Internal guidelines from the Catholic diocese in Madison, Wisconsin, reveal that gay people in same-sex relationships can be denied church funerals to avoid "scandal or confusion." The concern, is that others might believe the Church accepts gay marriage.

A memo from Vicar James Bartylla regarding "Consideration of Funeral Rites for a Person in a Homosexual Civil or Notorious Union" was sent to priests of the diocese as part of a weekly email. It was posted on the blog Pray Tell, and included several questions, including whether the deceased or their surviving partner was "a promoter of the 'gay' lifestyle" and "did the deceased give some signs of repentance before death?"

The directive also maintain that a surviving spouse or partner "should not have any public or prominent role at any ecclesiastical funeral rite or service... There should be no mention of the 'partner' [quotes theirs] either by name or by other reference (nor reference to the unnatural union) in any liturgical booklet, prayer card, homily, sermon, talk by the priest, deacon, etc."

And forget about an obituary.

A great risk for scandal and confusion is for the name of the celebrating priest and/or the parish to be listed in any public (e.g., newspaper) or semi-public obituary or notice that also lists the predeceased or surviving “partner” in some manner.

"This can’t happen for obvious reasons," the document adds.

The diocese’s communications director told HuffPost that the email "was not an official diocesan policy [but] it does conform with the mind of the bishop and meet his approval."

While deeply troubling, the memo follows similar directives elsewhere in the country: In June, Illinois Bishop Thomas Paprocki directed priests that anyone in a same-sex marriage should be denied Communion, last rites and a Catholic funeral unless they denounced their marriage.

And an Indiana man was prohibited from singing at his grandmother's funeral last year because he was gay. Father Bob Lengerich told Conor Hakes he had a responsibility to address “issues that could scandalize our community.”