#BreakingNews Priest Bites a Woman to Prevent Eucharistic Desecration after She Grabbed Communion Hosts during Mass and the Priest is Charged by Police - VIDEO

On Sunday, May 19, at the 10 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud, a woman came through Father Fidel Rodriguez’s Holy Communion line and appeared unaware of the proper procedure. (SEE VIDEO at Bottom) After a brief exchange with the woman, it was determined that she was neither prepared nor disposed to participate in Communion. Father Rodriguez gave the woman a blessing and advised her to receive the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) before coming back to receive Holy Communion (Eucharist). The same woman arrived at 12 p.m. Mass on Sunday and stood in Father Rodriguez’s Communion line. Father Rodriguez asked if she had been to the Sacrament of Penance (Confession), to which she stated it was not his business. At that time, Father Rodriguez offered the woman Holy Communion on the tongue. At that point, the woman forcefully placed her hand in the vessel and grabbed some sacred Communion hosts, crushing them. Having only one hand free, Father Rodriguez struggled to restrain the woman as she refused to let go of the hosts. When the woman pushed him and reacting to a perceived act of aggression, Father Rodriguez bit her hand so she would let go of the hosts she grabbed. The woman was immediately asked to leave.
It should be noted Father Rodriguez had no prior knowledge of the woman’s background. Further, 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 full video and the police report show the woman initiated physical contact and acted inappropriately. The priest was trying to protect the Holy Communion from this sacrilegious act.
In the Catholic Tradition, the Eucharist is considered “the source and summit” of worship and faith. The act of participation in Holy Communion therefore calls for a proper understanding, reverence, and devotion. It is not something a person can arbitrarily demand and is certainly not a mere “cookie” as the complainant called it.
The Diocese of Orlando believes all people of all faiths should be respected and that their religious ceremonies or services should never be disrupted.
NOTE: There will be no comment on the campus of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud. We kindly ask all members of the media to remain off property.
News Alert: Diocese of Orlando Statement, St. Thomas Aquinas Church

Fr. Fidel is a native of Cuba and 66 years old. - the above is the FULL TEXT Statement from the Church's FB Page

Police in St. Cloud, Florida, have charged Rodriguez with one count of batter from the incident, which took place during the noon Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. “I just wanted a cookie. That’s all,” the woman told police, according to body camera video.

St. Cloud police arrived Sunday afternoon at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church to speak with Father Fidel Rodriguez, who admitted he bit the woman.According to the police report, the woman accused Rodriguez of discriminating against her “based on her sexuality and attire,” which Rodriguez denied. Rather, he added, she was denied because she appeared unfamiliar with the procedure. “You can be gay or homosexual or trans, whatever you want — I’m not judging for appearances,” Rodriguez told police, according to body camera video. “If they know how to do the things, I can give them Communion.”  “The full video and the police report show the woman initiated physical contact and acted inappropriately. The priest was trying to protect the Holy Communion from this sacrilegious act.”
with information from The Orlando Sentinel and the Parish Website

The Video of the actual altercation was deleted but the woman can be seen coming to the earlier Mass below: the LIVE Video from the Church from the woman's 1st attempt to receive Communion at Mass

SEE Video of the 1st attempt : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTuCThReFr8&t=3480s