Please help me out...

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Monica4316

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Does anyone know a list of sins that in the Catholic Church, are associated with a censure, or an excommunication, which could only be lifted by the Bishop or the Pope? One example is abortion… does anyone have an official list? I can’t seem to find it online anywhere…
 
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Apostasy (canon 1364)
Heresy (canon 1364)
Schism (canon 1364)
Desecration of the Eucharist (canon 1367)
Physical force against the Pope (canon 1370)
Attempted sacramental absolution of a partner in adultery (canon 1378)
Ordination of a bishop without a Papal mandate (canon 1382)
Direct violation of the sacramental seal of confession by a priest or bishop (canon 1388)
Procurement of a completed abortion or having an abortion done on oneself (canon 1398)
Accomplice in any of the above (canon 1329)

God bless :byzsoc:

David
 
Didn’t you ask this same question last year? 🙂 It seems to me that the answer is mostly in this thread:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=482827

My understanding is that other than the cases listed in that thread, it is up to an individual bishop to reserve sins for his diocese. Probably the best way to find out would be to contact the diocese. I believe in most dioceses, abortion has not been reserved to the Bishop.

Partly the whole question comes from the fact that a priest does not inherently have the authority to forgive ANY sins.* Only a bishop does. However, in every diocese I’ve heard of, the bishop delegates the authority to hear confessions to all priests of the diocese. But it is possible for a bishop to reserve to himself the forgiveness of certain very serious sins. I believe, although I am not 100% sure about this, that if you confess a reserved sin to a priest and he absolves you, you are absolved. The priest has probably committed some sort of sin by exceeding his authority, but your sin is still forgiven.

Anyway, I think that is the answer. It’s not online because each diocese in the world would have to publish its own list.

–Jen

*The priest inherently has the ability to hear confessions and forgive sins, but he only has the authority to do it (except when someone is in danger of death) if the Bishop gives it to him.
 
followingtheway said:
Apostasy (canon 1364)
Heresy (canon 1364)
Schism (canon 1364)
Desecration of the Eucharist (canon 1367)
Physical force against the Pope (canon 1370)
Attempted sacramental absolution of a partner in adultery (canon 1378)
Ordination of a bishop without a Papal mandate (canon 1382)
Direct violation of the sacramental seal of confession by a priest or bishop (canon 1388)
Procurement of a completed abortion or having an abortion done on oneself (canon 1398)
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I believe this list is a list of the possible things that can be reserved to a bishop. I don’t think it is required for a bishop to reserve these things to himself.

Have we got any Canon lawyers here who can definitively interpret Canons 1354-1363 or so? 🙂

–Jen
 
Thanks for the replies… lol I guess I lost the thread I made before on this. I keep on struggling with it in ways.

For example…
  • Apostasy or heresy is in the list, but what about “communicatio in sacris”? since it’s sort of like participating in heresy…
  • are heretical thoughts included? what is meant by ‘heresy’? what if a person never desecrated the Eucharist or attacked the Pope but they struggle with intrusive thoughts and had thoughts regarding this, which they’re not sure how much they consented to? I know this might be a very silly question but still… 😛
  • when it says “accomplice in any of the above”… I’m not sure about that either. Before I was Catholic, I wrote this really wrong article for the school newspaper supporting abortion. Thankfully, it never got published. But would this be one of these sins? However, this was before I was Catholic, so I don’t know. Additionally, what is meant by being an “accomplice” in heresy? For example, my family is Eastern Orthodox, and I’ve been supportive of them staying Orthodox and hopefully coming back to the Sacraments, - even though I do wish they’d become Catholic, but I don’t say this. So since i’ve been supportive, is it like I’ve been an “accomplice” in them not joining the visible Church? However, they haven’t committed either apostasy or heresy because they were never Catholic. Or what if a person is struggling with their faith and brings something up and it causes another person to doubt their Catholic faith?
I guess I just don’t understand, what is meant here at all. :confused:
 
