Questions on Excommunication

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  1. If someone disagrees with church teaching or leaves the faith, does that make them a heretic or apostate and automatically excommunicates them?
  2. If they were to return to the church, would they have to confess to a bishop?
  3. This is an unusual one. If a Catholic couple not in good standing with the church wanted to raise their child Catholic, what would they have to do?
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
  1. If someone disagrees with church teaching or leaves the faith, does that make them a heretic or apostate and automatically excommunicates them?
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Maybe. It’s actually a little more complicated than that. One can “disagree” with Church teaching and yet assent to it or obey it.

Regarding formal heresy and apostacy, those types of censures or excommunications are typically imposed. Although canon law does discuss Latæ sententiæ excommunication, it really is not that simple. There must be someone of authority to judge whether or not the belief, writing, etc, is in fact heretical.
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
  1. If they were to return to the church, would they have to confess to a bishop?
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Again, maybe. They would start with their priest in regular confession. If there was any formal declaration and censure by the bishop, then yes. But for the average “Joe Catholic” who might have fallen away from the Church and is returning, they would simply go to their parish priest for confession.
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
  1. This is an unusual one. If a Catholic couple not in good standing with the church wanted to raise their child Catholic, what would they have to do?
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Go talk to their priest. He would give them pastoral guidance.
 
Question 3.

If the couple was willing to take the steps to correct any impediments or whatever was causing them to not be in good standing and be in full communion with the Church, then the children are welcomed into the fold. If they have no intention of following the teachings of the Church and remain away then, most likely not, until such time things were rectified.
 
cominghomeCC said:
Question 3.

If the couple was willing to take the steps to correct any impediments or whatever was causing them to not be in good standing and be in full communion with the Church, then the children are welcomed into the fold. If they have no intention of following the teachings of the Church and remain away then, most likely not, until such time things were rectified.
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I think it is unwise to give such an assessment to a situation you do not know anything about (or even a hypothetical situation). “Most likely not” is, in my experience, not true.

For example, many times couples in irregular marriages do raise their children in the Church. It may take them a number of years to resolve their situation, but in the meantime they do faithfully attend Mass and bring up their children in the faith.

The best advice for any couple is to talk one-on-one with their priest about their situation.
 
Perhaps this can put things into perspective. I haven’t been a practicing Catholic for a little over a half a year. To be honest, I’ve been wavering between agnostic and lapsed Catholic.

I’ve found out recently that apostasy and heresy marks one for automatic excommunication. So does this mean I’ve been excommunicated?

So I suppose marrying within the church or raising future children Catholic is out of the question then?
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
Perhaps this can put things into perspective. I haven’t been a practicing Catholic for a little over a half a year. To be honest, I’ve been wavering between agnostic and lapsed Catholic.

I’ve found out recently that apostasy and heresy marks one for automatic excommunication. So does this mean I’ve been excommunicated?

So I suppose marrying within the church or raising future children Catholic is out of the question then?
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I am almost certain that you haven’t been excommunicated. Just wondering, but why would you even want to raise your child as a Catholic if you have no faith in the religion? Isn’t that kind of contradictory?

If you want to raise your child a Catholic then it is clear that you place value on Catholicism.
 
I guess it is contradictory.

There have been times when I outwardly stated that I didn’t believe in organized religion anymore. I still don’t believe in all of the teachings of the church. At the same time, I don’t want to completely detach myself from Catholicism.

If those don’t warrant excommunication then I’m surprised.
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
  1. If someone disagrees with church teaching or leaves the faith, does that make them a heretic or apostate and automatically excommunicates them?
  2. If they were to return to the church, would they have to confess to a bishop?
  3. This is an unusual one. If a Catholic couple not in good standing with the church wanted to raise their child Catholic, what would they have to do?
Click to expand...
A couple of points on excommunication latae sententiae – if you convert out of the Catholic faith (apostasy), which is more than being lapsed (you must renounced Catholicism for another faith), and then return to the Church that constitutes excommunication latae sententiae and should be confessed.

Also, an abortion brings an excommunication latae sentenae.

