Many people are supporting a Belfast priest who has stated that people who support the legalization of abortion on demand should not be permitted to marry in a Catholic Church.
Father Patrick McCafferty, of Corpus Christi Parish in Belfast has said that those who disagree with the Catholic Church’s stance on the right to life of unborn babies can always use “City Hall” to marry rather than being “hypocritical and dishonest” by opting to use a Catholic church for their wedding.
Father McCafferty described the ‘dishonest hypocrites’ using the church for a wedding while still supporting something the church views as a mortal sin as “abusing the sacrament”.
His comments follow the actions of a Newry Priest, Father Damien Quigley, who told a couple a couple that their advocacy for abortion legalisation will mean he cannot officiate their wedding and they may not be able to marry in a Catholic Church.
These instances of Priests upholding Catholic doctrine follow on the heels of a Priest in Dublin telling parishioners at Sunday Mass that if they had voted ‘yes’ in the referendum to repeal the 8th amendment they had no business coming to the alter to receive Holy Communion.
This is in keeping with Catholic doctrine which views procuring or advocating for abortion as a mortal sin resulting in ex-communication.
A Catholic Bishop in the Republic has called on Catholics who are truly penitent for their voting yes to repeal to seek confession.