreements on climate change — speaking in this case specifically about the COP28 conference — be “drastic, intense, and count on the commitment of all,” stating that “a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact.”
The pope lamented what he sees as the fact that when new projects related to green energy are proposed, the potential for economic growth, employment, and human promotion are thought of first rather than moral considerations such as the effects on the world’s poorest.
“It is often heard also that efforts to mitigate climate change by reducing the use of fossil fuels and developing cleaner energy sources will lead to a reduction in the number of jobs,” the pope noted.
“What is happening is that millions of people are losing their jobs due to different effects of climate change: rising sea levels, droughts, and other phenomena affecting the planet have left many people adrift. Conversely, the transition to renewable forms of energy, properly managed, as well as efforts to adapt to the damage caused by climate change, are capable of generating countless jobs in different sectors.”
‘Leave God’s creation better than we found it’
Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Heritage Foundation think tank, told CNA that he has noticed a theme of frustration and confusion among many Catholics regarding the Holy Father’s emphasis on climate change.
A self-described outdoorsman and former president of Wyoming Catholic College, Roberts spoke highly to CNA of certain aspects of Laudato Si’, particularly the pope’s insights into what he called “human ecology,” which refers to the acceptance of each person’s human body as a vital part of “accepting the entire world as a gift from the Father and our common home.”
Dr. Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation. Courtesy of Heritage Foundation.
“I like to think [Pope Francis] personally wrote that, because I could see him saying that,” Roberts said of the passage, which appears in paragraph 155 of the encyclical. Roberts said he even makes a point to meditate on that “beautiful and moving” passage during a retreat that he does annually.
That portion of Laudato Si’ notwithstanding, Roberts said he strongly believes that it detracts from other important issues, such as direct ministry to the poor, when Pope Francis elevates care for God’s natural creation as “seemingly more important than other issues to us as Catholics.” He also said he disagrees with Pope Francis’ policy prescriptions, such as a complete phasing out of fossil fuels, contained in Laudate Deum.
“We of course want to pray for him. We’re open to the teaching that he is providing. But we also have to remember as Catholics that sometimes popes are wrong. And on this issue, it is a prudential matter. It is not a matter of morality, particularly when he’s getting into the scientific policy recommendations,” Roberts said.
Roberts said the Heritage Foundation’s research and advocacy has focused not on high-level, multinational agreements and conferences to tackle the issues posed by climate change but rather on smaller-scale, more community-based efforts. He said this policy position is, in part, due to the historical deference such multinational conglomerates of nations have given to China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases overall.
He said agreements within the U.S. itself, with businesses and all levels of government working together, have produced the best results so far when it comes to improving the environment. He also pointed to examples of constructive action that don’t involve billions of dollars, such as families making the choice to spend more time outdoors or engaging in local activities that contribute to environmental conservation and community life, such as anti-litter campaigns and community gardening. The overarching goal, he said, should be to “leave God’s creation better than we found it.”
Roberts — who said he personally believes humans likely have “very little effect” on the climate — said he was discouraged to read other portions of Laudato Si’, as well as Laudate Deum, that to him read as though they had come “straight out of the U.N.” Despite his criticisms, Roberts urged his fellow Catholics to continue to pray for the Holy Father and to listen to the pope’s moral insights.
“I just think that the proposed solutions are actually more anti-human and worse than the purported effects of climate change,” he added.
‘A far more complex issue’
Greg Sindelar, a Catholic who serves as CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a conservative think tank that studies the energy industry, similarly expressed concerns to CNA about the potential impact of certain climate change mitigation policies on human flourishing.
Like Roberts, Sindelar spoke highly of certain aspects of the pope’s message while expressing reservations about some of the U.N.-esque solutions proposed in Laudate Deum.
“I think the pope is right about our duty as Catholics to be stewards and to care for the environment. But I think what we have to understand — what we have to balance this with — is that it cannot come at the expense of depriving people of affordable and reliable energy,” Sindelar said in an interview with CNA.
