A priest in Florida bit a woman’s hand during a violent altercation while administering communion to his church’s congregants, according to officials.
According to a statement from the Diocese of Orlando, the incident between the priest and a female parishioner started around 10 a.m. on Sunday during Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud, Florida, when the woman “came through Father Fidel Rodriguez’s Holy Communion line and appeared unaware of the proper procedure.”
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“After a brief exchange with the woman, it was determined that she was neither prepared nor disposed to participate in Communion,” said the statement. “Father Rodriguez gave the woman a blessing and advised her to receive the Sacrament of Penance (confession) before coming back to receive Holy Communion (eucharist).”
According to the Diocese of Orlando, the same woman appeared for Mass at 12 p.m. on Sunday and stood in Father Rodriguez’s Communion line when he asked if she had been to the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), to which she answered that “it was not his business.”
“Father Rodriguez offered the woman Holy Communion on the tongue,” church officials stated. ” At that point, the woman put her hand into the vessel and crushed some sacred communion hosts. With only one hand free, Father Rodriguez attempted to detain the woman, who refused to let go of the hosts. When the woman pushed him, Father Rodriguez bit her hand in response to what he thought to be an act of aggression.
The Diocese of Orlando said in a statement that they immediately asked the woman to leave.
Officials stated that Father Rodriguez had no prior knowledge of the woman’s background. “Further, while the Diocese of Orlando does not condone physical altercations such as this, in good faith, Father Rodriguez was simply attempting to prevent an act of desecration of the Holy Communion, which, as a priest, Father Rodriguez is bound by duty to protect.”
Authorities have not yet filed any criminal charges against the priest, but they may do so while they conduct their investigation. Officials have not provided any information about the woman’s possible injuries during the altercation.
The Eucharist is considered “the source and summit” of worship and faith in the Catholic tradition, according to the Diocese of Orlando. “The act of participation in Holy Communion therefore calls for a proper understanding, reverence, and devotion.”
“The Diocese of Orlando believes all people of all faiths should be respected, and their religious ceremonies or services should never be disrupted,” authorities stated.
The Diocese of Orlando has stated that they will not comment further on the incident, and an inquiry is presently underway.
