Marcel Guarnizo, who was presiding over the service, apparently learned that Barbara was involved in a romantic relationship with another woman. A lifelong Catholic and former Catholic school teacher, Barbara says she hadn’t even considered that her sexual orientation would be a problem with Father Marcel until she stepped forward to take communion…. “He said, ‘I can not give you communion because you live with a woman,’” Barbara says. Though shaken by Father Marcel’s actions, Barbara says she tried to compose herself to give her mother the dignified funeral she deserved. So a few minutes later, Barbara began her eulogy…. “At which time Father Marcel left the altar and didn’t return until I finished my eulogy,” Barbara says.
Wow. Just wow….
It’s not very often I find myself rendered dumbstruck and barely able to respond…but this story did just that to me. The thought that a man of the cloth, someone charged with, among other things, comforting the grieving would allow his bigotry and prejudice to take precedence over the suffering and loss of others is something I find almost unimaginable.
Yes, I understand the Catholic Church’s (medieval and hateful) teachings on the subject of homosexuality. What I fail to understand is how Fr. Guarnizo could find it within himself to display such an epic lack of compassion and understanding for a woman who was simply trying to honor and bury her mother. Fr. Guarnizo not only refused Ms. Johnson communion (which I can almost understand, given Church teachings), he walked out on the eulogy as she was giving it and then refused to accompany the body to the cemetery, claiming to be ill.
Your Christians are so unlike your Christ….
Fr. Guarnizo is certainly free to believe as he will. Christian compassion- never mind simple human decency- would seem to dictate that honoring Ms. Johnson’s loss would take precedence over his petty personal beliefs. His behavior made it clear that he considers Ms. Johnson to be sub-human, a second-class citizen unworthy of the kindness and compassion of the Catholic Church.
I can only hope there will be a reserved parking space waiting in Hell for Fr. Guarnizo. He richly deserves it.
