A Florida priest accused of biting a woman during an argument at Sunday Mass could face assault charges.
According to the Orlando Diocese, the woman attended a 10 a.m. service at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud on Sunday and attempted to receive Holy Communion.
She had a brief conversation with Father Fidel Rodriguez, who told her she had not followed the proper procedures to receive Holy Communion, gave her a blessing and sent her away, the diocese said in a statement.
The woman returned to the service two hours later and tried to receive Communion again, but when Rodriguez asked her if she had gone to confession, a prerequisite for receiving Communion as required by the Catholic Church, According to the diocese, when he gave permission for the priest to receive Communion, the priest told him, “That’s not his job.”
According to the church, Father Rodriguez had no information or details about the woman’s background but gave her Holy Communion.
“At that point, the woman forcefully reached into the container, grabbed the sacramental vessel and crushed it,” the diocese said. With only one hand free, Rodriguez struggled with the woman, but “she would not let go of the sacramental vessel.”
The woman then pushed Rodriguez, but he “bite[d]her hand to force her to release the Eucharist from her grasp,” the church said.
She was asked to leave immediately.
Police investigated the incident at a church in St. Cloud, about 30 miles south of Orlando, and a criminal complaint accuses Rodriguez of assault.
According to the police report, the woman told police that Rodriguez was upset that she had not followed the necessary steps to receive Communion and tried to “shove” a wafer into her mouth.
She alleged he grabbed her arm and bit her when she tried to take a wafer he was holding, according to the report.
According to the police report, Rodriguez told police that she attacked him first and that he was trying to protect the sanctity of Holy Communion.
According to the police report, the suspect told police the woman was pushing him and wouldn’t let go of the tray, so “the only way to get her off the tray was to bite her arm.”
Police said a witness provided video of the incident.
The Orlando Diocese said Rodriguez’s actions were “to protect Holy Communion from this desecration.”
“While the Diocese of Orlando does not tolerate physical confrontations of this nature, Father Rodriguez acted in good faith and was simply trying to prevent a desecration of Holy Communion,” the statement said.
The church said the sacrament is “considered to be the ‘fountainhead and summit’ of worship and faith.”
“This is not something that individuals can arbitrarily request, and it is certainly not simply a ‘cookie’ as plaintiffs claim,” the diocese said.
