Catholic Priest Denies Communion to Lesbian at Mother's Funeral

[rug]

A priest in Missouri bars a lesbian parishioner from receiving communion at her mother's funeral.

BY Michael O'Loughlin
February 10 2014 3:38 PM

A Roman Catholic priest in Missouri has told a grieving daughter that she would not be able to receive communion at her mother's funeral because she was in a same-sex relationship.

The pastor at Saint Columban Catholic Church in Chillicothe, Mo., told Carol Parker and her partner of 20 years, Josephine Martin, that he would not be able to welcome them to communion because the obituary for her mother, who died in December, listed Parker and her partner as survivors, reports Fox Kansas City affiliate WDAF.

“If that one word [partner] had not been in there, he would be fine,” Martin told the station.

Parker said she had been an active member at St. Columban for over a decade, singing in the choir and serving as a lector. She said she laments the loss of her faith community.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/02/10/catholic-priest-denies-communion-lesbian-mothers-funeral


This is not what he had in mind when he said, "Do this in memory of me".

John 8 : 7-11 (New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)

7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, sir.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”

[Downwinder]

1. Congregation is not shrinking fast enough,

Last edited Tue Feb 11, 2014, 02:29 PM - Edit history (1)

they have to chase people away?

[rug]

2. I think it's more about what's done in church, not how many are there.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

3. Well, that priest is certainly showing that the Spirit of Christ is not in him

[rug]

4. He's exactly in the middle of the dilemma.

On the one hand, his Bishop probably was quite explicit in telling the priests that the Church cannot condone "public sinners", defined as those not living according to the Church's teachings, primarily on sex, because that itself is the sin of scandal.

On the other hand, this action is such palpable bullshit, inhumane, judgmental and un-Christ-like all at the same time, that it cannot be justified on those grounds.

It will be interesting to see what the Church does.

In the meantime, I hope this woman and her partner find some comfort.

[goldent]

5. Sad. I think the priest could have "not noticed" the words in the obituary.

[47of74]

6. Ugh

Unfortunately the priest's actions don't surprise me. The priest who did my great-uncle's funeral last August went out of his way to make sure the congregation knew that only "good Catholics" who accepted everything the Vatican decreed. This was the same priest who had a rather large anti-abortion button on his suit coat at the final committal.