According to the Catholic News Agency:
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| Fr. Marcel Guarnizo |
The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. says it no longer employs a priest who became known for denying Holy Communion to a partnered lesbian woman.
“Fr. Marcel Guarnizo is a priest of the Archdiocese of Moscow, Russia, who was given a temporary assignment at St. John Neumann parish,” archdiocesan communcations director Chieko Noguchi Scheve said in a statement provided to CNA on July 10.
“That assignment period has ended and Father Guarnizo is no longer in ministry in the Archdiocese of Washington,” Scheve wrote.
Fr. Guarnizo declined to comment on the announcement from the archdiocese.
In February 2012, the priest drew national attention for withholding the Eucharist from Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral. Fr. Guarnizo made the decision after Johnson introduced him to her lesbian partner before Mass.
Johnson remained outraged after the incident, threatening to have Fr. Guarnizo “removed from parish life.” The Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. apologized for his “lack of pastoral sensitivity” and said it was against policy for a priest to “publicly reprimand” a person approaching the sacrament.
In March, Fr. Guarnizo was removed from ministry in the archdiocese. The announcement of did not refer to Johnson, but cited “intimidating behavior toward parish staff and others.” Fr. Guarnizo defended his action, and said his removal from ministry was related to the funeral incident.
In a paper published online, Johnson had at one point identified herself as “a lesbian and a Buddhist.” However, she later told MSNBC that she is “a Catholic” who is “deeply influenced by eastern religion philosophy.” Her relationship with the Church, she said, is “complex.”
Commentary. I don't want to comment on the "human resource" aspect of this controversy. Personnel issues are often complex and what reaches the public is often one-sided and incomplete. To comment on the reassignment itself with such meager data would be unfair to both parties.
Rather, I will comment on the central event of this controversy: Fr. Guarnizo's denial of Holy Communion to a clearly unworthy recipient. In that, he did right. As I've stated in the past, Ms. Barbara Johnson came in looking for a fight and, in my opinion, cornered Fr. Guarnizo into an intolerable position.
The Minister of Holy Communion, whether he or she is an ordinary or extraordinary minister, has a responsibility for protecting the Sacrament from potential unworthy recipients whose unworthiness has been made plain by mean of some direct expression, the minister being morally certain of such unworthiness by means of that expression. If this is what happened - and the anecdotal evidence points in that direction - then Fr. Guarnizo was right in withholding the Sacrament from Barbara Johnson, as she directly stated to him she was a partnered lesbian.
Furthermore, withholding the Sacrament from the unworthy recipient is meant to protect the recipient from falling into the mortal sin of sacrilege, as the Word of God clearly states:
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 11:29, Douay-Rheims)The Minister of Holy Communion is doing the unworthy recipients a favor when witholding the Sacrament from them. This is a tough call, but Ministers of Holy Communion need to be prepared to make it and Pastors need to be ready to support that tough call, and Ministers should be ready to expect incomprehension and persecution if the pastors withhold their support.
Let us pray for Fr. Guarnizo and the Archdiocesan authorities in Washington, DC. May the Lord bless and enlighten their ministry now, and forever. Amen.