(CN) - A Satanist group has returned a consecrated host to the Archbishop of Oklahoma City, after the archbishop went to court to try to stop it from desecrating and destroying the host in a black mass.
The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley sued Adam Daniels and the Dakhma of Angra Mainyu Syndicate in Oklahoma County Court on Wednesday.
Catholics believe that consecrated hosts - small, unleavened wafers of bread - have undergone transubstantiation and are the blood and body of Jesus Christ.
Archbishop Coakley accused Daniels of possessing a consecrated host without authorization, which "must have been procured from the Catholic Church by theft, fraud, wrongful taking" by Daniels or a third party.
"Defendants describe what they plan to do with the consecrated host at the black mass: 'The consecrated host is corrupted by sexual fluids, then it becomes the sacrifice of the mass,'" the complaint stated. "Defendants also plan to stomp on the consecrated host during the black mass. According to the defendants' website, black masses can include 'nudity, public urination, and other sex acts' and have included '[f]orms of bestiality along with animal sacrifice.'"
Coakley sued to stop the desecration and destruction of the host at a black mass at Cityspace Theatre in Oklahoma City on Sept. 21. He demanded the immediate return of the stolen property.
On Thursday, Daniels agreed to return the host to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in exchange for dismissal of the lawsuit with prejudice, the archdiocese announced.
Daniels handed over the consecrated host and signed a statement that his group is no longer in possession of the item, nor will it use it in its rituals, the archdiocese said in a statement.
"I am relieved that we have been able to secure the return of the sacred Host, and that we have prevented its desecration as part of a planned satanic ritual," Coakley said. "I remain concerned about the dark powers that this satanic worship invites into our community and the spiritual danger that this poses to all who are involved in it, directly or indirectly."
Coakley's attorney, Michael Caspino with Busch Caspino in Irvine, Calif., said Thursday he had "no doubt" the court would respect Coakley's argument, "rooted in both canon and civil law," that all consecrated hosts belong to the Catholic Church.
"We stared down the devil and he blinked," Caspino said Thursday. "This is a tremendous victory for decency and respect for all religions. Any time anyone tries to desecrate this blessed property, we will be there to stop them."
The desecration or destruction of the property was going to be "a key part" of the black mass, Caspino said.
"Without this sacred property, a black mass has absolutely no significance, so this group will not be able to hold its satanic ritual as planned," he said.
The Satanist group did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Follow @davejourno
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