“There’s ways to be environmentally friendly without sacrificing the access that we all need to reliable and affordable energy.”
Greg Sindelar is CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a think tank in America’s leading energy-producing state. Courtesy of Texas Public Policy Foundation
Sindelar said TPPF primarily promotes cheap, reliable access to energy as a means of promoting human flourishing. The free-market-focused group is skeptical of top-down governmental intervention, both in the form of regulation and incentives or disincentives in certain areas of the energy sector.
When asked what he thinks his fellow Catholics largely think about the issue, Sindelar said many of the Catholics he hears from express the view that government policies and interventions rarely produce effective solutions and could potentially hinder access to energy for those in need.
“I think it’s a far more complex issue than just saying we need to cut emissions, and we need to transfer away from fossil fuels, and all these other things. What we need to do is figure out and ensure ways that we are providing affordable and reliable electricity to all citizens of the world,” he reiterated.
“When the pope speaks, when the Vatican speaks, it carries a lot of weight with Catholics around the world, [and] not just with Catholics … and I totally agree with him that we need to be thinking about the most marginalized and the poorest amongst us,” Sindelar continued.
“[But] by going down these policy prescription paths that he’s recommending, we’re actually going to reduce their ability to have access to that,” he asserted.
Sindelar, while disagreeing with Pope Francis’ call for an “abandonment of fossil fuels,” said he appreciates the fact that Pope Francis has spoken out about the issue of care for creation and has initiated so much public discussion.
“I think there is room for differing views and opinions on the right ways to do that,” he said.
Effective mitigation efforts
Susan Varlamoff, a retired biologist and parishioner at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in the Atlanta area, is among those Catholics who are committed to Pope Francis’ call to care for creation and to mitigate the effects of climate change. To that end, Varlamoff in 2016 created a peer-reviewed action plan for the Archdiocese of Atlanta to help Catholics put the principles contained in Laudato Si’ into action, mainly through smaller, more personal actions that people can take to reduce their energy usage.
Retired biologist Susan Varlamoff. Photo courtesy of Susan Varlamoff
The Atlanta Archdiocese’s efforts have since garnered recognition and praise, Varlamoff said, with at least 35 archdioceses now involved in an inter-diocesan network formed to exchange sustainability ideas based on the latest version of the plan from Atlanta.
“It’s fascinating to see what everybody is doing, and it’s basically based on their talents and imaginations,” Varlamoff said, noting that a large number of young people have gotten involved with their efforts.
As a scientist, Varlamoff told CNA it is clear to her that Pope Francis knows what he’s talking about when he lays out the dangers posed by inaction in the face of climate change.
“He understands the science, and he’s deeply concerned … he’s got remarkable influence as a moral leader,” she said.
“Part of what our religion asks us to do is to care for one another. We have to care for creation if we’re going to care for one another, because the earth is our natural resource system, our life support, and we cannot care for one another if we don’t have that life support.”
Responding to criticisms about the financial costs associated with certain green initiatives, Varlamoff noted that small-scale sustainable actions can actually save money. She offered the example of parishes in the Atlanta area that have drastically reduced their electric bills by installing solar panels.
“[But,] it’s not just about saving money. It’s also about reducing fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, and protecting the natural resources for future generations,” she said.
Moreover, Varlamoff said, the moral imperative to improve the natural environment for future generations is worth the investment. “When [Catholics] give money, for example, for a social justice issue like Walking with Moms in Need or special needs, the payback is improving lives. We’re improving the environment here,” she emphasized.
Denver, Colo., Nov 10, 2017 / 03:01 am (CNA/EWTN News).- When speaking about vocational life, the first people who come to mind are often married couples, priests or nuns. Lesser known is the vocation of consecrated virginity, although it is the oldest… […]
I am afraid that in this age of atheistic, Catholic-hating, and violent outbursts of anti-social behavior, a stringent revision of guidelines about the reception of Holy Communion is in order. We live in a culture now that knows no shame and will seek any means to desecrate anything held sacred. Our bishops would do well to begin discussing new guidelines. Perhaps only those communicants who are known to the celebrant should be given Communion. Any visiting Catholics who wish to receive Communion ought to speak directly to the priest before Mass begins. If you tell me that no priest/pastor can possibly know all his parishioners, I’d tell you that therein lies the problem. The days of “Here comes everybody” at Communion time are clearly over.
