excommunication

[vern_humphrey]

It is within the Bishops’ authority to delegate this power. Not all have done so, it varies by diocese.

It appears that a priest can lift such an excommunication, but he must be specially appointed to do so:

catholicdoors.com/faq/qu70.htm

Frequently Asked Questions
regarding
THE SIN OF ABORTION
AND THE
SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION.
Q. 1. Does the Catechism of the Catholic Church teach us anything about how a Catholic caan be forgiven of the sin of abortion?

A. 1. The following two sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church state:

2272 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. “A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,” [CIC, can. 1398] “by the very commission of the offense,” [CIC, can. 1314] and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. [Cf. CIC, cann. 1323-1324] The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society. [1463]​

1463 Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them. [Cf. CIC, cann. 1331; 1354-1357; CCEO, can. 1431; 1434; 1420] In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication. [Cf. CIC, can. 976; CCEO, can. 725] [982]​

Q. 2. What does that mean in simple English?

A. 2. It means that anyone who has an abortion, participates in an abortion, or supports an abortion, he or she, by the previously mentioned actions, is automatically excommunicated from the Catholic Church. (C.C.C. # 2273)

Accordingly, that person can no longer receive any of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, be it the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Communion), Marriage or the Sacrament of Confession. For an excommunication to be lifted (ended), the sinner must approach the local Bishop, inform him of his/her “latae sententiae” excommunication through the sin of abortion and ask the Bishop to have the excommunication lifted (ended) and to be absolved of the sin of abortion. The Bishop may authorize a priest to specifically deal with this absolution on his behalf. (C.C.C. # 1463) Contrary to the popular belief of Catholics, this does not mean that all priests can absolve a penitent of the excommunication. Only a priest who is specifically appointed by the Bishop to do so, may do so.
Q. 3. Does that mean that if a woman had an abortion and confessed it to a priest who had not been specifically appointed by the local Bishop to lift her excommunication, that her sin was never forgiven?

A. 3. That is correct! **There have been many instances where priests did not realize that an abortion incurs an automatic excommunication. As such, while they may enjoy the authority to forgive sins, they do not have the authority to lift excommunications. **Consequently, while a person is excommunicated, that person cannot validly receive any of the Sacraments, that including the Sacrament of Confession. (Exception: In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, any priest can absolve from every sin and excommunication.)

 

[S_V7]

What about taking Communion unworthily? Does that get you excommunicated? How is it lifted?

 

[vern_humphrey]

What about taking Communion unworthily? Does that get you excommunicated? How is it lifted?

If you are unworthy to take communion, you are already excommunicated. That’s what “excommunicated” means, “not worthy to take commmunion.”

However, most such “excommunications” are dealt with by going to confession.

 

[S_V7]

So then, if someone commits a mortal sin of adultery and takes Communion in mortal sin, then they are excommunicated?

What if they didn’t know (for whatever reason) that taking Communion in mortal sin was sacreligious much less that it got them excommunicated?

 

[cameron_lansing]

What about taking Communion unworthily? Does that get you excommunicated? How is it lifted?

Receiving the Eucharist unworthily is not an ecclesiastical offense for which a penalty of excommunication is provided by the law of the Church. The place to look up what ecclesiastical offenses do provide for different penalties in various ways would be in canons 1364-1399. You will not find unworthy reception, as I think it is presented by your question, among those canons.
Excommunication is an ecclesiastical penalty treated in canon 1331 with certain effects, among which is the prohibition of reception of Holy Communion, but unworthiness to receive Holy Communion, i.e., the state of mortal sin, is not the same as excommunication.

 

[S_V7]

Then what does Desecrating the Eucharist mean?

 

[thistle]

It depends on the act itself – for example, anyone who materially assists an abortion excommunicates himself or herself latae sententae (by the act itself). No further act by the Church is needed – and Church officials may be totally unaware of it. But that person still commits a mortal sin every time they take confession.

And that excommunication can be lifted only by a Bishop, not a priest.

If a person does not know that a particular grave act carries an automatic excommunication would the person be excommunicated if committing the act or would they just be in a state of mortal sin.

 

[vern_humphrey]

So then, if someone commits a mortal sin of adultery and takes Communion in mortal sin, then they are excommunicated?

No. When one commits a mortal sin, one becomes inelligible to take communion. Technically, that is a form of excommunication – the word means “inelligible to take communion.” However one can get forgiveness by going to confessioin.

What if they didn’t know (for whatever reason) that taking Communion in mortal sin was sacreligious much less that it got them excommunicated?

There are three parts to a mortal sin:

It must be a serious matter.
The sinner must know it is a serious matter.
He must do it willingly.

If you don’t know you’re committing a serious sin, then it isn’t a mortal sin.

