Priest calls for clarity on Cork TD excommunication

One of the leaders of an organisation which represents a large proportion of Catholic priests in Ireland has called on the church hierarchy to issue a statement to clarify whether or not a Cork TD denied communion last week is excommunicated.

It comes after the Minister of State at the Department of Health and Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, Colm Burke, was refused communion at a funeral Mass and allegedly told he had been excommunicated.

Mr Burke had queued for communion at a funeral Mass in the Catholic church in Whitechurch. When Mr Burke reached the altar, in an incident which was livestreamed, Fr Gabriel Burke, a curate in the parish, placed his hand over the chalice and apparently refused communion to the politician.

“An incident occurred during the ceremony involving Fr Burke where he refused to give to me Holy Communion,” Mr Burke said in a statement issued to The Echo two days after the incident.

“He further advised that ‘you have been excommunicated’.”

In a statement issued to The Irish Times, Fr Burke said he had refused communion to Mr Burke because of “his support for abortion”.

“As a senator, Colm Burke voted for abortion after the 2018 referendum and he knows the teaching of the [Catholic] Church that any politician who voted abortion cannot receive communion — Archbishop Eamon Martin made that very clear before the vote on abortion,” said Fr Burke.

“Archbishop Martin said that any politician that voted for abortion in Dáil Éireann was ‘co-operating with evil’ and should not present for communion.”

Speaking in August 2013, after the Dáil passed the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act, which allowed abortion where the mother’s life was threatened, including by suicide, Archbishop Eamon Martin said it was the church’s position that it is not possible to be a person of faith and, at the same time, actively promote abortion.

However, the archbishop also said politicians who had supported the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act would not be excommunicated or denied communion, and that he had never refused communion to anyone.

Now one of the leaders of the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP), which represents a large number of Ireland’s Catholic priests, has called on the church to clarify the matter.

Killeagh-based Fr Tim Hazelwood, who is one of the leaders of the ACP, said the incident had caused a lot of “confusion and upset” and needed to be addressed by the Catholic Church.

“It would be very helpful for people who are unsure about the situation around receiving holy communion would come out and give a clear statement telling the position,” Fr Hazelwood said.

 “The position of the ACP is that all who present themselves for communion are welcome, but we need the official church to say that now as well.”

Fr Hazelwood added that one priest did not speak or act for all priests, and that it was not the role of Catholic priests to judge the consciences of other people.

“It would be very helpful if the official church would provide clarity on that,” Fr Hazelwood said.

Archbishop Martin’s office said the archbishop is on retreat at the moment, and referred The Echo to the Catholic Press Office, which sent three links to previous comments by the archbishop but did not reply when asked for a further statement.

Numerous attempts were made by The Echo to contact Fr Burke.