From The Catholic Herald. (photo credit: David Iliff / Wiki Creative Commons)
The Very Reverend Julian Large has pleaded, in fraternal charity, with MPs who voted in favour of either abortion up until birth or assisted suicide not to present themselves to receive Holy Communion.
Fr Large is Provost of the Brompton Oratory in London, a community of 10 priests who are part of the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri.
According to a source close to the Herald, during his Sunday homily at the church in the Diocese of Westminster, London, he reflected on the recent example of an MP who had voted in favour of both abortion up until birth and assisted suicide, and who was told by his parish priest that he must not receive Communion unless he had repented.
He was referring to Chris Coghlan, the Liberal Democrat MP for Dorking and Horley in Surrey, who backed a Crime and Policing Bill amendment on June 17 that decriminalised abortion up until birth, and the Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which seeks to roll out assisted suicide across England and Wales.
Mr Coghlan said Father Ian Vane, the priest at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dorking, wrote to him before the votes and then, last week, told people attending Mass that he would be refusing him Communion.
Fr Large commended the priest for his courage and charity in calling the MP to repentance.