Priest’s gotta do what he gotta do to protect the Eucharist. What a story …
The women went to two different Masses at the same church a few hours apart. They were obviously trying to provoke an incident. The woman who did the talking doesn’t appear to be the brightest tool in the shed either.
We had a priest in our parish (not the pastor) who about 25 years ago now would have a box of Vanilla Wafers sitting on the altar while he said Mass. After Communion, he’d invite the kiddies who hadn’t yet received their 1st Communion to approach the altar to receive what I guess he thought was the next best thing to Christ’s Body and Blood – a cookie! If you don’t think that those children didn’t grow into the faith with a very perverse notion of the Eucharist, I have a bridge to sell you. I repeat what I said above, the rules governing who gets to receive Communion need to be reviewed and tightened.
I’m afraid this is a good example of the situation Pope Francis and his buddy have put all priests in – what they do not seem to understand is that the more open approach to homosexuals will sometimes, perhaps often, not result in a holy reconciliation, but in increased aggressiveness. Given an inch, they will try to take a mile. The Lbgt… movement is not simply a community of wounded, misled people needing healing, as much as that description may be accurate from one aspect for many of them, it is also an aggressive demonic-driven attack upon goodness. That faction will not rest, and the demands upon the rest of us will increase, as long as the simplistic “pastoral” approach does not take into account the demonic forces at work.
Father had his hands full so he used his teeth to defend the Holy Eucharist! Bravo Father! We need more like you to combat the forces of Satan all around us!!!!
Yes, cookie. I’ve heard it before. I’ve also heard “Get me some communion.” Sixty years without catechesis…without authentic evangelization…that’s what you get.
The situation described here has surely been fueled by the controversy surrounding the obsession in Rome with homosexuality and by Fiducia Supplicans. There will be more demonic activity as “hubris” month come into few next weekend.
One hopes the diocese brings a countersuit against this obscenity and defends Father Rodriguez forcefully.
Why do I doubt that will come to pass?
The woman is poorly educated, as any modern catholic knows that the correct phrase is “magic cookie”… and shows she is not a true believer in that ALL it takes is eating the magic cookie for a straight shot to heaven….it’s more than a sign of belonging to a catholic social club…it’s MAGIC.
You are to receive the Holy Eucharist with reverence and to think one can come up and try to receive the Body and Blood without reverence is a NO— The priest takes the place of our Lord–she should not have come up to receive Him in the manner she did, and only come to receive without Sin. The Priest was protecting Our Lord God. Amem.Makes me just sick to hear she wanted to make a scene…. many are doing that these days, so as a body of Christ I like that the priest protected Jesus!!!!
The state would hold that the priest was defending only property, force was not warranted, and why the current charges.
The Church would hold the priest was defending a person from assault, and force was warranted.
The state hopefully will drop the matter lest it be drawn into court and either forced to officially deny Catholic belief, or forced to officially certify Catholic belief.
I expect the priest WILL be charged with a misdemeanor battery. I don’t see any way around that. However, he should fight it in court, and he just might win, given the flakiness of the MAN who got bit, and the fact that HE appeared to be deliberately out to desecrate the Eucharist.
I really don’t think the charge will stick…firstly, the priest had a right to defend a person from assault, that person Jesus Christ, and this WAS a religious setting, not out on the street.
Secondly, once it sinks in to the AG office into what a jam that arrest of the priest for defending the Blessed Sacrament put the state in my above stated reasons, I am fairly sure this will all quietly disappear.
Thirdly, the chancery has already come out in defense of the priest for defending the Blessed Sacrament, which will mobilize the diocese, its members/voting citizens, and its legal team, and eventually the USCCB if the case persists, not to mention lay religious defense teams.
