Last Edited: Wednesday, 09 Jul 2008, 4:55 PM EDT
Created: Wednesday, 09 Jul 2008, 2:19 PM EDT
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MyFoxOrlando / FOX 35 NEWS
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. --
A University of Central Florida student claims he's getting death threats for messing with something sacred.
Video: UCF Student Gets Death Threats (MyFoxOrlando).
Webster Cook says he smuggled a Eucharist, a small bread wafer that to Catholics symbolic of the Body of Christ after a priest blesses it, out of mass, didn't eat it as is custom, but instead walked with it. Once blessed, the piece of bread is viewed by Catholics as the true Body of Christ. (More on Transubstantiation)
Cook's friend, who didn't want to show his face, said he took the Eucharist, to show him what it meant to Catholics.
Cook gave the wafer back, but the Catholic League, a national watchdog organization for Catholic rights claims that is not enough.
"We don't know 100% what Mr. Cook's motivation was," said Susan Fani a spokesperson with the local Catholic diocese. "However, if anything were to qualify as a hate crime, to us this seems like this might be it."
"We just expect the University to take this seriously," she added "To send a message to not just Mr. Cook but the whole community that this kind of really complete sacrilege will not be tolerated."
Cook just wants all of this to go away. Especially now that he feels his life is in danger.
University officials said Cook is not in trouble. Individuals or group can file a formal complaint with the University through the student judicial system, officials said.