questions about excommunication

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Monica4316

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Hi,

I just had two questions about excommunication… I read that if a Catholic receives Communion in another church (such as a Protestant church), they essentially excommunicate themselves. How would such a person come back into communion with the Church? Would they simply need to go to Confession, or is there more? Can any priest do this, or does it need to be a Bishop?

My second question is… does it also result in excommunication if you pray/worship with Protestants at their church, for example if you are visiting, - even if you don’t receive Communion and fulfill your Sunday obligation at Mass? In this case, how would a person come back into communion? Furthermore… in what cases is it alright to pray/worship with Protestants, and in which cases is it not?

thank you 🙂
 
Monica4316 said:
Hi,

I just had two questions about excommunication… I read that if a Catholic receives Communion in another church (such as a Protestant church), they essentially excommunicate themselves.
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While it is *sinful *if a Catholic does this with full knowledge of the fact that Catholics are not allowed to do so (i.e. not out of ignorance), there isn’t any penalty of *excommunication *assoicated with it.

Canon law indicates communicatio in sacris can be punished with a “just penalty.” There is no automatic excommunication attached and a penalty must be imposed by a bishop, nothing automatic.

Can. 1365 A person guilty of prohibited participation in sacred rites (communicatio in sacris) is to be punished with a just penalty.

And, I encourage you to read the Decrees on Ecumenism, norms associated with ecumenism, and Ecclesia de Eucharistia to help you answer your other questions.
 
Thanks for the reply…
does “communicatio in sacris” only refer to receiving Communion? I guess that is my fundamental question…
 
Generally confession would bring you back to full graces. If there is an excommunication involved, you would start with the priest in confession. Certain types of excommunications are referred to the bishop or even to the Pope. However, this doesn’t appear to apply to you.

As far as attending services at Protestant churches (without communion), I was told certain events like weddings or organ recitals (even with singing) would be okay so long as there was no danger of “indifference to your faith.” But you may want to ask your priest about that.
 
well what happened is I went to a friend’s youth group (not Catholic) and I thought it would be in the basement and would just involve some food and discussion, as it was before (I don’t go regularly but I’ve been there before a couple times, months ago), but this time they went to the church area and did some praise and worship and prayer… I stayed at the back and didn’t really sing, although I did sometimes, and then I felt uncomfortable because I remembered something I read once that if a Catholic worships together with Protestants in a Protestant service, that counts as “communicatio in sacris”.I’m not sure what to think and what to do… they didn’t have Communion and even if they had, I wouldn’t have received it, because I know that is wrong for sure. But what about singing with Protestants in a Protestant church? The whole time, I kept on thinking, - these people are great but this church started when someone left the Catholic Church…

also, an interesting point… .when I walk into a Catholic church I always feel a sense of peace there, but here I felt an emptiness and I couldn’t connect with God at all… maybe it’s because the Eucharist wasn’t there I don’t know

I definitely don’t plan to become Protestant ever… I’m just wondering if I have done something wrong. Should I have just observed the worship/prayer rather than participated? This wasn’t a wedding or funeral or anything else, I didn’t HAVE to go, I chose to, but I also didn’t know that it would happen inside a church… I just wanted to have some time to talk to a friend.
 
1ke said:
While it is *sinful *if a Catholic does this with full knowledge of the fact that Catholics are not allowed to do so (i.e. not out of ignorance), there isn’t any penalty of *excommunication *assoicated with it.

Canon law indicates communicatio in sacris can be punished with a “just penalty.” There is no automatic excommunication attached and a penalty must be imposed by a bishop, nothing automatic.

Can. 1365 A person guilty of prohibited participation in sacred rites (communicatio in sacris) is to be punished with a just penalty.

And, I encourage you to read the Decrees on Ecumenism, norms associated with ecumenism, and Ecclesia de Eucharistia to help you answer your other questions.
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My wife does this very thing about twice a month. Does not advertise the fact, and does not hide the fact. Her priest, nor anyone else associated with the Catholic Church, has said a word in over 10 years. She is fully aware of “the rules” against doing so. IF anyone has ever received a “punishment” for this, please let me know, because I’ve never heard of it happening, and I’d be curious to hear about it.
 
Lutheranteach said:
My wife does this very thing about twice a month. Does not advertise the fact, and does not hide the fact. Her priest, nor anyone else associated with the Catholic Church, has said a word in over 10 years. She is fully aware of “the rules” against doing so. IF anyone has ever received a “punishment” for this, please let me know, because I’ve never heard of it happening, and I’d be curious to hear about it.
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Is your wife Catholic? Do you mean that she receives Communion in another church twice a month?
 
