Florida priest accused of biting woman who grabbed Holy Communion wafers during Mass

ST. CLOUD, Fla. (AP) — The Diocese of Orlando is defending a Catholic priest accused of biting a woman who tried to grab Holy Communion wafers during Mass at a central Florida church. The confrontation occurred Sunday afternoon at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in St. Cloud. Police have forwarded a report to prosecutors accusing Father Fidel Rodriguez of misdemeanor battery. No formal charges have been filed, and the priest wasn’t arrested. The diocese said in a statement that it doesn’t condone physical altercations, but Rodriguez was simply attempting to prevent an act of desecration, which he is bound by duty to protect.