Archdiocese of Washington reprimands priest for denying communion to a lesbian
![](https://seedus4268.gloriatv.net/storage1/c1jmt7emn7tj7mve4wo8w9d1cau0outnlplbf0v.webp?scale=on&secure=PXD65piZtjNFpLgQNFpnzg&expires=1725004814)
Archdiocese of Washington reprimands priest for denying communion to a lesbian
GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, February 29, 2012, (LifeSiteNews)
– A parish priest in Maryland, who denied communion to a woman who identified herself as a lesbian, has been publicly rebuked by the Archdiocese of Washington.
Barbara Johnson attended her mother’s funeral last Saturday and introduced her lesbian partner to the priest before Mass.
Fr. Marcel Guarnizo of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, covered the Host as she approached and told her, “I can’t give you Communion because you live with a woman, and in the eyes of the Church, that is a sin.”
Afterwards, she wrote him a letter telling him, “I will do everything in my power to see that you are removed from parish life so that you will not be permitted to harm any more families.”
...The Archdiocese of Washington issued a brief press release saying Fr. Guarnizo’s actions were inappropriate. “When questions arise about whether or not an individual should present themselves for communion, it is not the policy of the Archdiocese of Washington to publicly reprimand the person.
Any issues regarding the suitability of an individual to receive communion should be addressed by the priest with that person in a private, pastoral setting.”
LifeSiteNews