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30th May 2018

Priest says Catholics who support abortion should not get married in churches

Alan Loughnane

Abortion

He warned people not to be “hypocritical and dishonest by using the Church for a day.”

A Belfast priest has said that Catholics who are in favour of abortion should not be allowed to marry in a church.

Father Patrick McCafferty, of Corpus Christi Parish in Belfast, said that Catholics who disagree with the Church’s teachings on abortion should get married in “city hall.”

He said they should not be “hypocritical and dishonest by using the Church for a day.”

McCafferty said it was “dishonest to have a wedding in a church if you don’t respect or regard what the faith is about”.

Writing in today’s Belfast Telegraph, he said:

“You are using the Church and abusing the sacrament. There is City Hall, or there are town halls and country houses that offer themselves as venues for weddings.

“If you don’t support the Church’s teaching on a fundamental issue, why be hypocritical and dishonest by using the church for a day?

“It’s a total fiasco.”

McCafferty’s comments come on the back of a Newry priest reportedly warning a couple that advocating abortion could mean that their wedding wouldn’t be allowed to take place in a Catholic Church.

According to The Nolan Show, Father Damien Quigley said that if the couple promoted or advocated abortion, it would impact on the “appropriateness” of him performing their wedding or the wedding taking place in the church.

In a private message to the couple, Quigley said: “Just a heads up, that as the priest you’ve asked to celebrate your wedding, you and I would need to have a conversation about any promotion you may do to advocate for abortion in Ireland.

“Such promotion or advocacy would impact on the appropriateness of me celebrating your wedding or possibly the wedding taking place in a Catholic Church.”

You can listen to the full segment on The Nolan Show here.

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