Can. 1331 §1. An excommunicated person is forbidden:
1/ to have any ministerial participation in celebrating the sacrifice of the Eucharist or any other ceremonies of worship whatsoever;
2/ to celebrate the sacraments or sacramentals and to receive the sacraments;
Participating in Mass is, I believe, considered celebrating (#2). In fact, as I read #2, it seems that the excommunicate cannot even pray a private Rosary (which is a sacramental)! That’s something I had never thought about.3/ to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, ministries, or functions whatsoever or to place acts of governance.
Participating in Mass is not actually considered celebrating. Excommunication does not exclude them from the obligation that every believer has to attend Mass every Sunday. They are only prohibited from receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist, both inside and outside of Mass.FWIW, you gotta be careful when reading the Catholic Encyclopedia with regard to matters of Canon Law. The CE can be really out of date (it’s very old).
But I think they are not outdated in this matter. Here’s what the CIC 1983 says:
Participating in Mass is, I believe, considered celebrating (#2). In fact, as I read #2, it seems that the excommunicate cannot even pray a private Rosary (which is a sacramental)! That’s something I had never thought about.
So I can just assume the Catholic Encyclopedia is wrong and the excommunicated can participate in public worship. Thanks all.Participating in Mass is not actually considered celebrating. Excommunication does not exclude them from the obligation that every believer has to attend Mass every Sunday. They are only prohibited from receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist, both inside and outside of Mass.
I also believe it is a step to far to say that they cannot pray the rosary. The key word in that clause is ‘celebrate’. If that meant that the excommunicated person had to avoid all sacramentals, then that would be impossible to enact in reality, as the Catholic Church readily admits that everything has the potential to be a sacramental, as it has been created by God, and as such, is able to convey special instances of God’s grace to the individual believer. Celebrate means that they cannot lead sacramental devotions or ministerially convey sacramentals upon others, such as the blessing of objects or the renewal of marriage vows. Participating in sacramental graces may even be accidental. For example, if one happens to glance at a crucifix and is unexpectedly moved by the Lord’s Passion, that is accidental participation in the sacramental that is the crucifix.
What makes him more qualified than the Pope or anyone else on this? Canon lawyers may have their place but why do we need a canon lawyer to say the Catholic Church says excommunicated Catholics are still obligated to attend Mass? Is the faith that complicated that lawyers are needed for so much? I already knew that much. And attending Mass would be participating in public worship. So the Catholic Encyclopedia was just wrong on that statement and it’s been settled as far as I am concerned that the excommunicated can indeed participate in public worship. In fact they are encouraged to do so by the Church in the form of attending Mass. I was not questioning if they were able to celebrate a Mass or serve on the altar in any capacity. And I already knew they were told not to receive. Thanks everyone for your answers. Peace and God bless!“sigh” I’ll get dans0622 the canon lawyer again. He’s qualified to answer this question.
Yes, it is quite well established that the Catholic Encyclopedia predates even the 1917 Code of Canon Law.I’ve noticed something about the Newadvent.org Catholic encyclopedia we have been debating that may be the source of the confusion. All of the information put forth in the article is incredibly outdated. I went through the article and have not found a single reference that was from a document after 1900.
They may attend Mass (indeed are still required to), but for the laity it means they cannot perform any liturgical function. This means that they may not be a reader, EMHC, or cantor. They also are not supposed to receive blessings or any sacrament other than reconciliation. So in short, they can sit in the pew, but are not supposed to approach the altar.So I can just assume the Catholic Encyclopedia is wrong and the excommunicated can participate in public worship. Thanks all.
The reason I asked him to come is because he understands the context and connotations of certain words that we laypeople may not know. He also knows more history about Canon Law, especially considering the fact that this article predates the 1917 Code of Canon Law.What makes him more qualified than the Pope or anyone else on this? Canon lawyers may have their place but why do we need a canon lawyer to say the Catholic Church says excommunicated Catholics are still obligated to attend Mass? Is the faith that complicated that lawyers are needed for so much? I already knew that much. And attending Mass would be participating in public worship. So the Catholic Encyclopedia was just wrong on that statement and it’s been settled as far as I am concerned that the excommunicated can indeed participate in public worship. In fact they are encouraged to do so by the Church in the form of attending Mass. I was not questioning if they were able to celebrate a Mass or serve on the altar in any capacity. And I already knew they were told not to receive. Thanks everyone for your answers. Peace and God bless!
I would not have thought so, except that #1 specifically proscribes “any ministerial participation.” If #2 applies only to ministerial participation then it is redundant. So, to me (NOT a Canon Lawyer) I must think that #2 refers to something OTHER than ministerial participation. And I cannot think of anything that could fit that definition besides the guys in the pews.Participating in Mass is not actually considered celebrating.
Again, I would have agreed with this statement, except that it SEEMS to me to be contradicted by Canon Law. Attending Mass is BOTH an obligation AND a privilege. The Church could revoke the privilege, which would necessarily revoke the obligation.Excommunication does not exclude them from the obligation that every believer has to attend Mass every Sunday.
Yeah, that took me by surprise also.I also believe it is a step to[o] far to say that they cannot pray the rosary.
But sacramentals (like Indulgences) are exercises of the temporal authority of the Church. The acts are meaningless apart from the Church. If the Church denies sacramentals to the excommunicate, then there is no Grace associated with them.The key word in that clause is ‘celebrate’. If that meant that the excommunicated person had to avoid all sacramentals, then that would be impossible to enact in reality, as the Catholic Church readily admits that everything has the potential to be a sacramental, as it has been created by God, and as such, is able to convey special instances of God’s grace to the individual believer.
But they can sit in the pew and worship publicly, say the prayers, sing the hymns, right?They may attend Mass (indeed are still required to), but for the laity it means they cannot perform any liturgical function. This means that they may not be a reader, EMHC, or cantor. They also are not supposed to receive blessings or any sacrament other than reconciliation. So in short, they can sit in the pew, but are not supposed to approach the altar.
None taken.The reason I asked him to come is because he understands the context and connotations of certain words that we laypeople may not know. He also knows more history about Canon Law, especially considering the fact that this article predates the 1917 Code of Canon Law.
No offense, but we don’t need armchair canon lawyers who think they can be commenters on canon law, just like we don’t need armchair teachers who don’t know how much work a teacher has to do to care for their students.
The Old Catholic Encyclopedia is not “wrong”. It is correct according to the canon law in force at the time it was written.So I can just assume the Catholic Encyclopedia is wrong and the excommunicated can participate in public worship. Thanks all.
See Just Lurking’s post. The canon you reference does not prohibit the excommunicated from attending Mass nor from participating in prayers of the Mass. Celebrating is what the clergy do.I would not have thought so
Yes, and we should pray for them for the grace to come back fully to the Church. The Lord created them and loves them.But they can sit in the pew and worship publicly, say the prayers, sing the hymns, right?
The excommunicate is just that…a former communicate. No longer being a communicate makes the person is not authorized to receive the Eucharist, therefore is not required to receive one a year.If an excommunicated person cannot receive Eucharist, then he is forever in violation of the Church commandment to received Eucharist during Easter time. He is therefore damned. What say you?