Does this passage in Titus explain Excommunication?

[Harpazo]

Titus 3:

10 A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid:

11 Knowing that he, that is such an one, is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned by his own judgment.

In my IB History class we briefly talked about England in the Middle Ages, and of course there was a biased view of Catholicism (big surprise). Anyways, it’s been weeks since then, and I was taught about Interdiction in there, the Pope’s ability to take away the Sacraments from a nation, more or less is how the teacher put it.

I was studying and praying last night, and I stumbled onto this verse. I think it clearly shows that the Church does indeed have authority, and has the ability to break off such people who fail to yield warnings.

Also, I have two questions:

1. 
   *]How long has the Church practiced this?
   *]How many times was Luther and other “reformers” warned?
   
   I will appreciate any discussion on this.
   
   In Pax Christi
   Andrew

 

[jbuck919]

Titus 3:

In my IB History class we briefly talked about England in the Middle Ages, and of course there was a biased view of Catholicism (big surprise).

It is always wrong in Catholicism to find chapter and verse for anything, though for instance Henry VIII used an obscure verse from Deuteronomy to justify his disastrous setting aside of his wife. There is no such thing as sola scriptura in Catholicism–that is in fact a heresy. Excommunication is an extreme punishment in the Catholic Church and always has been. There are technical exceptions, I know, but it is generally reserved to public figures who intentionally draw numbers of the faithful away from the true church, or who seriously betray a great trust laid in them by the church. And it is always reversible.

I don’t know the exact answer to this, but Luther was an enormous heretic who is the ultimate source of wars and conflicts that cost hundreds of thousands of lives and untold suffering for those who survived. over a period of several centuries. If Dante had written his Inferno with Luther in mind, he would have put him in a circle of hell by himself; well, maybe with Stalin, Hitler, and Mao.

 

[Harpazo]

I wasn’t trying to make “sola scriptura”-esque assumption. I wanted to see from others if they thought the Scriptures taught that Excommunication was a possible option, if one failed to yield to the Church. When I found this verse, I was hoping there would be others that could help clarify, and I could share this verse with our Protestant brothers and sisters.

In Pax Christi
Andrew

 

[simbagizmo]

I wasn’t trying to make “sola scriptura”-esque assumption. I wanted to see from others if they thought the Scriptures taught that Excommunication was a possible option, if one failed to yield to the Church. When I found this verse, I was hoping there would be others that could help clarify, and I could share this verse with our Protestant brothers and sisters.

In Pax Christi
Andrew

Not only is Excommunication possible, it is commanded. But you will not find any supporting scripture that gives a single person the ability to excommunicate an entire country. Biblical excommunication is between the individual sinner and the church body. The church body is suppose to be notified of who is excommunicated. The church body is suppose to withdraw and alienate the unrepentant sinner, pray for him/her, and if the sinner repents, the church is suppose to welcome person back as the father did with the prodigal son.

Matthew 18:15-17
1 Corinthians 5