Fr. Marcel Guarnizo: The Latest Priest They Love to Hate

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo, the associate pastor at St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg, is all over the internet for denying Communion to an active lesbian named Barbara at the funeral of her mother last Saturday. It would be interesting to see a video of the funeral. The mother apparently was supportive of her daughter's bad choices - sad but not surprising. So many parents would rather enable their children's sin and risk their loss of heaven rather than than risk alienation from their children in this world.

Obviously the daughter had to be flaunting her relationship. Otherwise, how would Father know she was a lesbian? Was she there holding hands with her lover? Did she talk at the wake about how grateful she was that her mother accepted their relationship? Was the "eulogy" for her mother (when the priest walked out) really a celebration of lesbianism? "Gays" tend to be narcissistic and it wouldn't surprise me at all if the entire funeral became all about celebrating the disordered relationship.

The comments on blogs discussing this have been the typical bash-the-Church, Jesus would never be so mean, Father is so judgmental and hate-filled, etc. ad nauseum. These folks have deluded themselves into believing that Jesus is the Pillsbury Doughboy waiting to give them all cinnamon buns on Judgment Day. That God might actually expect people to avoid the seven deadly sins or go to hell seems completely alien to them.

One wonders whether the folks who are so quick to condemn Fr. Guarnizo would expect him to be silent and do nothing if the lesbian had brought a can of black spray paint and started defacing all the statues in the Church. Such an act is NOTHING compared to the sacrilege of receiving Jesus, Body-Blood-Soul-Divinity, in the state of mortal sin. And since everybody in the Church apparently knew about this woman's lifestyle, the scandal would also have been mortally sinful and on the priest's head for allowing it. The Bible is crystal clear on the responsibility of the shepherds to blow the warning trumpet.

I want to publicly thank Fr. Marcel Guarnizo for his courage. We have all seen the hateful retaliation and "jamming" (viciously attacking) against anyone who disagrees with the homosexual agenda. (I have personally experienced it often in blog comments with the writers hoping I die a miserable death because of my "hate.")  Fr. Guarnizo is in the crosshairs at present. Pray for him and you might consider going to the parish website and leaving a message of encouragement. Fr. Guarnizo speaks the truth against some of the greatest moral evils of our time. He deserves our thanks and admiration. Please fast and pray for him this Lent for those who vilify him. May they come to understand that he is trying to save them from the abyss.


Germantown - 40 Days for Life - Fr. Marcel from Michael Martelli on Vimeo.

Ed Peters vs. George Neumayr vs. Cardinal Wuerl

Canon lawyer Ed Peters thinks George Neumayr is making a bad situation worse with regard to his criticism of Cardinal Wuerl over the prelate's handling of Fr. Marcel Guarnizo refusing Communion to lesbian activist Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral. As one who agrees with George Neumayr, I think it's accurate to say that the cardinal himself made a bad situation worse when he apologized to the lesbian through his auxiliary bishop and then punished Fr. Guarnizo. Talk about scandal -- helping to advance the gay agenda! 

Ed Peters says the conversation has gone on long enough, that everything that could possibly be said has been said (according to his point of view at any rate). He has consistently insisted that his interpretation of Canon 915, etc. is the correct one and that the laity who disagree just don't get it. 

Well, he's right about that from my point of view and many other faithful laity who believed Fr. Guarnizo was correct and Ed Peters was wrong. Call it the "sensus fidelium" if you like. At least one canon lawyer, an anonymous priest, disagrees with Peters and supporst what faithful laity believed all along. He entered the fray to defend Fr. Guarnizo and publicly dissent with his colleague's interpretation of the subject canon laws. One can argue that anonymous opinions carry less weight than public opinions, but in view of what powerful prelates can do to their disrespected underlings whose rights are often violated, anonymity is probably a prudent course of action for a priest. And if this priest serves in the Archdiocese of Washington or another diocese with a bishop who operates llike Cardinal Wuerl, his action is more than understandable. After all, Fr. Guarnizo was denied due process. Why would Cardinal Wuerl hesitate to do the same to any priest who disagreed with him?

