British RCC priest denies MP holy communion over support for euthanasia

MP banned from holy communion. Photo: BBC

Liberal Democrat MP was denounced by his Roman Catholic priest before his congregation and banned from the Eucharist after voting in favor of the assisted dying bill.

Father Ian Vane, pastor of the local Catholic church, had warned Liberal Democrat MP Chris Coghlan before the vote that supporting the bill would be "obstinately persevering" in sin and threatened to deny him holy communion.

Two days after the vote, the priest announced at Sunday Mass, in front of about 150 parishioners, that Chris Coghlan would be barred from receiving communion "because of the way he had voted.”

The MP called the priest’s actions “outrageous” and filed a formal complaint with Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. On social media, Coghlan said: “It undermines the legitimacy of religious institutions in this country if representatives think it is acceptable to try to coerce members of parliament.”

He also criticized the situation as inappropriate, pointing out that this very priest signs the paperwork for his children’s admission to the Catholic school.

Bishop Richard Moth had previously urged Catholics in his diocese to lobby MPs to vote against the euthanasia bill. In a pastoral letter, he warned that the law would put pressure on the most vulnerable members of society, especially the elderly and disabled.

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool expressed his “shock and disappointment” over the bill’s progress and warned of a shift in healthcare culture.

The bill already passed its first reading in the House of Lords on 23 June 2025. The second reading, where peers will debate its main principles, is expected in July or September.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Pope had urged Britons and Irish people to reject euthanasia.

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