Father Guarnizo Defends Himself

It would seem that Fr. Guarnizo has finally made a public statement in defense of himself and the accusations of supposed intimidation against him, and strongly believes that the charges that have been levelled against him are directly related to his denying Holy Communion to Barbara Johnson. Needless to say, and what many of us already know, his version varies quite a bit from the "official" version put forward by the diocese and his version is also more corroborated and believable.

Let us pray for this priest, who seems to have done nothing other than to have done his job and protected faith and has essentially been thrown to the wolves.

You can read more about his at: Father Guarnizo defends himself, denies archdiocesan explanation for disciplinary action and Father Marcel Guarnizo: 'I Did The Only Thing a Faithful Catholic Priest Could Do' (this article contains the full-text of his letter of response).

[Excerpt]
....
I understand and agree it is the policy of the archdiocese to assume good faith when a Catholic presents himself for communion; like most priests I am not at all eager to withhold communion. But the ideal cannot always be achieved in life.

In the past ten days, many Catholics have referenced Canon 915 in regard to this specific circumstance. There are other reasons for denying communion which neither meet the threshold of Canon 915 or have any explicit connection to the discipline stated in that canon.

If a Quaker, a Lutheran or a Buddhist, desiring communion had introduced himself as such, before Mass, a priest would be obligated to withhold communion. If someone had shown up in my sacristy drunk, or high on drugs, no communion would have been possible either. If a Catholic, divorced and remarried (without an annulment) would make that known in my sacristy, they too according to Catholic doctrine, would be impeded from receiving communion. This has nothing to do with Canon 915. Ms. Johnson’s circumstances are precisely one of those relations which impede her access to communion according to Catholic teaching. Ms. Johnson was a guest in our parish, not the arbitrer of how sacraments are dispensed in the Catholic Church.
... [Visit: CNSNews.com for the full-text:http://cnsnews.com/news/article/father-marcel-guarnizo-i-did-only-thing-faithful-catholic-priest-could-do]