That is not the Body of Christ.
A priest bit a woman as she was receiving Communion inside a Florida church on Sunday after a scuffle, but the priest claimed he was trying to defend a bread roll, authorities said.
Father Fidel Rodriguez confirmed he was bitten during Mass, but there are conflicting accounts of what led to the unusual incident at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud. According to WFTV.
The woman, who has been identified, told police she had tried to receive Holy Communion but was refused.
“He didn’t give me a cookie,” she said, according to body camera footage obtained by police.
“I don’t know if it’s because of the way I dress or if it’s just something I like.”
Witnesses told police the women were rejected because of their sexual orientation and their clothing.
“He tried to force it into her mouth, but she backed away,” a witness alleged, according to WFTV.
“She said, ‘No, don’t do that,’ and she tried to take it. That’s when he lost his mind.”
But the priest denied that the woman’s background or clothing had anything to do with the incident, insisting on the body camera footage and saying: “I don’t judge anyone.”
Instead, she claimed, the woman tried to snatch the communion wafer from her hand.
Rodriguez claimed the woman attended the 10 a.m. service but was denied Communion because she was unaware of the procedure.
When she returned to midday Mass, the two had a confrontation that was recorded on video and obtained by the station, though details are unclear because it was partially interrupted by another person waiting to receive Communion.
“I am not judging you. I am asking you: Did you confess after Mass? If you did not confess, I cannot give you Holy Communion,” Fidel reportedly told officers after Mass.
“I bit her. I don’t deny that. I was just protecting myself and the sacrament.”
The Catholic Diocese of Orlando defended the priest in a statement posted online.
“The woman forcefully reached into the container, grabbing and crushing the Eucharist,” the statement read in part. “With only one hand free, Father Rodrigues struggled to restrain the woman, who would not let go of the Eucharist.”
The diocese also said Rodriguez did not know anything about the woman.
“When the woman pushed him and responded in what she perceived to be an aggressive act, Father Rodriguez bit her hand to make her release the Eucharist she was holding. The woman was asked to leave immediately.”
“Furthermore, while the Diocese of Orlando does not tolerate physical confrontations of this nature, Father Rodriguez acted in good faith to prevent a desecration of the Eucharist, and as a priest, Father Rodriguez has an obligation to protect the Eucharist.”
The diocese believes that video footage of the incident and the police report will exonerate Rodriguez, but St. Cloud police have recommended that he be charged with assault, the station said.
The Post reached out to Rodriguez for comment Thursday night.
