Excommunicated or not?

[Revert2Christ]

Hello,

I was baptized in the Catholic Church,and went to First Communion as a child.
However,my parents are agnostics,and never taught me anything about the Catholic faith.
When I was about 14 or 15 years old I became an atheist and started to belief that all religion is just superstition.At the age of seventeen I was deceived by Muslim apologists and bought the Quran.I never publicly converted to Islam,but for half a year I believed in Islamic teachings.

I realised at the age of ninteen that I made some great mistakes and went back to the Church and visited Mass.My question is: Am I excommunicated for apostasy?Can I simply go to confession?

 

[DavidFilmer]

My question is: Am I excommunicated for apostasy?

There are some offenses that carry the penalty of automatic excommunication, but apostasy is not one of them. So, the answer to this question is “no.”

Can I simply go to confession?

Yes, absolutely. Welcome back.

 

[Revert2Christ]

Thank you for your answer!

There are some offenses that carry the penalty of automatic excommunication, but apostasy is not one of them. So, the answer to this question is “no.”

This is strange… I remember reading that people who renounce the Christian faith are automatically excommunicated,just like heretics.

Well,I hope you are right.

 

[FightingFat]

Thank you for your answer!

This is strange… I remember reading that people who renounce the Christian faith are automatically excommunicated,just like heretics.

Well,I hope you are right.

That’s what Islam teaches friend, but not Catholicism. Simple answer is if you’re worried, go to confession. Read Luke 15:3-7 and rejoice! You have been found!

 

[DavidFilmer]

This is strange… I remember reading that people who renounce the Christian faith are automatically excommunicated,just like heretics.

Well, this is true to some extent - namely to the extent that you “renounce” the Catholic faith. The Vatican has wrestled with the question of how a person might “renounce” Catholic unity (which is not part of the Deposit of Faith, and thus has no absolute definitive answer). However, the Church is confronted with this question, and given Her authority to bind and loose, has settled upon these three criteria:

a) the internal decision to leave the Catholic Church (ie, you must freely decide to do this);
b) the realization and external manifestation of that decision (ie, you must fully understand the consequences of this decision); and
c) the reception of that decision by the competent ecclesiastical authority (ie, you actually tell your Bishop to **** off).

(for the full text with details (which has been approved by the Roman Pontiff), see ACTUS FORMALIS DEFECTIONIS AB ECCLESIA CATHOLICA here)

But you said,

I never publicly converted to Islam,but for half a year I believed in Islamic teachings.

This certainly does not seem to meet the full criteria of “apostasy” according to the Vatican’s definition (presuming you never formally informed your Bishop that you intended to leave the church).

So, unless there is something you have not mentioned, you are good to go - see any priest for Confession and you are OK.

 

[Bebekoualy]

Welcome back in the Catholic Church!
I am so happy you found out that the Truth is in the Roman Catholic Church!
You’re very brave! Congratulations!

If you have any questions concerning our Faith, feel free to contact me.

In Domino
Bebekoualy

 

[Just_Lurking]

Here is the relevant canon:

Can. 1364 §1. Without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 194, §1, n. 2, an apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication; in addition, a cleric can be punished with the penalties mentioned in ⇒ can. 1336, §1, nn. 1, 2, and 3.

However, latae sententiae excommunication does not apply to the acts of a minor (under 18 years old).

 

[FightingFat]

I think the point of the canon would be that one excommunicates oneself from the Church by turning their back on it, would you not agree?

 

[Just_Lurking]

I think the point of the canon would be that one excommunicates oneself from the Church by turning their back on it, would you not agree?

In general, excommunication is an additional warning to a person that his or her actions are completely incompatible with the Catholic faith. This gives the person one more chance to consider if this is the path he or she really wants to take.

BTW, here is the canon defining apostasy:

Can. 751 Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.

 

[Revert2Christ]

This certainly does not seem to meet the full criteria of “apostasy” according to the Vatican’s definition (presuming you never formally informed your Bishop that you intended to leave the church).

So, unless there is something you have not mentioned, you are good to go - see any priest for Confession and you are OK.

I already went to confession about 3 weeks ago and told the priest that I turned away from the Church and denied Catholic beliefs.He gave me absolution, and I visited Mass.
The reason I am a bit worried is that people who are excommunicated are not allowed to go to confession until the excommunication is lifted, so I thougt that maybe my confession was invalid and I received the Eucharist ilegally.

 

[fbl9]

Welcome to the forums Rever2Christ
Do hope you getting the answers you are seeking.