The arresting officer will be getting a talking to, as well as the chief of the department, for pushing this into wide public view, on what was a private religious matter, and perhaps them told they arrested the wrong person, if any arrest were to be made at all. The person claiming injury clearly was the troublemaker…who also likely will not be charged due to political sensitivity.
Several years ago, I heard that in India it was common for a couple of guys to stand on either side of the priest during Communion and act as “bouncers” (my term) if someone approached who was not known to the priest – usually this was someone looking for something to eat. I’m guessing the use of bodyguards during Communion could become a common occurrence as more radicals try to provoke incidents.
Known in many Dioceses as sentinels. They are supposed to make sure that the Eucharist is consumed and not spirited off for nefarious purposes. Frequently had to track an individual down and get them to return the Host which most did albeit reluctantly. However, every now and then you had a hard head who refused to comply until they were forced to.
I ministered at a noted North American shrine one summer. Each person distributing Communion had a guard with them to prevent “the faithful” from desecrating and/or stealing “the cookies.”
There has been very little authentic catechesis done since Vatican II. I place the blame squarely on the heads of we priests and bishops. If we don’t instruct our parishioners, who will? And how do priests who don’t believe in the Real Presence—and I have known many—teach people that truth?
The US bishops seem to think the Eucharistic pilgrimage will fix everything. It won’t. It’s just a finger in the dyke.
I’m sincerely grateful to Father Rodriguez for his witness and willingness to act. In former days people died to protect the Blessed Sacrament. How many priests would die to protect It today?
Let us broaden the perspective here. This woman is unidentified. Why? Is she assumed to be threatened by the priest so as to have her name withheld? Outrageous! It is she who assaulted the priest! This is a manifest hate crime even by modernist standards. If she ever had any connection to the Church in her life, then Father Rodriguez is the Pope and I am the College of Cardinals. Now then, having gotten that off of my chest let us be logical about what to do about it. If we put immense self-imposed restrictions on the Church then we will be sending ourselves back to the catacombs while the barbarians laugh. It is a rare human being who has a photographic memory to do what one poster suggested. The burden must be shifted to the criminals. I will made some proposals in my next post then we can brainstorm it.
There is no mention if Father Rodriguez announced that if “you have not been practicing your Catholic faith then you may approach for a blessing”. You can see in the video some crossing their arms for a blessing, but not clear if these too were visitors. Things like this are more apt to happen at funerals, weddings, and First Communions where people attending the Mass have not attended in some time. I knew a priest who never offered such blessings – it is after all a “Communion” line not a “blessing” line. The priest would instruct the visitors who had not been attending Mass to remain in the pew and pray for the deceased, etc. If there are no legal protections that can be used now by attorneys to protect clergy from such disruptive actions, there needs be. Just showing up a second time and grabbing at the ciborium should be disturbing the peace and/or disorderly conduct, if not a form of theft or assault. Let Little Miss Cookie Monster try taking something away from someone (say a child) in the park against that person’s will while in the proximity of a police officer and see what happens. And yet the Consecrated Host is more vital to the priest than a whole truckload of Little Debbie snacks to a vendor. But we can’t draw logical conclusions anymore in the law. “Victim sense” has taken over legal and common sense.
This idea of approaching the altar at the time for Communion and expecting a blessing is an abuse. A blessing is given to all in attendance at the end of Mass; that should be adequate. My dilemma when distributing Holy Communion is that I am left-handed and to give a blessing with my left hand seems inappropriate. I just ignore those with crossed arms at the Communion rail. But a larger issue is those receiving Communion when they should not- it makes a mockery of the Body of Christ.
