(LifeSiteNews) — A British MP who was denied Holy Communion for voting to legalize assisted suicide says his bishop does not support the decision, and has suggested the priest acted without his backing.
Liberal Democrat Chris Coghlan, who represents Dorking and Horley, told The Pillar that Bishop Richard Moth of Arundel and Brighton informed him “it is not the Church’s position to deny Holy Communion over this.”
“So to a certain extent,” Coghlan said, “the priest was acting on, I guess, his own initiative.”
Coghlan asserted that he spoke with Moth directly and that a meeting between them has been arranged.
READ: ‘Murderous act’: UK priest bars MP from Communion over assisted suicide vote
The denial of Holy Communion was announced publicly during Mass this past Sunday by Fr. Ian Vane, pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dorking, just two days after the House of Commons passed the “Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life)” Bill by 23 votes. Coghlan had supported the legislation in what was designated a conscience vote, meaning MPs were not required to vote along party lines. He was not present at either Mass.
Coghlan posted several messages to X criticizing Vane’s actions. In an interview, he called the public announcement “pretty horrific,” and accused Vane of “naming and shaming” him in front of families from his children’s school.
“I am here to represent my constituents,” he said, “not the Catholic Church.”
Coghlan described himself as having been “born into the Church, more on the liberal end,” and admitted to “serious doubts” about its teachings. Asked whether he would remain a Catholic, he replied that he would “see how [he is] feeling in a year’s time.”
The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton reportedly issued a statement affirming the Church’s opposition to assisted suicide but also noted the pressures faced by MPs. The diocese apparently did not publicly dispute Vane’s action, but emphasized that Moth had asked the faithful to write privately to their MPs before the vote.
READ: UK assisted suicide bill is even more dangerous than previously thought, gov’t data suggests
The controversy over Vane’s decision, which has been applauded by many Catholics on social media, recalls earlier disputes over Catholic politicians in the UK voting for legislation at odds with the Church’s teachings. In 2014, Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth suggested Holy Communion should be denied to Catholic MPs who voted for a same-sex “marriage” bill.
Conor Burns, a Conservative MP at the time, condemned Egan’s comments. The bishops’ conference later clarified that no such denial would be enforced.
The Church firmly teaches that support for assisted suicide is gravely immoral. Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law calls for Holy Communion to be withheld from those who are “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin.”
The bill now proceeds to the House of Lords, amid fears that it could force the closure of Catholic care homes and hospice facilities.
