Priest denies lesbian Communion at mother’s funeral

Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post has an absolute must-read story about a lesbian who was denied Communion at her mother’s funeral.

Barbara Johnson was at St. John Neumann Catholic Church with her partner, and the Rev. Marcel Guarzino learned of her relationship just before the service. When Johnson went up to take Communion, the priest reportedly put his hand over the bread and said he wouldn’t give it to Johnson because she lived with a woman. He then left the service while Johnson delivered the eulogy and didn’t attend the burial or find a replacement priest.

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Denying Communion might have been within the priest’s discretion—in fact, I think that it probably was—but I agree with the apology from the archdiocese.