It is clear from photos taken at the scene that this “woman” was actually a man pretending to be a woman. Many think he was there to steal a host for use in Satanic ceremonies, and the priest realized he was a prime candidate for that sort of thing. A good bite in defense of the Eucharist should be allowable under law, especially when the bitee appears to be a mentally ill person
People certainly have vivid imaginations. In the video clip at the police station, the woman pretty much looked like a woman trying to dress and talk like a man. “I’m not frontin”,” that sort of thing. I doubt she is mentally ill, she knew what she was doing. It is more likely likely that she and the other woman with her wanted to provoke a confrontation, given that they went to consecutive Masses at 10am and noon and approached the same priest at both Masses. Then they went to the police station together. That shows a degree of planning and intentionality that a mentally ill person wouldn’t have. If she was trying to steal a Host, then she went about it in a stupid way that only drew more attention to herself.
I want to know why this woman was not charged with a religious hate crime?? Cookie??? And then sticking her hand into the ciborium to grab a handful of hosts? Why was SHE not arrested? No person has a “right” to receive communion. But a priest has a right to decide a person is not properly disposed, even if Catholic. The priests usually go to great lengths at weddings and funerals where there may be numbers of non-catholics in attendance to say that simply being Christian is not sufficient to allow you to receive holy communion. You must be Catholic and believe as we do that Jesus is truly present in the host.So if she is calling the host a cookie and making demands, no, she is not entitled. And committing what is viewed as sacrilege in a Catholic Church is very much a hate crime.
It’s unfortunate the diocese gave such a tepid defense of the priest. They missed a teachable moment to make people understand what is required to receive communion PROPERLY.
I am not sorry the priest bit her. I am sorry he didnt have a free hand to slap her in the face.
Ron DeSantis is a faithful Catholic, holds a law degree from Yale University, and is Governor of the State of Florida. Could he weigh-in on this matter?
Judith I am sure that he could and likely would if he were urged to do so in a timely manner. Time is of the essence since gay pride day at Disney World is coming up soon. The regular media has slung this story out in a way that implied that the priest was simply crazy. Petitions by the faithful and Catholic organizations would get his attention especially during an election year. We might also ask why the police did no routine investigation since there were a crowd of witnesses. They had a duty to take the complaint but not to just leave it there. The alleged woman in question could possibly be charged with filing a false police report IMO.
Let’s get back to basics: Receiving Communion presumes you are IN COMMUNION with the Catholic Church. How will the bishops determine WHO IS IN COMNUNION WITH THE CHURCH IN THEIR JURISDICTION?
If there is no way to distinguish between who is IN COMMUNION and who is NOT IN COMMUNION, then the entire fundamental notion of communion is a farce and the Eucharist has become just another expression of cheap sentimentality in the Church. If something isn’t done to safeguard the notion of communion then we will continue to witness the desecration of what is Most Holy.
Deacon, We have just seen in this case ample indicators of who was and was not in communion with the Church. We did not on the other hand see any discernment as to the potential threat present much less any preplanned responses. All around the country other Christian groups have been attacked in various ways and have been developing methods of self protection. Our little rural Alabama Parrish does basic things but they make sense. There is a prominent dress code sign at the entrance, a couple of greeters, handouts for guests and a nice presentation before Mass that “only Catholics in good standing., etc.” We have an altar rail. We have been lucky but it is a red state. So is Florida but the church that was attacked is only 21 miles from Orlando And “gay pride” time is coming up. Jesus protect them.
Cookie?
Ya what’s that all about???? Says a lot!
I am afraid that in this age of atheistic, Catholic-hating, and violent outbursts of anti-social behavior, a stringent revision of guidelines about the reception of Holy Communion is in order. We live in a culture now that knows no shame and will seek any means to desecrate anything held sacred. Our bishops would do well to begin discussing new guidelines. Perhaps only those communicants who are known to the celebrant should be given Communion. Any visiting Catholics who wish to receive Communion ought to speak directly to the priest before Mass begins. If you tell me that no priest/pastor can possibly know all his parishioners, I’d tell you that therein lies the problem. The days of “Here comes everybody” at Communion time are clearly over.
Amen
Not practical at all.
Some might say that about Christ’s dying on the cross for our sins…not practical.