Fr. Guarnizo is still around and fighting!

Remember Fr. Marcel Guarnizo who refused Communion to out and proud lesbian Barbara Johnson. He got the boot from Cardinal Wuerl (No surprise to those of us familiar with the background of the politically correct cardinal.) Fr. Guarnizo was interviewed on Al Kresta's show and stated that the situation he experienced in Washington is in the hands of Cardinal Wuerl's "superiors." He clarified that he was never suspended and remains a priest in good standing, a point never corrected in the press. Pray for Fr. Guarnizo and the ultimate outcome of his case. Wouldn't it be good to see Cardinal Wuerl get a slapdown over his disgraceful actions. Hat tip to Janet at Restore D.C. Catholicism. Fr. Guarnizo segment begins around 17 minutes into the show.

Listen to the interview here.

Fr. Guarzino Speaks: Bless You, Father, For Your Faithful Witness

Washington D.C., Mar 14, 2012 / 01:25 pm (CNA).- 

In an extensive statement provided to CNA, Father Marcel Guarnizo insists that the reasons the Archdiocese of Washington placed him on leave “have everything to do” with his recent decision to withhold communion from Barbara Johnson. 

Fr. Guarnizo explains that he decided to issue the detailed March 14 statement because of the questions his parishioners and the public are asking about the recent incident.

His response, which is published below, offers corrections to previous news reports, responds to canonical arguments and gives information about where the allegations of intimidation came from.

Fr. Marcel Guarnizo’s Response to the Eucharistic Incident

You Can't Trust the Secular Media to Get It Right - La Republica Article a Case in Point

And often they are irresponsible (and sometimes deliberate) in getting it wrong. The claim that Pope Benedict resigned because of blackmail from an underground homosexual cabal at the Vatican is a case in point. La Republica's article is a classic case of an article based on little information and absolutely no evidence. No one had the dossier, because it was NEVER leaked! But the media made all kinds of assumptions about its content. Ah...speculation is so thrilling and open-ended!

Well, now Fr. Marcel Guarnizo, whose interview with Ignazio Ingrao "sparked" the "media firestorm," wants to set the record straight. All the speculation about "prelates being blackmailed, money being stolen, swirl upon swirl of innuendo and rumors in Rome and around the world" is speculation. "None of this has been verified."

Fr. Guarnizo asks:

If I, as a professional journalist state that prelates are being blackmailed by a gay lobby, does this not presuppose that I know who and why, or at the very least, have sources who have substantiated these allegations before I rush them into print? As a responsible news reporter, am I not compelled to determine that there is some news and not just empty speculation? Am I not morally obliged to determine, when repeating the claims of another publication—such as La Repubblica—that the report it quotes exists, that someone has seen it, and that it says what in fact actual, reliable witnesses purport that it says?

He goes on to describe an interview with the author of the original article who says the secular media frenzy took his original article in a direction he never intended and drew unsubstantiated conclusions.

Media distorting a story? Wow! Wouldn't that be unusual?

See more:
http://vimeo.com/61886628
Fr. Guarnizo interview with author
Death of Journalism at the Irish Times

