A Clergy Rebellion in Austria's Catholic Church

[Corki]

Am I mistaken in my understanding that when a person is excommunicated that they are forbidden the sacraments?

When a person is excommunicated, he cannot receive any Sacrament other than Confession unless in danger of death. An excommunicated person is encouraged to go to Confession and to reconcile with the Church.

If this is so, then how can an excommunicated Priest celebrate the sacraments if he cannot receive them?

An excommunicated priest cannot celebrate the Sacraments until he repents.

My understanding of excommunication, and I may be wrong, is that a person may be received “back into the Church” only after they have recanted their position and asked for forgiveness.

Yes, and that process starts with going to Confession. For some offenses the Bishop must be involved to lift the excommunication; for a few serious one’s lifting the excommunication is reserved to the Pope.

If these priests do not recant, do they not remain excommunicated and therefore unable to receive the sacraments?

That is correct. “Recant”, however, doesn’t always mean a public declaration. In many, if not most cases, sincere Confession serves as the act of recanting.

The point is that excommunication is, or should be a temporary state. A priest can go to Confession and get back into Communion with the Church. A canonical penalty such as suspension of priestly faculties or removal from the clerical state is much more permanent. It is for those situations that a hearing and review might come into play.