(Reuters) - A lesbian woman from the nation's capital wants a Catholic priest relieved of his duties after he denied her communion at her mother's Maryland funeral because she lives with another woman, she said on Wednesday.

The local archdiocese has apologized for the actions of Father Marcel Guarnizo, but Barbara Johnson, who is gay and lives with her lesbian partner, said that was not enough.

Guarnizo officiated at a funeral mass for Loetta Johnson on Saturday at Saint John Neumann Catholic Church in Gaithersburg, about 25 miles northwest of Washington. He told attendees that only church members in a "state of grace" would be allowed to receive communion, Johnson said.

Johnson said that when she approached, the priest covered the communion chalice with his hand, "looked me in the eye and said 'I cannot give you communion because you live with a woman.'"