AN angry mum has blasted church leaders who refused to let her sick son take his first communion.

Jillian Holman says Daniel, aged 10, missed five lessons preparing him for communion, following an operation and later when she was diagnosed as having cancerous cells.

Daniel, who was a member of St Jospeh's RC Church, Halliwell, was devastated to be told that he would not be able to receive his first communion.

Mrs Holman, aged 29, says it's the last thing her son needs as he contends with ill-health. He is severely deaf and had to have a bowel operation in December 1997.

She said: "I'm angry for Daniel that this has happened.

"Danny is saying because he is not a healthy child and has special needs at school and he's a child from another country he is being discriminated against.

"He's been a real battler trying to overcome his health problems. The attitude of the church has been disgusting. I thought these people were there to help."

Mrs Holman says Daniel has already completed a two-year course of lessons, when he lived in Spain.

Jillian and her sons moved back to Bolton after she split up with her husband and left the family's house in Torremolinos to set up home in Lonsdale Road, Bolton.

But Father Martin Cleary, of St Joseph's Church, Halliwell, said Daniel had to study the English course of lessons.

And he stressed the decision, made after Daniel missed five out of the 10 lessons, was not a new rule.

Father Cleary says he has tried to talk with Mrs Holman about the situation for the last two months.

He said: "This is a matter which is being dealt with internally in the parish.

"There is absolutely no personal discrimination against Daniel and we would more than welcome him back when the programme of lessons starts again.

"If a child misses more than half the lessons about the Sacrament we feel it better for them to delay the communion. It's a case of all the children going through the correct programme."

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