During a taking of communion during the Eucharist at a Florida Catholic Church, a priest allegedly bit a woman on the forearm in supposed defense of the sanctity of the ceremony.
According to the priest, the woman was bitten because she tried to attack the sacrament after an argument erupted between the two people while others waited in the communion line.
Communion Defense
The priest, Father Fidel Rodriguez, admitted to the police that he had bit the woman during communion but emphasized he was defending it from her after she tried to reach into the ciborium container.
“The only defense that I found to defend something that for us, for all of us, is sacred, was biting her. I have recognized that I bite her. I’m not denying that,” said Rodriguez in English with a Spanish accent. “I recognize that I bite her, as a defense, and as defending myself and defending the sacrament.”
How it Started
The woman accused of defiling the sacrament told police that she had shown up to 10 am mass with a same-sex partner to see her niece’s first communion, which she thinks was partly responsible for starting the altercation along with her casual attire.
“I believe that his excuse was that I wasn’t super-holy, in his eyes,” the woman said.
Denying the Claim
Father Rodriguez denies that sexual orientation was the reason for the start of the altercation. He insists that the woman would not properly hold her hands and open her mouth in accordance with required Catholic rituals.
Rodriguez suspected she didn’t know what she was doing and asked her several questions to confirm her faith so he wasn’t giving her communion against church rules.
Rodriquez’s Questions
The Father asked her when the last time she received communion was, which she said was years ago.
He also asked her if she had properly been going to confession, which she responded tersely with “I don’t need to explain you that.”
Rules of Communion
Father Rodriguez told her he had the authority by the church to ask her these questions, and that he could refuse to give her communion and instead opted for just a blessing.
According to Canon law 915 “Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
Admitting to Holy Communion
A priest has the right to refuse someone’s communion for legitimate religious reasons and someone with outstanding grave sins is not allowed to partake except in rare circumstances.
“A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible,” says Canon Law 916.
Second Mass
After the initial confrontation, the woman left but returned later for the noon Mass in Spanish, where she again went to receive communion and challenged the priest’s authority.
“No, I don’t need to explain to you, I don’t need to give an explanation, you don’t have authority, you don’t need to judge me,” said the woman.
Explaining it to Her
The priest said that he explained to her exactly why he is refusing her communion participation.
“I’m not judging you, I’m asking you only, did you confess after the other Mass [to] received the Communion now? Because if you did not confess, I can’t give you the Communion,” said Father Rodriguez.
Grabbing the Hosts
According to Rodriguez, it was at this point that the woman went to grab all the hosts in her hands, which he saw as an effort to break them and was worried they would spill. This prompted him to bite her as a last resort. The motion but not the bite was captured on camera.
“And she grabbed all the hosts in the hands, because she wants to receive for herself. She is not permitted. And she break all the hosts, spreading them,” said Rodriguez.
Disputed Story
The woman tells the story differently, saying the priest forced what she calls a “cookie” in her mouth, though she admits to trying to physically grab the communion herself.
“And I’m not gonna front. I tried to just grab another cookie, and that when he grabbed my hand and he just bit me,” the woman said.
Charges For Priest
Rodriguez ended up being charged by police with one count of battery, and the woman was treated for her injuries by firefighters at the police station. In a statement, the Diocese of Orlando defended the priest’s actions.
“The full video and the police report show the woman initiated physical contact and acted inappropriately. The priest was trying to protect the holy Communion from this sacrilegious act,” they said.