Monica4316 said:
…
  • Apostasy or heresy is in the list, but what about “communicatio in sacris”? since it’s sort of like participating in heresy…
  • are heretical thoughts included? what is meant by ‘heresy’? what if a person never desecrated the Eucharist or attacked the Pope but they struggle with intrusive thoughts and had thoughts regarding this, which they’re not sure how much they consented to? I know this might be a very silly question but still… 😛
  • when it says “accomplice in any of the above”… I’m not sure about that either. Before I was Catholic, I wrote this really wrong article for the school newspaper supporting abortion. Thankfully, it never got published. But would this be one of these sins? However, this was before I was Catholic, so I don’t know. Additionally, what is meant by being an “accomplice” in heresy? For example, my family is Eastern Orthodox, and I’ve been supportive of them staying Orthodox and hopefully coming back to the Sacraments, - even though I do wish they’d become Catholic, but I don’t say this. So since i’ve been supportive, is it like I’ve been an “accomplice” in them not joining the visible Church? However, they haven’t committed either apostasy or heresy because they were never Catholic. Or what if a person is struggling with their faith and brings something up and it causes another person to doubt their Catholic faith? …
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Hello Monica4316,

Anything you did before you were Catholic could never result in any ecclesiastical penalty. Only Catholics can incur such a penalty.

Also, keep in mind canon 1330: “A delict which consists in a declaration or in another manifestation of will, doctrine, or knowledge must not be considered completed if no one perceives the declaration or manifestation.” So, no, heretical thoughts are not penalized. A thought to hurt the Pope is certainly not penalized.

“Accomplices” are penalized only if they were necessary in the action being performed. In other words, without that accomplice, the act would not have been done (c. 1329.2).

No, you are not excommunicated for not continually trying to bring your family into the Church.

Dan
 
Monica4316 said:
Thanks for the replies… lol I guess I lost the thread I made before on this. I keep on struggling with it in ways.

For example…
  • Apostasy or heresy is in the list, but what about “communicatio in sacris”? since it’s sort of like participating in heresy…
  • are heretical thoughts included? what is meant by ‘heresy’? what if a person never desecrated the Eucharist or attacked the Pope but they struggle with intrusive thoughts and had thoughts regarding this, which they’re not sure how much they consented to? I know this might be a very silly question but still… 😛
  • when it says “accomplice in any of the above”… I’m not sure about that either. Before I was Catholic, I wrote this really wrong article for the school newspaper supporting abortion. Thankfully, it never got published. But would this be one of these sins? However, this was before I was Catholic, so I don’t know. Additionally, what is meant by being an “accomplice” in heresy? For example, my family is Eastern Orthodox, and I’ve been supportive of them staying Orthodox and hopefully coming back to the Sacraments, - even though I do wish they’d become Catholic, but I don’t say this. So since i’ve been supportive, is it like I’ve been an “accomplice” in them not joining the visible Church? However, they haven’t committed either apostasy or heresy because they were never Catholic. Or what if a person is struggling with their faith and brings something up and it causes another person to doubt their Catholic faith?
I guess I just don’t understand, what is meant here at all. :confused:
Click to expand...
Who says the Orthodox are not part of the Church? Not only have Popes said that they are the other lung of the Church, Orthodox saints have been acknowledged as such by some Roman Pontiffs! (Pope John Paul II for example acknowledged St. Seraphim of Sarov as a Saint even though he is a Russian Orthodox saint).
 
Monica4316 said:
Does anyone know a list of sins that in the Catholic Church, are associated with a censure, or an excommunication, which could only be lifted by the Bishop or the Pope? One example is abortion… does anyone have an official list? I can’t seem to find it online anywhere…
Click to expand...
Give me a few days and I’ll type out the lovely chart in my Code of Canon Law. It lists all the offenses by differing ecclesiastical penalties.