My understanding is that worship with our non-Catholic Christian brethren is not in any way sinful. This is communicatio in spiritualibus (sharing in common prayer), not communicatio in sacris (sharing in the sacraments). The Church encourages communicatio in spiritualibus as a means of fostering ecumenism and, hopefully, eventual reconciliation and unity.

We should not receive non-Catholic communion, however, because doing so is in-a-sense joining with non-Catholics in rejecting or denying the Real Presence in the Eucharist.

But simply joining with our Protestant brothers and sisters in prayer and worship is not a problem as long as we meet our Mass obligations and it doesn’t begin to supplant or impair our dedication to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

You can also foster some more communicatio in spiritualibus. I would encourage you to return your friend’s favor and invite him to Mass 👍
 
Monica4316 said:
Hi,

I just had two questions about excommunication… I read that if a Catholic receives Communion in another church (such as a Protestant church), they essentially excommunicate themselves.
Click to expand...
No, they have not necessarily essentially excommunicated themselves.
Monica4316 said:
My second question is… does it also result in excommunication if you pray/worship with Protestants at their church, for example if you are visiting, - even if you don’t receive Communion and fulfill your Sunday obligation at Mass?
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No. It does not automatically result in excommunication.
 
achmafooma said:
My understanding is that worship with our non-Catholic Christian brethren is not in any way sinful.
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That depends on the individual. It may or may not be sinful. We don’t know what the individual intends, the individual’s knowledge, etc.
 
Monica4316 said:
Thanks for the reply…
does “communicatio in sacris” only refer to receiving Communion? I guess that is my fundamental question…
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Back in the fifties for a laymen is was considered forbidden to attend any non catholic services, due to the danger of weakening the faith. In itself it was not mortal sin, only occasion for sin.

With the XXI Ecumenical council the Church understand the our protestant and Jewish brothers and sisters represent the partial truth, and the real enemy is not they but those who want to destroy the Church and her unity. Since that time one can attend protestant, Jewish, Muslim etc services, in there is no scandal neither danger to loosing or weakening the faith.

As a matter of fact many times to see the other side strengthens the faith instead of weakening. We, Catholic laity are not considered children any more, we are adult, and either God and the Church requires our well formed decisions. Well formed decision related factual things shall be based on the fact not on opinion of others.

Naturally a non Catholic service does not fulfills Catholic obligations, and if a Catholic starts to be attracted to those, either for the service itself or for the sake of a friend who invited one, than it has to be stopped. In this life everything, including our faith is fragile.
 
Lutheranteach said:
My wife does this very thing about twice a month. Does not advertise the fact, and does not hide the fact. Her priest, nor anyone else associated with the Catholic Church, has said a word in over 10 years. She is fully aware of “the rules” against doing so. IF anyone has ever received a “punishment” for this, please let me know, because I’ve never heard of it happening, and I’d be curious to hear about it.
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We’ve been over this a dozen times before. I don’t know why you keep bringing up and flaunting your wife’s heretical actions.

We know your wife does things that the Church clearly teaches are wrong, and we know her priest looks the other way. We know the Catholic school your kid attends and you teach at has people running it who regularly violate Catholic teaching.

If I knew where you lived, I’d write to Rome myself and report it. None of us here can tell you why your priest has been derelict in his duty and obviously you live with your wife so you know why she does what she does.

In the most charitable light they are both quite ignorant of Church teaching. In the light of truth, they are both guilty of grave matter, and if done with full knowledge they are guilty of mortal sins.
 
Monica4316 said:
I’m just wondering if I have done something wrong. Should I have just observed the worship/prayer rather than participated? .
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No, you have not done anything wrong. And yes you can pray with non-Catholics and you can sing songs too.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone 🙂

I have asked the priest at my FSSP parish and he said that no I am not excommunicated or anything. 🙂 I guess it was another occasion of scrupples for me 😉
 
laszlo said:
Back in the fifties for a laymen is was considered forbidden to attend any non catholic services, due to the danger of weakening the faith
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Were women also excluded? Just wondering. Thanks.
 
1ke said:
We know your wife does things that the Church clearly teaches are wrong, and we know her priest looks the other way. We know the Catholic school your kid attends and you teach at has people running it who regularly violate Catholic teaching.
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I didn’t know this. Really? This parish and school are definitively outside the Catholic Church? Can you share it’s location and name? Thanks.
 
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