Priest’s gotta do what he gotta do to protect the Eucharist. What a story …
The women went to two different Masses at the same church a few hours apart. They were obviously trying to provoke an incident. The woman who did the talking doesn’t appear to be the brightest tool in the shed either.
Oh, my. The Angelic Doctor would have a thing or two to say about this transaction, assuming he could believe it actually took place.
We had a priest in our parish (not the pastor) who about 25 years ago now would have a box of Vanilla Wafers sitting on the altar while he said Mass. After Communion, he’d invite the kiddies who hadn’t yet received their 1st Communion to approach the altar to receive what I guess he thought was the next best thing to Christ’s Body and Blood – a cookie! If you don’t think that those children didn’t grow into the faith with a very perverse notion of the Eucharist, I have a bridge to sell you. I repeat what I said above, the rules governing who gets to receive Communion need to be reviewed and tightened.
I’m afraid this is a good example of the situation Pope Francis and his buddy have put all priests in – what they do not seem to understand is that the more open approach to homosexuals will sometimes, perhaps often, not result in a holy reconciliation, but in increased aggressiveness. Given an inch, they will try to take a mile. The Lbgt… movement is not simply a community of wounded, misled people needing healing, as much as that description may be accurate from one aspect for many of them, it is also an aggressive demonic-driven attack upon goodness. That faction will not rest, and the demands upon the rest of us will increase, as long as the simplistic “pastoral” approach does not take into account the demonic forces at work.
So true!!!
More media fantasies.
Bless Father Rodriguez and all our priests for protecting our most Holy Eucharist.
Father had his hands full so he used his teeth to defend the Holy Eucharist! Bravo Father! We need more like you to combat the forces of Satan all around us!!!!
Yes, cookie. I’ve heard it before. I’ve also heard “Get me some communion.” Sixty years without catechesis…without authentic evangelization…that’s what you get.
The situation described here has surely been fueled by the controversy surrounding the obsession in Rome with homosexuality and by Fiducia Supplicans. There will be more demonic activity as “hubris” month come into few next weekend.
One hopes the diocese brings a countersuit against this obscenity and defends Father Rodriguez forcefully.
Why do I doubt that will come to pass?
Amen
Bravo Father! We need more Priests like you to combat the forces of Satan all around us!
God help us all. The Holy Spirit guided the priest for sure
The woman is poorly educated, as any modern catholic knows that the correct phrase is “magic cookie”… and shows she is not a true believer in that ALL it takes is eating the magic cookie for a straight shot to heaven….it’s more than a sign of belonging to a catholic social club…it’s MAGIC.
You are to receive the Holy Eucharist with reverence and to think one can come up and try to receive the Body and Blood without reverence is a NO— The priest takes the place of our Lord–she should not have come up to receive Him in the manner she did, and only come to receive without Sin. The Priest was protecting Our Lord God. Amem.Makes me just sick to hear she wanted to make a scene…. many are doing that these days, so as a body of Christ I like that the priest protected Jesus!!!!
This should be an interesting legal test…
The state would hold that the priest was defending only property, force was not warranted, and why the current charges.
The Church would hold the priest was defending a person from assault, and force was warranted.
The state hopefully will drop the matter lest it be drawn into court and either forced to officially deny Catholic belief, or forced to officially certify Catholic belief.
I expect the priest WILL be charged with a misdemeanor battery. I don’t see any way around that. However, he should fight it in court, and he just might win, given the flakiness of the MAN who got bit, and the fact that HE appeared to be deliberately out to desecrate the Eucharist.
I really don’t think the charge will stick…firstly, the priest had a right to defend a person from assault, that person Jesus Christ, and this WAS a religious setting, not out on the street.
Secondly, once it sinks in to the AG office into what a jam that arrest of the priest for defending the Blessed Sacrament put the state in my above stated reasons, I am fairly sure this will all quietly disappear.
Thirdly, the chancery has already come out in defense of the priest for defending the Blessed Sacrament, which will mobilize the diocese, its members/voting citizens, and its legal team, and eventually the USCCB if the case persists, not to mention lay religious defense teams.
