LONDON (LifeSiteNews) — Thirteen Members of Parliament who identify as Catholic voted last month in favor of legislation to legalize abortion up to birth or assisted suicide, prompting one priest to deny Communion to a local MP in accordance with canon law.
The votes, held shortly before the feast of Corpus Christi, included support for the “End of Life” bill, which would legalize euthanasia in Britain for the first time.
Voice of the Family, a UK-based Catholic coalition, launched a new prayer and action campaign on behalf of bishops who continue to admit pro-abortion politicians to Communion.
Among the politicians named were Labour MPs Dan Aldridge, Kevin Bonavia, and Pat McFadden, who voted for both measures. Also listed was Dr. Ben Spencer, a Conservative MP who voted to decriminalize abortion up to birth.
The most prominent case is Liberal Democrat MP Chris Coghlan. Days before the vote, his parish priest, Father Ian Vane of St. Joseph’s in Dorking, warned that a vote for assisted suicide would constitute obstinate perseverance in grave sin and would result in denial of Holy Communion. After the vote, Vane publicly informed parishioners at Sunday Mass that Coghlan would not be admitted to Communion.
Coghlan condemned the move, threatened to leave the Catholic Church, and later claimed that the diocesan bishop disavowed the priest’s actions.
Meanwhile, Father Julian Large, Provost of the Brompton Oratory – one of London’s most prominent Catholic churches – issued a similar warning in his parish bulletin, calling on Catholic politicians to examine their consciences before approaching the altar.
Fr. Julian Large, Provost of the London Oratory, has pleaded with any MPs attending Mass not to approach the altar rail for Holy Communion if they recently voted to legalise assisted suicide or to decriminalise abortion up to birth. pic.twitter.com/G8dBKjTiLq
— Georgia Leigha Gilholy (@llggeorgia) July 6, 2025
Canon law expert Cardinal Raymond Burke has publicly affirmed that such action is not only justified but obligatory under Canon 915, which states that those who “obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”
Voice of the Family is encouraging Catholics worldwide to write to Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton in support of Vane and to urge their own bishops to uphold Church law. The address given is [email protected].