 

[vern_humphrey]

If a person does not know that a particular grave act carries an automatic excommunication would the person be excommunicated if committing the act or would they just be in a state of mortal sin.

Let’s look at it this way:

Every Catholic knows abortion is a mortal sin, right?

Every Catholic knows that if you commit a mortal sin, you cannot attend communion until you have confessed it and received absolution, right?

So if a Catholic participates in an abortion, that Catholic has committed a mortal sin, knows it, and must go to confessions before taking communion, right?

And when they go to confession, the priest will tell them what they must do to life the excommunication.

 

[cameron_lansing]

SV-7,

In general, desecration means treating a sacred person, place, or thing as though it were common or profane, or subjecting it to contempt, disrespect, or abuse. Broadly speaking, it is similar to sacrilege.

Desecrating the Blessed Sacrament is treated in canon 1367: “A person who throws away the consecrated species or takes or retains them for a sacrilegious purpose incurs a latae sententiae excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See . …” The parallel canon in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is 1442.

See ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CILTEUCH.HTM for an English translation of the authentic interpretation of these canons by the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts. It explains what the canons means. There is also an explanatory commentary on what the terms and notions mean. Remitting or lifting the penalty of this automatic excommuncation can only be done by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Apostolic Letter Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela, given motu proprio, promulgating the norms on the more serious offenses reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, April 30, 2001).

The penalty of excommunication can only be imposed on Catholics. Yet desecrating the Blessed Sacrament is not just one of the very gravest ecclesiastic offenses. We would also understand that it is one of the very gravest moral offenses imaginable that anyone might commit.

Thistle,

True, there are strong similarities between the conditions for a mortal sin and the conditions for committing an ecclesiastical offense and incurring a penalty. But these are not totally identical. There is a distinction between sin and ecclesiastical offenses with penalties in the canons. The first is in the moral realm and the second is in the legal realm. These two realms touch but are not totally identical. Not everyting pertaining to the moral realm is treated in the law.

So not all mortal sin results in excommunication. For example, adultery is considered a grave moral evil by the Church. If the conditions of knowledge and full consent of the will are present in the offender, we’d be looking at a case of mortal sin. Clearly the person must receive sacramental absolution in confession before receiving Holy Communion. But the adulterous person is not excommunicated.

Knowledge of the law of the Church by Catholics is presumed. But what happens if a Catholic who was unaware of the law or the penalty commits the offense of a procuring a completed abortion (canon 1398)? Clearly, abortion is grave moral evil. One who commits it with knowledge and full consent would seem to present a case of mortal sin (regardless of religion). A Catholic would be understood to be excommunicated, but canons 1322-1327 do list a number of incapacitating, exempting, mitigating, or aggravating circumstances that can modify the imposition of a penalty. You might look them up for further reflection. Someone with the power to remit a particular excommunication would have to consider those circumstances in making a judgement.

A quick word about words. Properly speaking, excommunication is a penalty which the Church attaches to certain offenses. As canon 1331 says, it prohibits the offender from various spiritual goods and other things. So “ineligibility” to receive Communion is not technically a “form of excommunication” but rather a result of excommunication. Prohibition would be a better term than “ineligibility” (which is not a term with any technical meaning) though since canon 1331 speaks of the excommunicated as being prohibited from receiving the sacraments. But canon 1332 also says that those penalized by interdict (which is not the same as excommunication) are similarly prohibited.

 

[thistle]

Let’s look at it this way:

Every Catholic knows abortion is a mortal sin, right?

Every Catholic knows that if you commit a mortal sin, you cannot attend communion until you have confessed it and received absolution, right?

So if a Catholic participates in an abortion, that Catholic has committed a mortal sin, knows it, and must go to confessions before taking communion, right?

And when they go to confession, the priest will tell them what they must do to life the excommunication.

That wasn’t my question. Even if a person knows that committing a specific act, in this case abortion, is a mortal sin they most likely do not know it carries excommunication. I would think most people do not know what sins carry excommunication.
Obviously if they have an abortion then then know they have committed a mortal sin and cannot receive Communion until they repent and go to Confession but if they do not know such an act carries an excommunication then in such a scenario does the excommunication apply?

By the way as for your first two points unfortunately you are not correct. I used to think that too but have found many Catholics really do not know abortion is a mortal sin and separately do not know they cannot receive Communion if they are in a state of mortal sin. Call it bad education or whatever but it is a sad reality.

 

[StMarkEofE]

Does somebody know how excommunication works nowadays?
When one is excommunicated, he can go to a different church where nobody knows him and receive the Holy Communion.
Thank you, pehlo.

Receiving the Eucharist unworthily brings down condemnation upon that person.