The arresting officer will be getting a talking to, as well as the chief of the department, for pushing this into wide public view, on what was a private religious matter, and perhaps them told they arrested the wrong person, if any arrest were to be made at all. The person claiming injury clearly was the troublemaker…who also likely will not be charged due to political sensitivity.
Yeah, I see this just going away.
Let’s go back to a Communion rail and Communion on the tongue.
Amen, Bernard. Our local NO parish did that a few years ago and of course the parishes that have the TLM also have altar rails.
Whatever we may think about this unfortunate, bizarre event, at least it can be said he’s a priest that’s not limited to empty barking.
It’s sort of a “priest bites dog” story.
St. Tarcisius and Blessed Carlo Acutis, pray for our Church during this time of persecution.
Several years ago, I heard that in India it was common for a couple of guys to stand on either side of the priest during Communion and act as “bouncers” (my term) if someone approached who was not known to the priest – usually this was someone looking for something to eat. I’m guessing the use of bodyguards during Communion could become a common occurrence as more radicals try to provoke incidents.
Known in many Dioceses as sentinels. They are supposed to make sure that the Eucharist is consumed and not spirited off for nefarious purposes. Frequently had to track an individual down and get them to return the Host which most did albeit reluctantly. However, every now and then you had a hard head who refused to comply until they were forced to.
Gary – Thanks for the response. Curious, where is this a common practice? I ask because I have never seen it here in the US.
I ministered at a noted North American shrine one summer. Each person distributing Communion had a guard with them to prevent “the faithful” from desecrating and/or stealing “the cookies.”
There has been very little authentic catechesis done since Vatican II. I place the blame squarely on the heads of we priests and bishops. If we don’t instruct our parishioners, who will? And how do priests who don’t believe in the Real Presence—and I have known many—teach people that truth?
The US bishops seem to think the Eucharistic pilgrimage will fix everything. It won’t. It’s just a finger in the dyke.
I’m sincerely grateful to Father Rodriguez for his witness and willingness to act. In former days people died to protect the Blessed Sacrament. How many priests would die to protect It today?
Let us broaden the perspective here. This woman is unidentified. Why? Is she assumed to be threatened by the priest so as to have her name withheld? Outrageous! It is she who assaulted the priest! This is a manifest hate crime even by modernist standards. If she ever had any connection to the Church in her life, then Father Rodriguez is the Pope and I am the College of Cardinals. Now then, having gotten that off of my chest let us be logical about what to do about it. If we put immense self-imposed restrictions on the Church then we will be sending ourselves back to the catacombs while the barbarians laugh. It is a rare human being who has a photographic memory to do what one poster suggested. The burden must be shifted to the criminals. I will made some proposals in my next post then we can brainstorm it.
There is no mention if Father Rodriguez announced that if “you have not been practicing your Catholic faith then you may approach for a blessing”. You can see in the video some crossing their arms for a blessing, but not clear if these too were visitors. Things like this are more apt to happen at funerals, weddings, and First Communions where people attending the Mass have not attended in some time. I knew a priest who never offered such blessings – it is after all a “Communion” line not a “blessing” line. The priest would instruct the visitors who had not been attending Mass to remain in the pew and pray for the deceased, etc. If there are no legal protections that can be used now by attorneys to protect clergy from such disruptive actions, there needs be. Just showing up a second time and grabbing at the ciborium should be disturbing the peace and/or disorderly conduct, if not a form of theft or assault. Let Little Miss Cookie Monster try taking something away from someone (say a child) in the park against that person’s will while in the proximity of a police officer and see what happens. And yet the Consecrated Host is more vital to the priest than a whole truckload of Little Debbie snacks to a vendor. But we can’t draw logical conclusions anymore in the law. “Victim sense” has taken over legal and common sense.
