In an age when politics often seems detached from eternal truths, a quiet but powerful drama recently unfolded at London’s Brompton Oratory—one that speaks directly to the hearts of Catholic professionals seeking to shape society with Gospel values.
Provost Father Julian Large, addressing the congregation during a Sunday Mass at the renowned Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, issued a heartfelt plea to Catholic Members of Parliament: those who voted in favor of abortion up to birth or assisted suicide should not present themselves for Holy Communion unless they first repent and seek absolution.
The context was recent controversy surrounding Liberal Democrat MP Chris Coghlan, a self-professed Catholic who voted in favor of the Terminally Ill Adults Bill—legislation to legalize assisted suicide. Prior to the vote, Coghlan had been warned by his parish priest, Father Ian Vane, that such a vote would constitute grave moral wrongdoing and, if carried through without repentance, would result in denial of Communion.
After the vote, Father Vane followed through. At Mass following the Westminster vote, he announced publicly that Coghlan had broken canon law and would be denied Communion. In response, Coghlan took to social media and the press, claiming coercion and lamenting the Church’s stance as excluding those who do not “subscribe to all of it.”
But the incident, far from being a mere clash between a politician and his priest, highlights a deeper issue: the role of Catholics in public life and the responsibility of the Church to shepherd souls with both truth and charity.
Father Large, in his July 6 homily, praised Father Vane’s moral clarity and pastoral courage. While acknowledging he did not know the identities of MPs who voted for these grave bills, he made a general plea: that any Catholic who has committed public acts contrary to Church teaching must seek reconciliation before approaching the altar. To receive the Eucharist unworthily, especially in public defiance of Church doctrine, is not only spiritually dangerous for the individual—it confuses the faithful and weakens the Church’s moral witness in society.
For Catholic professionals, this moment offers an important reflection. Authentic leadership, especially in civic life, cannot separate itself from the moral teachings of the Church. Representing constituents does not exempt one from the moral law—especially when the issues at hand are literally life and death.
Moreover, Father Large’s message was not only for public officials. He extended his concern to all Catholics, urging a renewed reverence for the Eucharist. He lamented the lack of piety and seriousness at First Communion Masses, observing how some adults—many educated in Catholic institutions—treat sacred liturgies with casual disregard, as if attending a social event.
“Judging by the comportment of many adults in church at the First Holy Communion Masses,” he noted in a parish newsletter, “it seems that in many cases it will be down to the children to set a good example to the grown-ups.”
This call for deeper reverence, integrity, and interior conversion should stir every Catholic engaged in the public square. Our faith is not private—it is personal, yes, but never private. The witness of our lives must be coherent. If we are to be salt and light in the world, we must live what we profess, in our families, workplaces, and civic responsibilities.
The Brompton Oratory, a beacon of Catholic renewal in the United Kingdom, is attracting thousands of young people precisely because of its clarity, beauty, and unwavering fidelity to the Gospel. The challenge for all of us is whether we will follow that same path—one that refuses to separate faith from life, that embraces truth even when it costs, and that sees leadership as a sacred duty to serve both God and neighbor.
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