John Shore provides "the rest of the story" on the notorious case of the Maryland woman denied Communion at her mother's funeral last week. When she stepped up to receive, Father Marcel Guarnizo refused, saying I cannot give you communion, because you live with a woman. And that is a sin according to the church. He left the church when she rose to give her mother's eulogy, and refused to accompany the mourners to the cemetery for the graveside rite.Shore is clear about his own stance:

And if you know me, you know I dont exactly have a problem with denouncing aspects of religion and/or theology that in any way promulgate the condemnation of LGBT people.

But Shore goes on to describe numerous immediate acts of kindness by others. A lay Eucharistic minister DID give her Communion on the spot. The funeral director found a priest who would go to the cemetery. And the Archdiocese commented publicly, too, saying "When questions arise about whether or not an individual should present themselves for communion, it is not the policy of the Archdiocese of Washington to publicly reprimand the person," saying it will handle the incident as a personnel matter. Shore concludes:

So then let us not fail to appreciate that in this matter, for this family, on this hallowed occasion, it was their religion, and their fellow adherents to that religion, that provided the peace, succor, and communion that served to bless all present.

It is easy, in situations like this, to see the priest's action as that of "the Church." In fact, however, the Catholic Church in the US includes any number of paradoxes of Catholicity. It's hard for me to see Fr. Guarnizo's action as anything other than one of cruel humiliation of a grieving daughter. (For example, he had met with her that morning, and could easily have asked her then not to receive.) But when the Church's minister failed in basic Christian compassion, then "the Church"--laity, other clergy and magisterium together in this case--stepped up.