 |
| Marcel Strigberger |
A lady recently attended St. Thomas Aquinas Church in St. Cloud, Fla., for a mass service. When she lined up to receive Holy Communion (i.e. the Eucharist wafer), the priest, a Father Fidel Rodriguez, noticed she was unaware of the procedure, and he told her to go to confession before returning. She returned for a subsequent mass that day, and when Father Fidel asked if she had gone to confession, she replied that it was “not your business.” An altercation ensued when the woman grabbed a handful of wafers from the bowel, crushing some of them. The priest in the course of trying to prevent her from causing further damage, bit her on the hand.
She bolted and reported the incident to police, who may be charging the clergyman with battery.
The Diocese of Orlando, though not condoning physical violence, does say the priest acted in good faith in order to avoid a desecration of the Holy Communion that he is bound to protect.
If this matter does go further, I wonder if the trial would go before a jury. But if it does, can the priest end up getting a jury of his peers? Jury selection would certainly be interesting. I can envisage the prosecution announcing, “We challenge prospective juror number 18, the guy with the black shirt and white collar.” No way, Jose.
And was the priest’s reaction a good argument of self-defence? Certainly plausible. After all, as the diocese notes, he was “protecting the Holy Communion from a sacrilegious act.”
The woman actually displayed her ignorance of the procedure in referring to the Eucharists as “cookies.” I would say she was the author of her own misfortune; the priest caught her with her hand in the Eucharist bowl.
I doubt she will go to confession. I can understand that she may be somewhat traumatized. I don’t really expect to find her in a confession booth and, to allay her anxieties, the attending priest says to her, “Relax my child. Tell me everything — I don’t bite.” Not going to happen.
The world may be mad but never dull. Which gets me to the cheese. Actually, it’s not cheddar — it’s Gloucester. Late May has seen the annual (since 1826) cheese-rolling competition near Gloucester, England. Thousands of spectators gather to watch competitors from all over the world roll a seven-pound wheel of Double Gloucester down Cooper’s Hill, a near vertical 200-yard incline. This event this fraught with danger as, in addition to being steep, the hill is often muddy. Most participants do go flying down forcefully.
I imagine they must all sign a release. How might that read?
“I fully understand that chasing after a seven-pound Double Gloucester down Cooper’s Hill is nuts. However, I hereby release from any and all liability the Municipality of Gloucester, the County of Gloucestershire and the makers of Double Gloucester cheese.”
These potential defendants cannot take chances.
The winner this year was Tom Kopke from Munich. He summed it all up saying, “England is mad. I love it.”
Actually, there is something to be said about traditional events. I grew up in Montreal, and we never had anything closely resembling the Gloucester cheese rolling competition. Not once did I see a group of enthusiasts running down the slopes of Mount Royal chasing bowls of poutine. Alas!
All this talk about food has gotten me a bit hungry. I think I’ll grab some cheese and cookies. Maybe I shouldn’t say grab. Wish me a bon appétit. Amen.
Marcel Strigberger retired from his Greater Toronto Area litigation practice and continues the more serious business of humorous author and speaker. For more vital musings on travel, check out his book Poutine on the Orient Express: An Irreverent Look at Travel, on Amazon (e-book) and in paper version. Visit www.marcelshumour.com. Follow him @MarcelsHumour. And FYI, expect the new book, First, Let’s Kill the Lawyer Jokes: An Attorney’s Irreverent Serious Look at the Legal Universe, to launch in the summer.
The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author’s firm, its clients, Law360 Canada, LexisNexis Canada or any of its or their respective affiliates. This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.
Interested in writing for us? To learn more about how you can add your voice to Law360 Canada, contact Analysis Editor Peter Carter at peter.carter@lexisnexis.ca or call 647-776-6740.