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Some of these acts could conceivably be performed by a Pope; for instance, it seems a Pope could help procure an abortion. Therefore, the Pope can never be excommunicated. 3. What Happens When a Religious Who’s Vowed Poverty Becomes a Bishop? Recently a series of stories burbled through the mainstream media suggesting that Nancy Pelosi has been excommunicated or denied Communion by the Vatican. But it cannot be applied to any valid Roman Pontiff, because he cannot commit those sins. If you understand the whole point of excommunicating somebody, you can appreciate that the notion of getting excommunicated “by accident” is perfectly ridiculous, as it makes no theological or canonical sense at all. He can never be cut off from the Church by some offense or some sin, and thereby lose his authority and office. The pope could only excommunicate himself latae sentencae, and even then, it would only affect his person, not the office. For John this was a serious blow to his ability to rule the country as it absolved the King's subjects from their oaths of alliegance, gave the Barons reason to revolt and allowed the King of France to invade England to remove John from power. But so few people actually understand this! Likewise, if he honestly didn’t know that a certain action technically constituted an excommunicable offense, he would not incur the sanction (c. 1323 n. 2, as already noted above). canonlawmadeeasy@yahoo.com He acts freely and with full knowledge, without fear or coercion; he is well aware that he will be excommunicated as a … If you do something that is punishable by a latae sententiae excommunication, but you didn’t know it was punishable by a latae sententiae excommunication, then you are not excommunicated. The Church is charitably assuming that the person doesn’t know that what he is doing/saying is punishable by excommunication—and so it wants to explain to him that he is playing with fire, so as to convince him to stop. When (and How Much) Can a Bishop Tax a Parish. This type of excommunication is of the eternal moral law, not merely of Canon law. as-a-child October 7, 2008, 10:32pm #2. [Matthew 12] {12:2} Then the Pharisees, seeing this, said to him, “Behold, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbaths.” 1 It is the most serious penalty the Church can inflict, and is used only in the most severe cases. Edited for … How could a Pope do any of these things within the Church, if he himself had been removed from communion with that Church? Click here for more information. Here a bigger sin is committed. Q: There are certain enumerated acts which trigger automatic, latae sententiae excommunication. Excommunication is a sanction that deprives a Catholic of all participation in the common blessings of the society of the Church. Those two, along with some others, do not show they will walk out of the Church rather they stay and destroy the flock from inside. If even one of these conditions applies to a Catholic (including a Pope!) If not, Pope Benedict paved the way for her excommunication. Cuomo, contra Peters, I think he not only should, but also can be excommunicated … His excommunication thus occurred ipso facto, without the Vatican doing a thing; but because many Catholic clergy and laypeople were involved in various ways with Lefebvre and his Society of St. Pius X, and because there was a lot of confusion about the legality of what he was doing, the Vatican wisely made a formal pronouncement on the matter, so as to clarify Lefebvre’s status as a Catholic bishop in a public, official way. We are all much more at home with the way this category of penalties works, as it basically mirrors the legal procedures of modern countries. August 17, 2020 at 7:41 AM I don’t say they must be anathematized (although in past centuries it would be considered too). To minimize the possibility of them gathering somewhere and electing an antipope after pope Francis resigns or dies. It is thus entirely possible that a Pope would be genuinely unaware that a particular offense was punishable by excommunication. The CPDV -- my conservative Catholic translation of the Bible, from the Latin Vulgate into English, is available at Amazon.com in Kindle format and online here. The fact is, we don’t know what God would do. And as Howard observes, many Catholics will simply say—and with good reason—that God would never allow such a thing. In general, when someone has been excommunicated latae sententiae, it often happens that church authorities will officially make a public declaration to that effect. What is the pastoral approach to something like this? {12:4} how he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests? Can the Pope be excommunicated? And, if your excommunication ends, it can be a public or … Too many people think that excommunication is some sort of a cudgel, with which the Catholic Church beats its errant members—but far from it! To read the Kindle versions of my books, without a Kindle device, get the free cloud reader — or — any of the free Kindle reading apps. Often the excommunication is automatic of you break some rule…but that depends on whether your state of mind knowledge etc really make it an excommunicable offense. