Catholic Priest Denies Communion to Pro-Abortion Politician After He Voted for Abortions

International   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jan 28, 2019   |   11:54AM   |   Dublin, Ireland

A Catholic priest in Ireland reportedly refused to give communion to a politician who voted to strip away all legal protections for unborn babies.

Buzz Ireland reports Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy once claimed to be pro-life, but he voted for Ireland’s radical new abortion law.

For this reason, Father John Hogan, of the Multyfarnham parish in County Westmeath, refused to serve Troy communion during a requiem mass on Jan. 4, according to the report.

Abortions became legal on Jan. 1 in Ireland, ending decades-old laws protecting unborn babies’ lives. The pro-abortion law, which was rammed through parliament in December, allows abortions for any reason up to 12 weeks of pregnancy and up to six months in a wide variety of circumstances.

It forces taxpayers to pay for abortions and forces Catholic hospitals to provide them. The new law strictly limits conscience protections for medical professionals, and hundreds of doctors and nurses fear being forced to help abort unborn babies or lose their jobs.

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The Times reports Troy not only voted for abortions in Ireland, but he also voted against amendments that would have provided at least some protections for unborn babies. For example, he voted against an amendment to prohibit discriminatory sex-selection abortions, which are illegal in England and many other countries across the world, according to the report.

Here’s more from the report:

Troy, who had been regarded as “anti-choice”, revealed last month in an interview with Hot Press magazine that he voted yes in the referendum to repeal the eighth amendment last May. Last week the TD said he would “be making no comment on the matter”. Attempts by The Sunday Times to contact Hogan were unsuccessful.

The priest, who has been a regular presenter on EWTN, a Catholic television channel, tweeted on December 1: “Looking over list of TDs who voted to reject amendments to the wicked abortion bill, I see the name of one who, only a few years ago, stood in my house & swore he was pro-life. The desire for power & popularity lead so many to do the most horrendous things. A salutary lesson.”

In the United States, many Catholics also have been urging church leaders to deny communion to pro-abortion politicians like Gov. Andrew Cuomo who signed a law last week that legalizes abortions for basically any reason up to birth in New York, and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who once called late-term abortions “sacred ground.”

Abortion is considered to be a grave evil in the Catholic Church because it destroys a unique, living human being who is created in the image of God.