What if all Catholics routinely displayed the integrity of Barbara Johnson? As Mary Hunt noted yesterday, when attempting to celebrate Mass at her mother’s funeral service, Johnson, who is openly gay, was denied the Eucharist on account of her cohabitation with her partner. How did the priest know about her intimate life? Because she told him so.
What’s remarkable about Barbara Johnson’s experience is not that she was denied a sacrament because of her romantic inclinations, but that she made an effort to make those inclinations—clearly regarded as immoral by the Church—known to the clergyman officiating that day. She took a risk by being honest.
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