This idea of approaching the altar at the time for Communion and expecting a blessing is an abuse. A blessing is given to all in attendance at the end of Mass; that should be adequate. My dilemma when distributing Holy Communion is that I am left-handed and to give a blessing with my left hand seems inappropriate. I just ignore those with crossed arms at the Communion rail. But a larger issue is those receiving Communion when they should not- it makes a mockery of the Body of Christ.
It is clear from photos taken at the scene that this “woman” was actually a man pretending to be a woman. Many think he was there to steal a host for use in Satanic ceremonies, and the priest realized he was a prime candidate for that sort of thing. A good bite in defense of the Eucharist should be allowable under law, especially when the bitee appears to be a mentally ill person
People certainly have vivid imaginations. In the video clip at the police station, the woman pretty much looked like a woman trying to dress and talk like a man. “I’m not frontin”,” that sort of thing. I doubt she is mentally ill, she knew what she was doing. It is more likely likely that she and the other woman with her wanted to provoke a confrontation, given that they went to consecutive Masses at 10am and noon and approached the same priest at both Masses. Then they went to the police station together. That shows a degree of planning and intentionality that a mentally ill person wouldn’t have. If she was trying to steal a Host, then she went about it in a stupid way that only drew more attention to herself.
Good for you Padre!!
I want to know why this woman was not charged with a religious hate crime?? Cookie??? And then sticking her hand into the ciborium to grab a handful of hosts? Why was SHE not arrested? No person has a “right” to receive communion. But a priest has a right to decide a person is not properly disposed, even if Catholic. The priests usually go to great lengths at weddings and funerals where there may be numbers of non-catholics in attendance to say that simply being Christian is not sufficient to allow you to receive holy communion. You must be Catholic and believe as we do that Jesus is truly present in the host.So if she is calling the host a cookie and making demands, no, she is not entitled. And committing what is viewed as sacrilege in a Catholic Church is very much a hate crime.
It’s unfortunate the diocese gave such a tepid defense of the priest. They missed a teachable moment to make people understand what is required to receive communion PROPERLY.
I am not sorry the priest bit her. I am sorry he didnt have a free hand to slap her in the face.
Ron DeSantis is a faithful Catholic, holds a law degree from Yale University, and is Governor of the State of Florida. Could he weigh-in on this matter?
Judith I am sure that he could and likely would if he were urged to do so in a timely manner. Time is of the essence since gay pride day at Disney World is coming up soon. The regular media has slung this story out in a way that implied that the priest was simply crazy. Petitions by the faithful and Catholic organizations would get his attention especially during an election year. We might also ask why the police did no routine investigation since there were a crowd of witnesses. They had a duty to take the complaint but not to just leave it there. The alleged woman in question could possibly be charged with filing a false police report IMO.
I might add that in the case of repeated harassment and attacks restraining orders and peace bonds are options to pursue.
Let’s get back to basics: Receiving Communion presumes you are IN COMMUNION with the Catholic Church. How will the bishops determine WHO IS IN COMNUNION WITH THE CHURCH IN THEIR JURISDICTION?
If there is no way to distinguish between who is IN COMMUNION and who is NOT IN COMMUNION, then the entire fundamental notion of communion is a farce and the Eucharist has become just another expression of cheap sentimentality in the Church. If something isn’t done to safeguard the notion of communion then we will continue to witness the desecration of what is Most Holy.
Deacon, We have just seen in this case ample indicators of who was and was not in communion with the Church. We did not on the other hand see any discernment as to the potential threat present much less any preplanned responses. All around the country other Christian groups have been attacked in various ways and have been developing methods of self protection. Our little rural Alabama Parrish does basic things but they make sense. There is a prominent dress code sign at the entrance, a couple of greeters, handouts for guests and a nice presentation before Mass that “only Catholics in good standing., etc.” We have an altar rail. We have been lucky but it is a red state. So is Florida but the church that was attacked is only 21 miles from Orlando And “gay pride” time is coming up. Jesus protect them.
Most sorry for the niece whose First Communion must have been affected. Everyone will be talking about her family. Will she ever take communion again?