Who Owes the Apology? Barbara Johnson

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Media Contact: Paul Rondeau
March 13, 2012	540.659.4171 | e-mail: prondeau@all.org
BARBARA JOHNSON OWES MOTHER AND CATHOLIC CHURCH AN APOLOGY Liberal Media Complicit in Fake 'Lesbian Communion' Controversy:  ALL
Stafford, VA - Self-identified lesbian Barbara Johnson was denied Holy Communion by a Catholic priest at her mother's funeral. Within two weeks of Johnson taking the story to the media, Father Marcel Guarnizo was relieved of his priestly faculties at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, for reasons that the Archdiocese of Washington claims are unrelated----but also have not explained. Judie Brown, president and co-founder of American Life League, released the following statement: The only controversy here is that manufactured by Barbara Johnson. The gay-friendly media havepainted her the teary-eyed victim with grossly misrepresented and omitted facts about Ms. Johnson and Catholic teaching in order to further attacks on the Catholic Church. Ms. Johnson knows full well that the Church considers practicing homosexuality as "intrinsically disordered" and a grave sin. This by itself would bar her from presenting herself to receive the blessed sacrament of Communion. Moreover, in an interview just last year, Johnson claimed Buddhism as her way of life, not Catholicism. Either of these states disqualifies her from Communion. She nevertheless presented herself and then took the denial of the Blessed Sacrament to the liberal media for political purposes where she was welcomed with open arms to conjure yet another anti-Catholic story. Holy Communion is not some ceremonial wafer as denigrated by gay-friendly liberal media. The Catholic faithful believe the Host to be the true body of Christ. One must be in a state of graceaccording to Catholic teaching in order to partake this most holy sacrament. The priest has an obligation to make sure that the sacraments are respected and no one is entitled to the Eucharist. Ms. Johnson selfishly manipulated the funeral of her own mother, a lifelong Catholic, in an attempt to force Father Guarnizo to allow a sacrilege, then accused him of bringing politics into the Church. This selfish anti-Catholic activism shows that Ms. Johnson's statement that Catholics should put aside "political points of view" is sheer hypocrisy. So no, it is neither Father Guarnizo nor the Catholic Church that should be contrite. Rather, it is Ms. Johnson's disgraceful behavior that obliges an apology to both her mother and her mother's lifelong Church. ###   Media inquiries, please contact Paul E. Rondeau at 540.659.4171 or prondeau@ALL.org. Judie Brown is a three-time appointee to the Pontifical Academy for Life and author of The Broken Path: How Catholic Bishops Got Lost in the Weeds of American Politics.

Priest Canon Lawyer Defends Fr. Guarnizo, Takes Issue with Ed Peters

Many laity have questioned the conclusions of canonist Ed Peters about Fr. Marcel Guarnizo's decision to deny Communion to lesbian Barbara Johnson at her mother's funeral. A new opinion is now online published by an anonymous priest who is also a canon lawyer. Read his opinion here. I want to publicly thank this priest for expressing such a clear defense of Fr. Guarnizo's actions. Those of us laity who are not canon lawyers had the "gut feeling" that denying Johnson was correct. Father's reasoned step-by-step explanation illustrates why. Two thumbs up, Father!

Two Thumbs Up for V for Victory's Analysis of Fr. Guarnizo/Barbara Johnson Controversy

V for Victory blog has a spot on analysis of the Fr. Marcel Guarnizo/Barbara Johnson funeral flap. Two thumbs up. I particularly appreciate his response to canon lawyer Ed Peters. I respect Peters, but by his description his own analysis falls. Most of the people at that funeral were no doubt aware of the disordered relationship of Barbara and her lesbian partner. The women have, after all, been together for about twenty years. So at the very least the family members at the funeral and all the personal friends of Johnson and her partner knew about the scandalous relationship. If the funeral was typical, that had to be a substantial percentage of the participants. To deny Johnson Communion under those circumstances was an act of prudential judgment and, I believe, a judgment that was correct. Thanks, Anita, for your astute analysis. I particularly appreciate your picture illustrating the indelible mark imprinted on the priest's soul at ordination. It gives me much food for thought and a reminder to pray hard for priests especially for their courage when they experience target practice from their bishops.

Cardinal Wuerl: Comedian or Hypocrite?

I was just reading an article describing how Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C. called an unnamed bishop a dissenter (pretty clearly directed at Cardinal Burke's recent interview when he said he would resist the pope if he attempted to change doctrine on Communion for the divorced and remarried). You can read Cardinal Wuerl's blog post here and the article about his post here. Here's the salient sentence from Wuerl's blog:

They (dissenting bishops) disagree with the Pope because he does not agree with them and therefore follow their position.

