There is a woman in my city who heads a number of lesbian groups, yet she describes herself as a Catholic, and is forever being quoted in newspaper articles as a source for Catholic opinion.
The reason I wondered if she was excommunicated is that she has also been heavily involved in the whole women ‘priests’ movement, wrote articles about them, gave speeches at their ‘ordinations’ and so on.
You should send written documentation to your bishop and ask that he take action so that those who publicly dissent and write articles for the paper claiming to be Catholic are censured and told to cease.
I know the women who claim to be priests have been excommunicated, but what about her? Does anyone know the answer? If she is truly excommunicated, then I could at least write to the newspaper and point that out.
Only the woman attempting ordination and the one doing the ordaining are latae sententiae (automatically) excommunicated. So if nothing has bee published by your bishop stating this woman has been excommunicated, then she is not. Your bishop can pronounce a sentence of excommunication after an ecclesial trial. That is different than a latae sententiae excommunication which occurs merely by doing the prohibited action.
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
General Decree
Regarding the crime of attempting sacred ordination of a woman
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of holy orders, in virtue of the special faculty conferred to it by the supreme authority of the Church (see canon 30, Canon Law), in the Ordinary Session of December 19, 2007, has decreed:
Remaining firm on what has been established by canon 1378 of the Canon Law, both he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman, and the woman who has attempted to receive the said sacrament, incurs in latae sententiae excommunication, reserved to the Apostolic See.
If he who has attempted to confer holy orders on a woman or if the woman who has attempted to receive holy orders, is a member of the faithful subject to the Code of Canon Law for the Eastern Churches, remaining firm on what has been established by canon 1443 of the same Code, they will be punished with major excommunication, whose remission remains reserved to the Apostolic See (see canon 1423, Canon Law of the Eastern Churches).
The current decree will come into immediate force from the moment of publication in the ‘Osservatore Romano’ and is absolute and universal.
William Cardinal Levada
Prefect
Angelo Amato, S.D.B.
Titular Archbishop of Sila
Secretary*
Now, you could make the case that she is latae sententiae excommunicated under this canon, but one must be declared a heretic, and I don’t believe you are competent to do so. It should be the bishop:
*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.
§2. If contumacy of long duration or the gravity of scandal demands it, other penalties can be added, including dismissal from the clerical state.*
Also:
Can. 1369 A person who in a public show or speech, in published writing, or in other uses of the instruments of social communication utters blasphemy, gravely injures good morals, expresses insults, or excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church is to be punished with a just penalty.
This would be handled through an ecclesial trial.