One must be over 16. So, if a parent were to force you to convert outside of the Catholic faith or force an abortion upon you, under age 17, excommunication *latae sententiae *would not apply. You must have the presence of mind to know what you are doing and do it anyway, but things like drunkeness are not an excuse. However, there still remain other conditions which would not impose an excommunication latae sententiae.

Someone who disagrees with Church teaching is not an apostate, unless they converted out of the faith, and knew what they were doing and did so knowing that they would be excommunicated.

This applies to the laity. There are other applications that apply to the religious or clerical.

Blasphemy is another, but hard to define.

Depending on the area, confession may have to be to a Bishop. However, in the U.S. all Diocesan priests have been given the authority to lift an excommunication latae sententiae at the time of confession. For example, the last I heard, in Poland the case would have to be referred to a Bishop but that may have changed. That depends on where you live.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4W.HTM

They should speak with their priest.
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
I guess it is contradictory.

There have been times when I outwardly stated that I didn’t believe in organized religion anymore. I still don’t believe in all of the teachings of the church. At the same time, I don’t want to completely detach myself from Catholicism.

If those don’t warrant excommunication then I’m surprised.
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As I said, please go talk to your priest.
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
Perhaps this can put things into perspective. I haven’t been a practicing Catholic for a little over a half a year. To be honest, I’ve been wavering between agnostic and lapsed Catholic.

I’ve found out recently that apostasy and heresy marks one for automatic excommunication. So does this mean I’ve been excommunicated?

So I suppose marrying within the church or raising future children Catholic is out of the question then?
Click to expand...
See my other post. Lapsing is not cause for excommunication and is not apostasy.

I don’t think you are excommunicated. I don’t see this as coming under heresy either. The term is usually reserved for religious groups, not individuals. A religious or a cleric can commit heresy, but I don’t see how you have committed heresy by lapsing, but that’s my opinion. This is why a priest needs to sort this out.

To marry in the Church you would have to go to confession anyway – whether excommunicated or not.

You really should speak with a priest. He’s heard it all before and more.

God Bless.
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
I guess it is contradictory.

There have been times when I outwardly stated that I didn’t believe in organized religion anymore. I still don’t believe in all of the teachings of the church. At the same time, I don’t want to completely detach myself from Catholicism.

If those don’t warrant excommunication then I’m surprised.
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I think you need a talk with a good, orthodox priest. Please go see one.
 
Mr.Blank1.5 said:
Perhaps this can put things into perspective. I haven’t been a practicing Catholic for a little over a half a year. To be honest, I’ve been wavering between agnostic and lapsed Catholic.

I’ve found out recently that apostasy and heresy marks one for automatic excommunication. So does this mean I’ve been excommunicated?

So I suppose marrying within the church or raising future children Catholic is out of the question then?
Click to expand...
Excommunication:

Ferendae sententiae (excommunication after formal proceedings):

Canon 1378 The pretended celebration of the Eucharist or of sacramental Confession.
Canon 1388 Violation of the Seal of Confession by an interpreter.

Latae sententiae (automatic excommunication):

Canon 1364 Apostasy, heresy, or schism
Canon 1367 Violation of the Sacred Species
Canon 1370 Laying violent hands on the Pope
Canon 1378 Absolution of an accomplice
Canon 1382 Episcopal consecration without authorisation from the Holy See
Canon 1388 Violation of the Seal of Confession by a Confessor
Canon 1398 Procuring an abortion

As others have said, you should talk to your priest. He will tell you the situation.
To be automatically excommunicated you have to commit a mortal sin that carries such a penalty.

First, to have committed a mortal sin three conditions have to be satisfied:
  • grave matter
  • full knowledge
  • full consent of the will
Even if you did commit a mortal sin that carries the penalty of automatic excommunication you are not excommunicated if you did not know that such a penalty was attached to the mortal sin.
So what you are asking us is not clear cut. That’s why you should talk to your priest.
 
This is a legitimate question.

Reconciliation is the only sacrament available to an excommunicated individual right?

If said person was near death or in danger of dying, would they still have to be forgiven by a bishop and not just a priest who was available?
 
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