Cork TD ‘taken aback’ by priest’s refusal to give communion at funeral

The requiem mass was live streamed and shows Mr Burke queuing for communion. 

As the Fine Gael TD reaches the priest the footage shows Fr Burke blessing him but keeping his hand over the chalice filled with the hosts. 

Mr Burke then appears to remonstrate with the priest during an extended interaction while others wait behind to receive communion.

Immediately after the funeral, which took place in St Patrick’s Church, Whitechurch, in the Parish of Blarney, Mr Burke contacted the Cloyne Diocesan office to express his concern over what had happened.

The priest told Mr Burke that he had refused to give him communion because of the TD’s support for abortion during the repealing of the Eight Amendment. Fr Burke said the politician had voted for abortion and knew that the teaching of the Catholic Church was that any politician who voted for it cannot receive Holy Communion.

The priest pointed out that prior to the referendum in 2013, Archbishop Eamon Martin had made this very clear.

Fr Burke stressed the archbishop said any politician who voted for abortion in Dáil Éireann was ‘co-operating with evil’ and should not present for communion.

Mr Burke was attending the funeral of 99-year-old Whitechurch man Michael Downey when he said the priest refused him communion and told him he was ex-communicated. The TD added he wasn’t aware of the archbishop’s 2013 statement.

“I knew Michael for more than 35 years. He was very active in the Fine Gael organisation down through the years,” Mr Burke said. 

I have been a mass-goer all my life and I was taken aback that this would happen in front of Michael’s family. I though it (the priest’s stance) wasn’t the way to deal with it.

“The incident that occurred must not deflect from the purpose of the funeral mass to support the family of the person who has died, to celebrate that person’s achievements and the valuable contribution he made to both his immediate family and the wider community of Whitechurch throughout his life.”

He said he had rung the Cloyne Diocesan Office immediately after the funeral and has composed a draft letter to Bishop Crean which he will post to him on Monday seeking clarification on his status regarding attendance at future church services in the diocese.

“My family has been very involved in the church for many years. My late uncle Fr Eustace Burke was a priest who died in South Africa. My sister, Theresa, was a member of the Sisters of Mercy who served in Cork City, Macroom and Buttevant, but to name a few places in the county. 

“She also served for 25 years in the missions in Kenya. She died last year of lung cancer. She’d been fighting it for six years,” he said.

Cloyne Diocesan Office spokesman Fr Jim Moore confirmed the TD had contacted him after last Friday’s incident.

He said regardless of receiving any correspondence from Mr Burke, Bishop Crean will ring him this week to discuss the matter.