Can a priest refuse to offer Communion to a parishioner?

[hmckinley]

At a Mass recently, the priest refused to offer Communion to a parishioner. This parishioner has a reputation for troublemaking and can be downright hostile. She and the priest had had a number of heated run-ins over parish operations and finances.

The priest told her before the Mass in question that he would not offer her Communion any longer. During Communion, the parishioner got into the priest’s line for distribution of Communion (ignoring three other Communion lines) to force a confrontation. The priest stepped around the parishioner who refused to move when refused Communion and continued offering Communion to the other faithful.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

There are indeed circumstances under which a priest can refuse to give Communion to someone (e.g., a non-Catholic, a public advocate of immoral behavior), but the circumstances you describe do not constitute just cause for the priest to deny this parishioner Communion. While it would have been better for the parishioner not to have caused a public scene, the priest does not have the right under these circumstances – which basically boil down to a feud and a personality conflict with a parishioner – to deny this person Communion. She has the right to report the situation to her local bishop. If she needs help in resolving the situation, I suggest that she contact the St. Joseph Foundation.