Chris Coghlan, the Liberal Democrat MP for Dorking and Horley was denounced by his Roman Catholic priest before his congregation and banned from communion after voting in favour of the assisted dying bill.
The Observer reports that Chris has described his treatment as "outrageous" and complained to Richard Moth, the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
In a short comment piece for the paper, Chris says:
I was moved to receive messages of support from constituents. A couple wrote: “Our faith and our belief in our Church community is based on Jesus Christ and the truth within scripture showing love and compassion.”
This pressure on me and my family did not deter me from voting with my conscience. Quite the reverse, in fact. But I know I am not alone among MPs with faith who faced the same pressure. One MP who is Christian told me she was “overwhelmed” by the strain it had placed on her.
It is my fervent hope that no MP succumbed to that pressure and either voted contrary to their own conscience or, perhaps more likely, abstained from voting at all to avoid the kind of consequences I have been subjected to. I hope not, but I cannot of course be sure.
What I am clear about is that while people inside and outside parliament are absolutely entitled to their religious beliefs and have every right to take into account what their faith may or may not have to say on the subject, it is our duty as MPs to decide what is the right thing to do out of compassion and a commitment to justice and human dignity.
Well said, Chris.
More generally, it's interesting to speculate whether such conduct towards an MP by a religious minister could constitute contempt of parliament.
