Should Catholic pastors ignore persistent and manifest sin?

The pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, MD, the Reverend Marcel Guarnizo, has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle for reprimanding Barbara Johnson when she presented herself for Holy Communion at her mother's funeral.

Barbara Johnson

According to the Washington Post, Fr. Guarnizo reportedly looked at Johnson, put his hand over the ciborium, and said:

I can't give you Communion because you live with a woman, and in the eyes of the church, that is a sin.

Johnson, a former Catholic school teacher who now owns a Washington, DC, art studio, reacted with stunned silence.  She said:

I just stood there, in shock.  I was grieving, crying.  My mother's body was behind me, and all I wanted to do was provide for her, and the final thing was to make a beautiful funeral, and here I was letting her down because there was a scene.

Johnson and her lesbian partner had come to the church for the funeral and Johnson was arranging things for the funeral when Fr. Guarnizo asked Johnson's partner who she was.  "I'm her partner," she answered.

But, denying Holy Communion to Barbara Johnson isn't all Fr. Guarnizo did, according to the Washington Post.

The pastor of St. John Neumann Church also left the altar while Johnson was delivering a eulogy which, the Washington Post reports "was awash with spiritual memories of her mother."

Odd behavior, no?

Guarnizo also did not attend the burial or find another priest to replace him.

Very odd behavior, no?

Johnson's original stunned silence has since grown into anger and outrage.  Johnson and members of her family are now demanding that Cardinal Donald Wuerl remove Fr. Guarnizo from his pastorate.

As would be expected, Fr. Guarnizo's behavior has triggered an uproar among homosexual rights activists.  In a letter to Fr. Guarnizo, Johnson herself seemed to take this tack, writing:

You brought your politics, not your God into that Church yesterday, and you will pay dearly on the day of judgment for judging me.

Given the circumstances, The Motley Monk thinks Fr. Guarnizo should have known that denying Johnson Holy Communion would veer into potentially extremely dangerous territory.

Why?

Whenever a priest is perceived to have intentionally offended someone---especially at a wedding or funeral---that priest's behavior provides fodder for that individual to attack the Church, its teaching, the hierarchy, and the clergy as well as a reason for that individual to give up the practice of one's faith.  Rightly or wrongly, that antipathy can fester for decades and, in some instances, for the remainder of that individual's life.  Is that outcome worth the cost?

However, denying Johnson Holy Communion was permissible.  Canon Law #915 forbids the administration of Holy Communion to those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared or who persist in manifest grave sin.

The Washington Post doesn't report what Johnson said during her eulogy that caused Fr. Guarnizo to leave and, then, not to attend the burial.  Assuming that Johnson didn't bring her politics into the church (as she accused Fr. Guarnizo of doing)---and that may be a false assumption---making Johnson's manifest grave sin the issue would appear to reflect poor pastoral judgment because the focal issue was her mother's funeral and burial.

Why poor pastoral judgment?

In a statement, Archdiocesan officials restated its policy:

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.

In this instance, however, the practical pastoral problem confronting Fr. Guarnizo is that although he did know beforehand of Johnson's lifestyle, he didn't know beforehand whether Johnson would be presenting herself for Holy Communion.  Had Guarnizo the luxury of time to address that matter with Johnson prior to the funeral Mass "in a private, pastoral setting" and had Johnson not intended to present herself for Holy Communion, Johnson could have taken offense at Fr. Guarnizo's inquiry.

That's classic "double jeopardy."

Then, too, if Johnson's eulogy was more about her lifestyle as well as her theological and political beliefs that are contrary to Church teaching than the eulogy was about her mother, Johnson was taking advantage of the forum provided by her mother's funeral Mass.

What's a pastor to do?

The Motley Monk doesn't know all of the facts in this case, only what the Washington Post has reported.  What this case does bring to light, and is worth reflecting upon, are some of the problems confronting Catholic pastors today, especially those practical pastors problems arising when individuals who persist in manifest grave sin and are known for doing so present themselves for Holy Communion or when they use the forum provided by a wedding or funeral to espouse theological and political views that are contrary to Church teaching.

Should pastors, like Fr. Guarnizo, simply ignore facts like these?

No doubt many American Catholics think so, especially those who have divorced and remarried, those who practice artificial birth control, and those who identify themselves as homosexual and live with a partner.

Or, should those people who live contrary to Church teaching---like Barbara Johnson---be honest about their choices and not present themselves for Holy Communion?

After all, the practical pastoral problem arises because of the choices those people have already made.  They know beforehand what those decisions imply about receiving Holy Communion.


Let the discussion begin...



To read the Washington Post article, click on the following link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-archdiocese-denying-communion-to-lesbian-at-funeral-was-against-policy/2012/02/28/gIQAlIxVgR_story.html?tid=ts_carousel