A Liberal Democrat MP has been restricted from receiving communion at his local catholic church following voting for the Assisted Dying Bill in parliament.
The MP for Dorking and Horley, Chris Coghlan, explained his treatment as “outrageous”. He has complained to Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
In the days before the vote, the local priest contacted the Coghlan. Father Ian Vane, the parish priest, has warned Coghlan that supporting the dying bill would build “obstinately persevering” in sin. Father also suggested to Coghlan that if he supported the bill, then he would be refused communion.
The priest of Coghlan’s local church, Vane, St. Joseph’s catholic Church in Dorking, Surrey, wrote that as priests, they are custodians of the sacraments.
Coghlan said that although he did not refer to that, this priest is also well aware that he is responsible for signing off on Coghlan’s children’s education forms for the catholic state school they attend.
Despite the warning, Coghlan still supported the bill in the parliament, which was passed in the House of Commons on 20 June, 2025. The bill was passed with a majority of 23 MPs.
Two days following the vote, Vane told the congregation during the 8 am mass that the MP would be refused communion. The cause of the refusal was the way Coghlan had voted. Vane repeated the announcement at 10 am mass again, which attracted a congregation of over 150 parishioners. Coghlan refused to attend either of these services.
Coghlan said to The Observer that it was completely inappropriate. This undermines the legitimacy of the religious institutions in the country. He also added that if the representatives think that it is acceptable to try to coerce members of parliament, it undermines the lawfulness of religious organisations.
Coghlan added that he was moved by messages of support from constituents who were present in church during Vane’s denouncement. He said that they are aware of other MPs’ faith who had been kept under pressure before the assisted dying vote.
The Labour MP, Kim Leadbeater, who introduced the bill, said that religious leaders and people of faith have every right to communicate their thoughts to their MPs and parliament. However, this is completely unacceptable. He added that Coghlan is very brave and principled to resist any pressure.
Before the vote, Bishop Richard Mott inspired the members of the clergy and be faithful to write to their MPs to express their concerns about the bill. Bishop also asked the members to vote against the proposed legislation.
Earlier this week, Bishop asked Mr Coghlan to meet him in person to discuss the issues and raised concerns. Their prayers will remain with all people impacted by the passing of the bill and the fellows in the House of Lords who are involved in the next stage of this debate.