Michigan Catholic priest refuses communion to married lesbian judge over 'public contradiction of its beliefs by its own members'
A Catholic priest from Michigan has reportedly denied communion to a married lesbian parishioner, telling her she is barred from receiving the Eucharist, an important rite for Christians. The priest, identified as Rev. Scott Nolan, recently told Kent County District Court Judge Sara Smolenski, a lifelong Catholic, that she will not be given communion at his St. Stephen Catholic Church.
Nolan's decision was backed by the Diocese of Grand Rapids on Wednesday, which said that "inclusion and acceptance" in its parishes is based on an individual's respect for the "teachings and practice of the wider Catholic community."
"No community of faith can sustain the public contradiction of its beliefs by its own members," the diocese, in a statement, said. "This is especially so on matters as central to Catholic life as marriage, which the Church has always held, and continues to hold, as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman."
Smolenski, whose family has had a long history with the East Gand Rapids parish, said that St. Stephen church “helped form my faith."
She said that her parents married at the church, she was baptized there and attended the parish school along with her siblings as a child. She even donated $7,000 recently to the church's building fund.
“My faith is a huge part of who I am, but it is the church that made that faith, the very church where he is taking a stance and saying ho-ho, not you,” the 62-year-old judge said while talking to local NBC affiliate WOOD-TV 8. She reportedly married her longtime partner in a civil ceremony in 2016.
Smolenski told Michigan Live that as an elected official, she has never been secretive about her sexuality and her marriage was even covered by local media. She added that she was never denied communion before the recent incident. The judge added that the same priest, Nolan, had offered her the rite on November 17.
The 62-year-old said that she received a phone call from Nolan about the new rule implemented by the church on November 23. It is not yet clear what prompted the church to make the changes.
Meanwhile, Nolan told WOOD-TV that he did not want his conversations with parishioners to be made public. He also denied being discriminatory against the LGBTQ community and added that his Catholic church teachings did not leave him any choice but to deny Smolenski communion.
"To me, this is also a cause of great sadness in my own life as a priest," Nolan said.
A professor at Manhattan College who studies Catholic ecclesiology, Natalia Imperatori-Lee, while talking to the HuffPost said, that she believes denying the Eucharist to a Christian is a "very violent act," saying the ritual is central to Catholic life.