A prominent London priest urged any MPs in his congregation on Sunday who had voted in favour of Assisted Dying and or legislation allowing abortion up until birth to repent via the Sacrament of Confession or else desist from receiving Communion.
The Very Reverend Julian Large, the Provost of Brompton Oratory in West London referred in his homily to Fr Ian Vane, who refused to give communion to a Catholic MP who voted in favour of a bill legalising assisted dying.
Vane, of St Joseph’s parish, Dorking, Surrey announced at three Masses he would deny communion to Chris Coghlan, the Liberal Democrat MP for Dorking and Horley, because he voted in favour of assisted dying.
Four days before the House of Commons voted on Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 20 June, Vane emailed Coghlan to say he would deny him communion should he become complicit in a “murderous act” by voting in favour of the bill. Such a vote would be “a clear contravention of the Church’s teaching”, wrote Vane.
On Sunday 6 July, Fr Julian Large commended Fr Vane for his courage and charity in urging Coghlan to repent. He said he did not recognise any of the names of the Catholic MPs who voted in favour of either of the bills and therefore would not be in any position to refuse them Communion.
However, he pleaded out of fraternal charity, that if any were present at Mass, they should repent of their sins and receive absolution in the sacrament of Penance before receiving Communion.
Large, who was awarded the OBE in 2024 for services to faith and integration, encouraged Catholics to reflect on whether they were receiving Communion worthily.
He said that Catholics should approach Holy Communion as though it were their first and their last.
Earlier this week, Coghlan spoke in The Times of a “public witch hunt” against Catholic politicians who had voted in favour of Assisted Dying or Abortion up until birth.
He said he knew 13 Catholic MPs who had done so. Coghlan added: “The Catholic press is pushing for them to be denied communion as well.”
He described Vane’s actions as “utterly disrespectful” to his “family, constituents, the congregation and the democratic process”.
He said Fr Vane had given First Holy Communion to his daughter.
Coghlan added: “But we’re not here as Catholic MPs, we’re here to represent our constituents … this is a clear attempt to meddle with the political process by the church.”