A priest has been arrested for allegedly biting a woman during a communion service at St. Thomas Aquinas in St. Cloud. The St. Cloud Police Department arrested Father Fidel after an altercation occurred during Mass.
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The incident occurred around 1:20 p.m. when the woman attended the service to participate in her niece’s communion. When she approached to receive the bread, the priest allegedly refused to give it to her, claiming she didn’t complete the required steps. According to PEOPLE, the woman said she followed the steps during the ceremony and was “now accepted by God.” Father Fidel allegedly tried to place the bread in her mouth forcefully.
When the woman attempted to grab another piece, the priest grabbed her arm and bit her, according to the arrest affidavit. A witness told police Father Fidel “went crazy” after the woman ate the first piece of bread. Police bodycam footage also showed the priest explaining that the woman had attended an earlier Mass but did not understand the communion process. He reportedly instructed her on the necessary steps, which he claimed she didn’t complete.
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“I bit her. I am not denying that. I was defending myself and the sacrament,” he confessed in the video. Father Fidel also stated that he acted in self-defense after denying communion because she pushed him and tried to grab the tray of bread.
“He advised that she pushed him and would not let go of the Communion tray, and the only way he thought to extract her from it was to bite her arm,”
The unidentified woman accused Father Fidel of discriminating against her due to her sexuality and clothing. In the police footage, she claimed he wouldn’t give her the communion cookie and wasn’t sure if it was because of her appearance.
It will be determined if Father Fidel will face battery charges.
