Forbidden from taking Communion

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if a priest forbids you from taking communion because of a serious sin such as adultery or murder, can you still confess and receive the absolution? Is this considered excommunication? What is the standard policy? Please do not say “depends”
 
A priest cannot forbid you from receiving Communion. If you are excommunicated, you may not receive Communion until the excommunication is absolved. Who does the absolution of an excommunication depends on what you did. Sometimes a priest can do it, usually the diocesan bishop can do it, and in all other (rare) cases it is “reserved” to the Holy See, and in such a case they would most likely depute a local cleric to do it.
 
A priest can indeed, and sometimes must deny Communion:

CIC 915. Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

The canon uses the passive voice, but it does not say they “are not to present themselves,” but that they “are not to be admitted,” i.e. by the priest.

But yes, it can be absolved, so long as the offender is sorry and willing to stop. Go to Confession. If the priest has not the authority to absolve, he will let you know what must be done. Off the top of my head I don’t know which offenses are reserved to bishops, and which to the Holy See.
 
Ad_Orientem said:
A priest can indeed, and sometimes must deny Communion:

CIC 915. Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.

The canon uses the passive voice, but it does not say they “are not to present themselves,” but that they “are not to be admitted,” i.e. by the priest.

But yes, it can be absolved, so long as the offender is sorry and willing to stop. Go to Confession. If the priest has not the authority to absolve, he will let you know what must be done. Off the top of my head I don’t know which offenses are reserved to bishops, and which to the Holy See.
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Yes, this is true; my post was assuming that a person who is excommunicated will not, of his own accord, present himself for Communion.
 
I meant absolution from other sins. Say he says “no Communion for one year,” or “no Communion until you do x”, can I confess other sins and receive forgiveness for them while waiting for x or for 1 year. does excommunicated forbid confession
 
nightrider009 said:
I meant absolution from other sins. Say he says “no Communion for one year,” or “no Communion until you do x”, can I confess other sins and receive forgiveness for them while waiting for x or for 1 year. does excommunicated forbid confession
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I am unaware of a basis on which a priest could issue a penance of non-reception of the Eucharist. I can’t foresee any situation where a parish priest would have the authority to place someone under interdict for any length of time.

The priest could say “no communion until you do x” if the “x” is stopping an ongoing serious sin, like say adultery.

If someone is under the penalty of excommunication and the priest has the ability to lift it, then he should do so without haste if the person is repentant. If it needs to be forwarded to the bishop, then he should also do that without haste.
 
nightrider009 said:
Please try to answer the question, don’t avoid it.
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If your priest has said this to you, and you don’t understand it, ask him to explain it, or go to another priest, give HIM the details, and ask HIM to explain it.
 
nightrider009 said:
if a priest forbids you from taking communion because of a serious sin such as adultery or murder, can you still confess and receive the absolution? Is this considered excommunication? What is the standard policy? Please do not say “depends”
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It depends on why he told you (?) not to receive the Eucharist. For example, a common situation is that a Catholic divorces and remarries without a declaration of nullity of the first marriage. The priest should make it clear that this person cannot receive *any *of the sacraments until the marital/cohabitation situation is resolved (petition, declaration, and blessing of the current relationship), and then the person can start by receiving Confession.

The same goes for any on-going sin which the person does not intend to change. For example, someone is having an affair–the priest may ask if the affair has ended. If the answer is no, and there is no intention to end it (or in some cases even if there is), the priest should make clear that the person cannot receive *any *of the sacraments until the situation is rectified, and then he can start with confession.

However, your post makes it seem like a priest has imposed a ban on the Eucharist *as a penance for a sin which has been absolved. *I have not heard of this happening since the time of the early Church.

So if this is an actual case you are talking about, you or the person concerned should discuss it with the priest who gave the penance.
 
nightrider009 said:
All bad answers so far
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So, since you seem to know the “right” answer, why don’t you tell us and stop trolling? You obviously have some kind of agenda with your question - stop beating around the bush and tell us what you think we “need” to know.
 
If you are in state of mortal sin, and its deemed perpetual then yes communion can be denied
 
nightrider009 said:
All bad answers so far
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“Bad” answers? How so?

Please tell us what a ‘good’ answer would be.

If you don’t know, then how could you make the decision the above were bad?

If you know what a ‘good’ answer would be, then why ask the question?
 
nightrider009 said:
if a priest forbids you from taking communion because of a serious sin such as adultery or murder, can you still confess and receive the absolution?
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Yes.
nightrider009 said:
Is this considered excommunication?
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Yes. Excommunication essentially means you are severed from communion, thus you cannot receive communion.
nightrider009 said:
What is the standard policy? Please do not say “depends”
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Well, it does depend. There is no standard policy, there is no “catch all” solution.
 
nightrider009 said:
I meant absolution from other sins. Say he says “no Communion for one year,” or “no Communion until you do x”, can I confess other sins and receive forgiveness for them while waiting for x or for 1 year. does excommunicated forbid confession
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If a person is excommunicated, it’s because he is persisting in a specific sin. He wouldn’t recieve absolution for that sin until the priest believes his is going to try to stop commiting the sin and is repentant for it. When you recieve absolution at the end of a confession, its for all your sins, even ones you forgot about and didn’t actually confess, so I doubt that a priest would say your are absolved from this sin, but not from that sin. A state of sin is a state of sin and I don’t really see the benefit of being forgiven for some of your sins. I’ve also never heard of someone being excommunicated for a sin from which they have been absolved.
 
Francis, allegra and Constantine gave good replies. I guess I should mention I’m orthodox. in my sometimes a person is forbidden to take Communion as kind of penance. But iT looks like Constantine and Françis disagree.

Does excommunication mean no Communion or no sacraments at all?
 
nightrider009 said:
Francis, allegra and Constantine gave good replies. I guess I should mention I’m orthodox. in my sometimes a person is forbidden to take Communion as kind of penance. But iT looks like Constantine and Françis disagree.

Does excommunication mean no Communion or no sacraments at all?
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Excommunication means no access to any Sacraments except Confession and (if in danger of death), the last rites.
 
Ah I see. Good answer corki. Any chance you have a reference?
 
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