God bless.
 
dans0622 said:
Hello Monica4316,

Anything you did before you were Catholic could never result in any ecclesiastical penalty. Only Catholics can incur such a penalty.

Also, keep in mind canon 1330: “A delict which consists in a declaration or in another manifestation of will, doctrine, or knowledge must not be considered completed if no one perceives the declaration or manifestation.” So, no, heretical thoughts are not penalized. A thought to hurt the Pope is certainly not penalized.

“Accomplices” are penalized only if they were necessary in the action being performed. In other words, without that accomplice, the act would not have been done (c. 1329.2).

No, you are not excommunicated for not continually trying to bring your family into the Church.

Dan
Click to expand...
thank you Dan! 🙂 I guess my worries came from my ignorance of canon law!
ConstantineTG said:
Who says the Orthodox are not part of the Church? Not only have Popes said that they are the other lung of the Church, Orthodox saints have been acknowledged as such by some Roman Pontiffs! (Pope John Paul II for example acknowledged St. Seraphim of Sarov as a Saint even though he is a Russian Orthodox saint).
Click to expand...
they are separated though… so we can’t worship together, until reunited. My understanding is that the Pope said that Eastern Catholics are the ‘other lung’. I don’t know.

God bless
 
I had sort of a related question to this; - IF a Catholic were to be excommunicated, - how would the excommunication be lifted? If it’s reserved to the Bishop but the Bishop gave priests in his diocese the faculty to remove this penalty - does it only involve absolution, or something else before absolution/Confession?
 
Monica4316 said:
I had sort of a related question to this; - IF a Catholic were to be excommunicated, - how would the excommunication be lifted? If it’s reserved to the Bishop but the Bishop gave priests in his diocese the faculty to remove this penalty - does it only involve absolution, or something else before absolution/Confession?
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Confession is one aspect of it. It may involved something else, probably counseling or seminars. It may be whatever program the diocese has.
 
but is there anything in particular which ‘lifts’ the excommunication? like a special prayer, etc?
 
Monica4316 said:
but is there anything in particular which ‘lifts’ the excommunication? like a special prayer, etc?
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Excommunication is a juridical act. When someone with the authority to lift it says its lifted, then it is lifted.
 
thank you! well I’m wondering about something… here it talks about heresy, schism, apostasy, and communicatio in sacris… vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P52.HTM

If a person was doubting the Catholic faith and so visited another (Eastern Orthodox) church and actively worshipped with them though without receiving Communion… (but did participate in their sacred rites) - are they excommunicated??? why does it sound like it, based on the link? would it be schism, or communicatio in sacris??
 
Where do all of you find this information? I’m blown away at how easy it seems some of you find this information. Impressive very impressive
 
Monica4316 said:
thank you! well I’m wondering about something… here it talks about heresy, schism, apostasy, and communicatio in sacris… vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P52.HTM

If a person was doubting the Catholic faith and so visited another (Eastern Orthodox) church and actively worshipped with them though without receiving Communion… (but did participate in their sacred rites) - are they excommunicated??? why does it sound like it, based on the link? would it be schism, or communicatio in sacris??
Click to expand...
Hello again Monica4316,

That canon (1365, I think) is directed toward people who “preside” or celebrate at such rites, not the people in the pew who are there and nobody knows who they are.

Regarding how a penalty is remitted, there is a particular statement the confessor would make, explicitly lifting the penalty. After that, absolution of sin could be given.

Dan
 
Thank you! 🙂 I’ll just ask the priest if I need this, I guess 🙂 I hope not though.

what is the sin of schism? does it go beyond simply doubting the Church?
 
I really can’t figure this out 😦 it seems that the excommunication refers to lay people as well, not only priests…
 
Monica - stop trying to work this out yourself.

We are just lay people with imperfect knowledge.

Ask your Priest / Confessor / Spiritual Director and abide by his advice
 
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