A Liberal Democrat MP was denounced by his Roman Catholic priest before his congregation and banned from communion after voting in favour of the assisted dying bill.
Chris Coghlan, the MP for Dorking and Horley, described his treatment as “outrageous”. He has complained to Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
In the days before the vote, Coghlan was contacted by his local priest, Father Ian Vane, who suggested a vote in favour would be “obstinately persevering” in sin and that Coghlan would be refused communion if he did so.
Vane, the priest at Coghlan’s local church, St Joseph’s Catholic church in Dorking, Surrey, wrote: “As priests, we are custodians of the sacraments.”
Writing in The Observer Coghlan said: “Although he made no reference to it, this priest is also well aware that he is responsible for signing off my children’s education forms for the Catholic state school they attend.”
Despite the threat, Coghlan supported the bill, which was passed in the House of Commons on 20 June with a majority of 23 MPs.
Two days after the vote, Vane told the congregation at the 8am mass that the MP would be refused communion because of the way he had voted. He repeated the announcement at the 10am mass, which typically attracts a congregation of more than 150 parishioners. Coghlan did not attend either of these services.
“It is completely inappropriate,” Coghlan told The Observer. “It undermines the legitimacy of religious institutions in this country if representatives think it is acceptable to try to coerce members of parliament.”
Coghlan said he was moved by messages of support from constituents who had been in church when Vane denounced him. He added that he knew other MPs of faith who had been put under pressure prior to the assisted dying vote.
Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP who introduced the assisted dying bill, said: “Religious leaders and people of faith have every right to communicate their views to their MPs and to parliament as a whole, but this is totally unacceptable. Chris Coghlan was very brave and principled to resist that pressure.”
Last year, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster and head of the Catholic church in England and Wales, issued a pastoral letter on assisted dying for the churches in his diocese, calling on people to write to their MPs to oppose the bill.
Justin Welby, the former Archbishop of Canterbury who led the Church of England until his resignation in January, and Ephraim Mirvis, the chief rabbi, have both also expressed their opposition to the legislation.
In 2021, the Vatican warned bishops in the US against denying communion to politicians who support abortion rights. Antonio Spadaro, a Vatican official, said: “The concern in the Vatican is not to use access to the Eucharist as a political weapon.”
Vane is an experienced priest, who served for more than a decade at St Charles Borromeo church in Worthing. He is a relative newcomer to St Joseph’s where he has a reputation for his strict interpretation of scripture.
When approached about the incident, Vane declined to comment and directed inquiries to the Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton.
In a statement, the diocese said: “The recent vote on the assisted dying bill was a complex one for all involved and while many in our society are deeply saddened by the result, we recognise the difficult task faced by MPs in seeking to represent their constituents.
“The Catholic church believes in the sanctity of life and the dignity of every person. Prior to the vote, Bishop Richard Moth encouraged members of clergy and lay faithful to write to their MPs in a private capacity to express their concerns about the bill, and to ask them to vote against the proposed legislation.
“Bishop Richard spoke to Mr Coghlan earlier this week and has offered to meet him in person to discuss the issues and concerns raised. Our prayers remain with all those impacted by the passing of this bill, and the peers in the House of Lords who are engaged in the next stage of this debate.”