If you had been excommunicated the priest would have said so and not absolved your sins

 

[1ke]

I already went to confession about 3 weeks ago and told the priest that I turned away from the Church and denied Catholic beliefs.He gave me absolution, and I visited Mass.
The reason I am a bit worried is that people who are excommunicated are not allowed to go to confession until the excommunication is lifted, so I thougt that maybe my confession was invalid and I received the Eucharist ilegally.

If you have already been to confession and received absolution there is nothing more to do. If you had needed more-- i.e. excommuncation had been in effect-- the priest would have advised you.

Please be at peace that you are absolved and can resume the sacramental life. If you have not been confirmed, talk to your priest about getting confirmed.

 

[Revert2Christ]

Please be at peace that you are absolved and can resume the sacramental life. If you have not been confirmed, talk to your priest about getting confirmed.

That’s the next thing I will have to do…Sadly,when it was time to receive the sacrament of Confirmation,I already called myself an atheist.
The problem is,I live in Germany and I don’t know if we have something like RCIA here.

 

[1ke]

That’s the next thing I will have to do…Sadly,when it was time to receive the sacrament of Confirmation,I already called myself an atheist.
The problem is,I live in Germany and I don’t know if we have something like RCIA here.

Just contact your priest and go from there.

RCIA is really for non-Catholic Christians and the unbaptized. Adult Catholics who have never been confirmed usually have a few meetings with a priest or catechist to prepare them for the sacrament, then either the Bishop will confirm you or the priest can receive permission from the bishop to confirm you. If you didn’t have much catechesis as a child then the priest may want to go a different route and have you do more sessions.

Bottom line, talk to the priest. He’ll help you.

 

[zz912]

That’s the next thing I will have to do…Sadly,when it was time to receive the sacrament of Confirmation,I already called myself an atheist.
The problem is,I live in Germany and I don’t know if we have something like RCIA here.

There will be some program, don’t worry. To make lemonade out of lemons, you could look on your not getting Confirmed as a minor blessing, in that you will now receive Confirmation when you can truly and fully appreciate it in all its fullness. I know for myself that as a convert, I was able to fully appreciate and enjoy the Sacrament, which I would NOT have been able to when I was younger (I was a bit of a knucklehead in my youth.) So maybe God wanted you to be Confirmed now instead of earlier when you may not have been as receptive. Maybe NOW is the perfect time to conFIRM you in your Faith?

 

[Revert2Christ]

If you have already been to confession and received absolution there is nothing more to do. If you had needed more-- i.e. excommuncation had been in effect-- the priest would have advised you.

I just told the priest that I broke away from the Church.Was this sufficient,or was i supposed to go into further detail?
This is really bothering me,because if my confession was not good enough I may still be in a state of mortal sin.

 

[fbl9]

I just told the priest that I broke away from the Church.Was this sufficient,or was i supposed to go into further detail?
This is really bothering me,because if my confession was not good enough I may still be in a state of mortal sin.

If this still bothering you go and see your confessor and expalin why this is still bothering you.

 

[puzzleannie]

I already went to confession about 3 weeks ago and told the priest that I turned away from the Church and denied Catholic beliefs.He gave me absolution, and I visited Mass…

you already have your answer, you have been absolved and forgiven this and all sins since your last confession and have been fully restored to communion with the Catholic faith. accept belief in this and all sacraments of the Church. Welcome home! you don’t say how old you are now, but a minor cannot defect formally nor be excommunicated in any case. As it is unlikely that you have had any opportunity for formal adult level instruction in the Faith it is now incumbent on you to seek it out, that is why this website exists. The sound you hear is the great rejoicing at your return.

 

[dcb188]

How can finally finding the True Living God be a bad thing? He forgives all sins, you have already confessed your error, have turned from those sins, what more can you do besides beat yourself up for the rest of your life? The main point is that NOW you believe in the One True God. Isn’t that the main thing?
What about atheists who disbelieved in God for fifty years, and all of a sudden they are converted by the power of the Holy Spirit? NOW they are in Christ, before they were not. You sound sincerely sorry that you were not a believer, and that is repentence, which is what God expects and wants from you. But you are forgiven now, and it is actually a sin not to forgive yourself, as you are now saying ,God, I know you forgive me, that that isn’t good enough! So try to accept God’s forgiveness and not substitute your own standards of what should and should not be forgiven.

 

[ChadS]

Don’t be too hard on yourself, just trust in God’s grace and mercy. As other’s have said your confession was valid and your sins were forgiven. Being human though we can still have lingering thoughts and shame over past sins. If something bothers you talk to your confessor. Maybe all you need is reassuring words from him. It’s one thing to hear it from a priest and another to hear it from a bunch of strangers on a forum. I know sometimes it can be very comforting to hear something from a priest even if I already knew the answer in my head.

ChadS