Validity of Excommunication of Athanasius

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James924

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Although we, retrospectively, know that Saint Athanasius was not in the wrong, was Pope Liberius’ excommunication of him still technically and canonically a valid excommunication?
 
James924 said:
Although we, retrospectively, know that Saint Athanasius was not in the wrong, was Pope Liberius’ excommunication of him still technically and canonically a valid excommunication?
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I get the feeling that between this and the other thread, you’re trying to either:
  1. Prove that Archbishop Lefebvre excommunication was invalid or never happened, so you can argue this with those who say that it was.
  2. Prove that it did happen so you can have arguments to use against those who say it didn’t.
I’m leaning towards the first one, that you want to prove they weren’t valid, but I could be wrong.
 
Melchior said:
I get the feeling that between this and the other thread, you’re trying to either:
  1. Prove that Archbishop Lefebvre excommunication was invalid or never happened, so you can argue this with those who say that it was.
  2. Prove that it did happen so you can have arguments to use against those who say it didn’t.
I’m leaning towards the first one, that you want to prove they weren’t valid, but I could be wrong.
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Seeing as I do not know the answers and do not yet have an opinion, either of them (1 or 2) is fine, so long as it leads to the truth. Both Econe and the fall of Liberius are new topics that I am recently delving into.

Aside from an analysis of my motive, did you have any information to contribute? (not that I mind the analysis, of course, but I have seen threads get derailed faster on these forums than a rocket full of monkeys and I’d prefer that didn’t happen to this one).
 
James924 said:
Although we, retrospectively, know that Saint Athanasius was not in the wrong, was Pope Liberius’ excommunication of him still technically and canonically a valid excommunication?
Click to expand...
I cannot answer your question according to modern Roman/Latin Catholic theory, but I am interested in the responses you get. It is a good question, and you deserve a straightforward answer.

There is a third possibility though. Excommunication does not always mean a person is removed from the church! Especially true of excommunications between bishops. One has to examine the older ecclesiology of the church to see this possibility more clearly.
 
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