Ireland: Heroic Priest Denies Communion to Irish Pro-Abortion Politician

 

Parish priest Gabriel Burke denied Holy Communion to pro-abortion politician Colm Burke at the funeral of a long-time party friend in Whitechurch, County Cork, Ireland, on Friday.

Colm Burke is a minister of state and a member of Ireland's Fine Gael party.

Rev. Burke told the politician that he was automatically excommunicated. The politician had voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which had banned the introduction of abortion in Ireland, ahead of a referendum in 2018.

Politician Burke has contacted the Diocese of Cloyne. He wants to clarify his status in relation to attending Eucharists.

A spokesman for the diocese of Cloyne said that Bishop William Crean of Cloyne would be contacting the politician.

Picture: Colm Burke © wikicommons, CC BY-SA, #newsEgjexclrzz

Source: Gloria.tv

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'I gave him to the count of three to move on' - Cork TD refused communion at funeral mass over abortion legislation

The priest said Mr. Burke approached him intentionally to provoke a reaction - the TD has denied these claims

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• BY EOIN SHORTISS
• 16:08, 14 JUL 2024UPDATED10:22, 15 JUL 2024

Fr Gabriel Burke was last year invested as a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre - one of the world's oldest Chivalric orders. It was founded during the First Crusade to defend the Holy Sepulchre in 1096 AD (Image: Cloyne Diocese)

Fr. Gabriel Burke refused to give Fine Gael Minister Colm Burke the sacrament at a requiem mass at the St. Patrick's Chuch in Whitechurch on Friday morning, July 12. The priest said he believed that any politician who voted for abortion in Dáil Éireann was "participating in evil" and should not be allowed to receive the rite. 

Speaking to CorkBeo, Fr. Burke said the move had 'nothing to do' with the referendum, but was instead due to the TD's work with abortion legislation in Ireland. He also claimed Mr. Burke had been refused communion twice in church before, and believes that he approached him intentionally during the mass to prompt a reaction.

Minister Colm Burke was refused communion (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins)

He said: "He put out his hand and I gave him a blessing, and I told him that nobody was entitled to receive communion. I then gave him to the count of three to move on before I went to the next person. 

"He as a senator voted the abortion legislation in - he didn't have to, he chose to vote for abortion. He didn't do it in any way to lessen the demand for abortion in Ireland. He could have done differently as a Catholic. This is his third time coming up to receive communion, and his third time being refused."

The priest added that he made his decision based on statements from Pope Francis, and believed that Mr. Burke was "playing to the gallery" as there was a camera recording in the church.

https://www.corkbeo.ie/news/local-news/i-gave-him-count-three-29539350