Priest Bites Woman During An Altercation Over Holy Communion

• According to an eyewitness, the priest tried to shove the sacrament in the female congregant's mouth on Sunday, May 24
• The church, however, gave a different story, saying that the woman attempted to grab the bowl that had the sacraments and began crushing them
• The priest has not been charged yet as it is not clear if the woman sustained serious injuries after being bit

A priest allegedly refused to give a woman communion and bit her in an effort to "protect" a sacrament representing the body of Christ.

The incident between the priest and the female congregant began around 10 am on Sunday during Mass when a woman joined the communion line and appeared unaware of the proper procedure.

What caused the altercation, according to the church?

According to a statement seen by Metro, an American media outlet, the diocese to which the priest was attached said that the father offered the woman a sacrament on the tongue, something she might have been uncomfortable with.

This prompted the woman to forcefully place her hand in the bowl containing the sacraments and begin crushing them. The father tried to push the woman away but to no avail. He then resorted to biting her hand so she would stop crushing the sacraments.

He then asked the woman to leave the church.

The Diocese defended the father by saying that he was performing his duties of protecting the holy communion.

"While the Diocese of Orlando does not condone physical altercations such as this, in good faith, Father Rodriguez was simply attempting to prevent an act of desecration of the Holy Communion, which, as a priest, Father Rodriguez is bound by duty to protect,” the statement read in part.

What did the eyewitnesses say?

While speaking to Metro, an eyewitness said the unidentified woman tried to take communion but was denied, something that did not sit right with her.

She added that the woman may have been denied communion because of her dressing and sexuality.

The witness further stated that the priest attempted to shove the sacrament into the woman’s mouth, but when she backed away and tried to take it from him, he became angry thus biting her hand.

Has the priest been charged?

Authorities have not charged the priest with any crimes yet, though he could face charges pending the investigation.

Officials have not provided any details on the injuries the woman may have sustained during the altercation.

Fight breaks out in church

Earlier, there was drama at a church after two members of the congregation decided to get physical while the preacher hammered the gospel.

Footage of the melee depicts one man approaching another sitting in the front row and starting to swing.

The seated man stands up and they start trading blows and move out of the camera's view. The preacher unsuccessfully tries to bring back normalcy, as the two do not heed his calls.

The preacher later said that the man in the white t-shirt had just returned from rehab before attacking a youth pastor seated at the front.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke