Colm Burke, a Fine Gael TD and State Minister, has been denied communion by a priest at a constituent’s funeral in County Cork due to his support of the Eighth Amendment’s repeal. Confirming the denial of the communion to Mr Burke at an elderly local man’s funeral mass in St Patrick’s Church, Whitechurch, was Fr Gabriel Burke of the Blarney parish. He cited Mr Burke’s “support for abortion” as the reason.
Fr Burke highlighted that Mr Burke had previously supported abortion by voting in favour and was aware of the Catholic Church’s teachings. He said that a clear message had been given by Archbishop Eamon Martin prior to the 2013 abortion vote that politicians voting for abortion were effectively ‘collaborating with evil’. They should therefore not approach for communion, and this was known to Colm Burke, having previously been denied communion on two occasions.
Colm Burke concurred that he had been denied communion because of his stance on abortion, and was also informed by Fr Burke about his excommunication. He explained that an episode transpired during a funeral Mass he attended in Whitechurch of a long-time acquaintance and Fine Gael member.
After being told ‘You have been excommunicated’, Mr Burke sought guidance from the Cloyne Diocesan Office regarding his eligibility to participate in the Diocese’s future church ceremonies. Despite being unaware of Archbishop Martin’s pronouncement before the Dáil’s decision, he still feels that Fr Burke’s interpretation – that politicians supporting the repeal of the Eighth Amendment are ineligible for communion – is incorrect.
In the original text, the assertion was made that no political figure should be entitled to receive Holy Communion. Also noted was the fact that this was a democratic decision, with a referendum held on the subject that led to a majority vote in favour of revoking the legislation.
Mr Burke, moreover, stressed the importance of bearing in mind that there’s a bereaved family grappling with a loss. He insists that such grave incidents ought not to detract from the sanctity of the funeral mass.
In response to Fr Burke’s insinuation that his choice to seek communion from him, as opposed to other priests, was a deliberate act aimed at causing drama, Mr Burke retorted that he simply approached the altar from the right side because that’s where he had taken a seat upon arriving at the church.
The Diocese of Cloyne spokesman, Fr Jim Moore, when approached by The Irish Times, corroborated that Mr Burke had indeed reached out for a clearer explanation on the situation from Bishop William Crean. He further affirmed that Bishop Crean intends to connect with Mr Burke in the coming week.