*The Archdiocese of Washington has issued an apology after a Maryland manic priest kicked a mourning family out of his church during a funeral and then proceeded to call the cops on them.
According to Fox5, the altercation happened at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Charlotte Hall, Maryland on Tuesday, when Reverend Michael Briese blew up at the family.
Hundreds were gathered to mourn the death of 54-year-old Agnes Hicks when someone knocked over and damaged the church’s sacred golden chalice as they went in for a hug near the altar.
“That’s when all hell broke loose. He literally got on the mic and said, ‘There will be no funeral, there will be no mass, everyone get the hell out of my church,’” recalled Shanice Chisely, the daughter of Hicks. “He disrespected our family, he disrespected my mother. He called my mother ‘a thing.’ He said, ‘Get this thing out of my church! Everyone get the hell out of my church!’ It was very sad. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
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According to the family, when they exited the church with the casket they found police waiting for them.
“Bad enough we had to bury our own mother yesterday but for you to say she’s a ‘thing’ and there will be no funeral. You’re not a preacher. You’re not a pastor. You’re not a father of the Lord. You’re not any of that. You’re the devil,” said Renetta Baker, another of Hicks’ daughters.
Responding police found the family had done nothing wrong and escorted them to a funeral home in a different county where another pastor finished the service.
In a statement the Archdiocese said, “What occurred at St. Mary’s Parish this morning does not reflect the Catholic Church’s fundamental calling to respect and uplift the God-given dignity of every person nor does that incident represent the pastoral approach the priests of the Archdiocese of Washington commit to undertake every day in their ministry.”
Watch the Fox5 report via the clip above.
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