Priest bites woman during communion clash in Florida church

St. Cloud, Florida (TND) — Communion at a Florida church took an unexpected turn when an argument broke out between a woman and a priest that resulted in someone being bitten on the arm during Sunday mass.

In a police video obtained by The National Desk (TND), a parishioner at St. Thomas Aquinas Church claimed that Fidel Rodriguez refused to allow her to receive communion at the church in Florida.

“He didn’t want to give me the cookie. I don’t know if it was because of my clothes or if it’s what I like,” the woman told the police.

The St. Cloud police report states that the woman told officers that Rodriguez accused her of “not taking the necessary steps to give her the communion bread.”

She claimed that Father Fidel stuffed a “cookie” into her mouth when he was angry with her.

The report states that the woman argued with the priest and told him that she was “now accepted by God” and could take communion.

The woman was bitten on the arm when she allegedly tried to take another communion bread from the tray Rodriguez was holding.

A police investigator, after interviewing several witnesses, concluded that Rodriguez had actually bitten the woman to “defend the communion bread, which was sacred to him.”

Rodriguez told a different story. He admitted to biting the woman because he was protecting the “body of Christ” when she “attacked” him. He explained to the investigating police officer why he bit the woman on the arm. He claimed he was pushed by the woman. Then he bit her because the “only way he could think of was to take the communion tray away from her when she wouldn’t let go.”

He explained to the police that the bread was considered “sacrilege” due to the “rules of the Catholic faith.”

A witness who was with the woman at the church told officers she believed Rodriguez singled out the woman because of her sexuality and clothing.

Rodriguez was charged with assault by simple touching or striking.

TND reached out to the Orlando Diocese. They issued the following statement claiming that Rodriguez had “no prior knowledge of the woman’s background.”

On Sunday, May 19, at the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud, a woman came through Father Fidel Rodriguez’s Communion line and appeared to be unaware of the proper procedure. After a brief conversation with the woman, it was determined that she was neither willing nor inclined to partake of Communion. Father Rodriguez gave the woman a blessing and advised her to receive the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) before returning to receive Communion (Eucharist).

The same woman came to Sunday Mass at 12 noon and stood in Father Rodriguez’s Communion line. Father Rodriguez asked if she had been to the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), to which she replied that it was none of his business. Father Rodriguez then offered the woman Holy Communion on her tongue. At that moment, the woman forcibly inserted her hand into the vessel, grabbed some Holy Communion Hosts, and crushed them. Since Father Rodriguez only had one hand free, he attempted to restrain the woman, who refused to let go of the Hosts. When the woman pushed him, reacting to a perceived act of aggression, Father Rodriguez bit her hand to make her let go of the Hosts she had grabbed. The woman was immediately asked to leave.

It should be noted that Father Rodriguez had no prior knowledge of the woman’s background. While the Diocese of Orlando does not condone physical altercations such as this, Father Rodriguez was simply trying in good faith to prevent a desecration of Holy Communion, which Father Rodriguez is obligated to protect as a priest.

The full video and police report show that the woman made physical contact and behaved inappropriately. The priest attempted to protect Holy Communion from this sacrilegious act.

In the Catholic tradition, the Eucharist is considered the “source and summit” of worship and faith. Participation in Holy Communion therefore requires appropriate understanding, reverence and devotion. It is not something a person can arbitrarily demand and is certainly not a mere “cookie,” as the complainant called it.

The Diocese of Orlando believes that all people of all faiths should be respected and that their religious ceremonies or services should never be disrupted.