What a bunch of hooey! First of all, in the article Wuerl was talking about rejecting teachings in papal encyclicals which are not, by the way, necessarily infallible except to the degree they uphold the unchangeable doctrine of the Church. Cardinal Burke has not dissented at all. he has pointed out over and over that no one has the ability to change Christ's teachings, not even the pope. He has begged for clarity from the pope in the face of the confusion sown at the Extraordinary Synod on the Family where Cardinal Wuerl was among the smoke-blowers.

As for dissenters, the LifeSiteNews article emphasizes Wuerl's own dissent from Vatican instructions, i.e., his refusal to implement Canon Law 915 which is unequivocal in its demand to deny communion to those in persistent grave manifest public sin. And yet Wuerl happily subjects Jesus Christ to sacrilege because doing what Church Law says isn't his "style."

Cardinal Wuerl spins a web in his blog post with lots of nice words. He even implies that he supports encyclicals like Humanae Vitae, but his priests better never preach on that or same sex marriage. A priest friend of mine got the "tone-it-down" call from the chancery after one brave bulletin letter about same sex marriage. Wuerl is the spider at the center of a web of hypocrisy. And if anyone is a dissenter it's himself. He punishes good priests like Fr. Marcel Guarnizo and embraces heretics like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden.

Pray for him. With bishops like this in powerful positions, it's not hard to figure out why the Church is in such a mess! He has been an ambitious man since ordination and his "style" has helped to elevate him in the eyes of the world. Whether that corresponds to his status in God's eyes is another matter. For a history of his rise to the top read this article.

So Who Are You Rooting for in Iowa this Week?

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

The primary/caucus season is upon us with the first event in Iowa only a few days away followed a week later by New Hampshire.  This may be the most important election we've ever faced as a nation. It's clear we are self-destructing. If things aren't turned around, the country founded under God on the principle that "all men...are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights" may completely disappear. It's already well on the way. Of course, no man is our savior except Jesus Christ, but a godly man after the heart of God can be a leader who fosters and encourages reform.

There is something else about this election that is unique. The man who steps into the oval office after his inauguration will be serving his first year during the 100th anniversary year of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima, Portugal. She promised to protect that country and preserve the faith there forever.

Superman (er...Bill Donohue) Coming to Cardinal Wuerl's Rescue!

Bill Donohue has come out swinging at those criticizing Cardinal Wuerl and his $43 Million penthouse on Embassy Row. (See here.) In his article Donohue attacks George Neumayr who called Wuerl our own "bishop of bling" and says this about Christine Niles of ChurchMilitantTV:

Christine Niles...says "today’s archbishop of Washington owns a penthouse in a complex valued at $43 million." That is a lie. He owns not a centimeter of his third-floor "penthouse," an apartment that sits atop Our Lady Queen of the Americas parish. Like bishops all over the world, he resides in a spot that was specifically designed for the local Ordinary. There is nothing scandalous about this Church patrimony.

Ditto Ed Peters' Remarks: "God Bless Fr. LaCuesta!"

Despite having cancer at 39, caring for both my parents on their deathbeds, sitting beside my father-in-law at the moment of his death and dealing with serious situations with my children, I never really knew the depth of suffering until my grandson committed suicide on May 2nd.

The pain and grief defy description, so my heart goes out to the Hullibarger family who are grieving over Maison's suicide. But the media attack on their pastor, Fr. Don LaCuesta, for his funeral homily beginning with Fr. James Martin's ignorant tirade is a disgrace. And I'm disappointed in the Archbishop's decision to punish this priest instead of standing by him. It reminds me of Cardinal Wuerl punishing Fr. Marcel Guarnizo for refusing Communion to a lesbian Buddhist at her mom's funeral.