In response to the nation of Ireland voting to enshrine abortion into their constitution, Irish Bishop Kevin Doran of the Diocese of Elphin has told his flock to get themselves to the confessional if they voted “Yes” on the referendum, having committed a grave sin.
Speaking with RTE Today, Doran said that knowingly voting “Yes” on a referendum for abortion constitutes a serious sin that requires repentance in the sacrament of confession before a Catholic can receive Holy Communion.
“I do find it quite surprising that a majority of people voted for this,” he said of the vote, which passed by over 64%, largely because Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar promised to restrict abortion to up to 12 weeks.
“Personally I’m very sad about it, I still believe in the right to life of every person, I don’t believe there’s any such thing as a life without value,” Doran told the news outlet. “As far as the church is concerned, what was true on Thursday last is still true today.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has always maintained abortion is a grave sin that can never be supported in deed or in gesture. “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being,” it reads.
In order for a Mortal Sin to be committed under Catholic doctrine, a sin that fully separates the soul from God, the person must have full knowledge and intent of the will. Within those guidelines, Doran believes a “Yes” vote in the referendum constituted a serious offense that only a pure act of contrition or confession could amend.
“Every person’s vote has a moral significance and a political significance,” he said. “The Catholic Church is a family and nobody ever gets struck off and God never takes back his love.”
“What I would say to a Catholic who voted yes is this: if you voted yes knowing and intending that abortion would be the outcome, then you should consider coming to confession, where you would be received with the same compassion that is shown to any other penitent,” he continued.
Doran dismissed his Catholic critics as “cultural Catholics” who care little about the actual teachings of the Church.