A Spanish mayor, who is openly gay, alleges he was prohibited from receiving Holy Communion by the local priest due to his sexual orientation and cohabitation with his partner.
Rubén García de Andrés is mayor of Torrecaballeros, near Segovia. He represents the Socialist party and identifies as a practicing Catholic. The Telegraph reports that he had been a lay reader – but insists the role was taken away from him for the same reasons that he was denied communion.
Sharing his experience on social media platform X, he said:
“Just on the day that the diocese says goodbye to the one who has been ‘our’ Bishop, the parish priest of Torrecaballeros informs me that I am prohibited from receiving Holy Communion.
“Why? Because of my sexual orientation and living with my partner.”
😡Dicen que las coincidencias no existen... O sí... Justo en el día en el que la diócesis dice adiós al que ha sido "nuestro" Obispo, el párroco de Torrecaballeros me comunica que se me prohíbe recibir la Sagrada Comunión.
— RubénGarcíadeAndrés🌹🌹🌾🌈🇪🇦🌈 (@rgarciadeandres) January 11, 2025
¿Por qué?: por mi condición sexual y vivir con mi…
The situation has escalated to involve the Segovia branch of Spain's Socialist party, which has called upon the Church authorities to intervene and reverse the priest’s decision.
José Luis Aceves, the party leader in Segovia, expressed a desire to avoid legal action but did not rule out the possibility of pursuing a hate crime charge.
Jesús Vidal Chamorro is the newly appointed bishop of Segovia.
The Segovian diocese issued a statement explaining that the decision was in line with Catholic Church canons that apply to any couple "living together outside wedlock", including heterosexual couples.
“This is not homophobia or discrimination, since communion is not denied on the basis of homosexuality, but rather to defend the sacred character of the Eucharist,” the statement reads.
The diocese clarified that the measure was not rooted in homophobia but aimed at preserving the "sacred character of the Eucharist".
García de Andrés pointed out that this stance seemed conditional upon whether an individual was discreet about their lifestyle or actively pursued a path of "conversion".
Speaking on his removal as a lay reader, he said: “This decision causes pain, great pain, and it affects my family and my people.
“I can forgive the pain inflicted on me but not against my family, that institution [the Church] claims to defend.”