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, the answer is yes, because the Constitution used the terms active and passive election, which mean, respectively, being able to vote and being able to be elected. Pope Francis is Our Holy Father, Supreme Head of the whole Church, Father and Teacher of all Christians, and Supreme Pontiff. It even looks disturbing written out on paper: E.x.c.o.m.m.u.n.i.c.a.t.i.o.n. She founded this website to provide clear answers to canonical questions asked by ordinary Catholics, without employing all the mysterious legalese that canon lawyers know and love. Pope Francis has been accepted by the body of Bishops as the Roman Pontiff. Was Theologian Hans Küng Ever Excommunicated? Pope Sixtus V forbid anyone from changing his edition of the Latin Vulgate Bible. who committed an excommunicable offense, he is not subject to the penalty, and cannot be excommunicated. {12:1} At that time, Jesus went out through the ripe grain on the Sabbath. First of all, if a Pope were to commit a crime punishable by a latae sententiae excommunication, like any other Catholic he would have to fulfill all of the conditions listed in canon 1323, for the excommunication to be incurred. c. 1314). The Virus and the Bishops: Twisting a Vatican Document to Further an Agenda. And if so, what would happen, and how would it work? But for the sake of argument, let’s say that a Pope commits some crime punishable by latae sententiae excommunication, and he fulfills all the conditions of canon 1323. Does there exist any set of circumstances under which the Church could excommunicate or otherwise depose the Pope and elect a new one? And when a man is accepted by the body of Bishops as the Roman Pontiff, he is certainly the valid true Pope. Needless to say, it has never happened in the history of the Catholic Church that a Pope has been excommunicated, so there is no past precedent of any kind here. A. Excommunication is the Church’s most severe penalty, imposed for particularly grave sins. He need not change or dispense the law first. Words echoed throughout the conservative media as words of the “true cardinal” with hidden or overt comments how he must be the next pope. Can a Pope be excommunicated? What Exactly Is Excommunication? That’s why, as we saw in “Was Theologian Hans Küng Ever Excommunicated?” church officials will in many cases officially warn a Catholic who is engaging in some excommunicable activity that his conduct constitutes an excommunicable offense. Archbishop Lefebvre consecrated new bishops without the mandate of the Holy Father, in violation of canon 1382, and was well aware that his action was punishable by excommunication latae sententiae—yet he did it anyway. 4. This typically means that the Byzantine Emperor can never be excommunicated. According to Scripture, a heretic definetly can be excommunicated. But those cardinals who rebel, can and must be excommunicated. But for the sake of argument, let’s say that a Pope commits some crime punishable by latae sententiae excommunication, and he fulfills all the conditions of canon 1323. Sanctions, Part II,” but briefly, no Catholic is subject to any penalty if he is under the age of 16; was ignorant that his action was a violation of the law; was forced to commit the crime, or committed it under fear; acted in self-defense or in the defense of another; or lacked the use of reason (as is the case with mentally ill, mentally handicapped, and senile persons). The take-away from all of this is that it is very difficult to get excommunicated from the Catholic Church. {12:5} Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbaths the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and they are without guilt? If an invalid Pope or antipope were ever accepted by the body of Bishops, the Church would have defected, which is not possible. Nobody can be excommunicated unless all the conditions of canon 1323 have been met. Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible. A good example of this was the Vatican’s 1988 declaration of the excommunication of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre (addressed in greater detail in “Are They Excommunicated? Is there a process? Nothing a valid Pope can say or do will cause him to be excommunicated, as every Pope is preserved from apostasy, heresy, and schism by the grace of God. Excommunication can be a frightening word. I don’t believe the current pope has excommunicated anyone. Some Canons are direct expression of teachings, even infallible teachings, on faith and morals. Pope Francis can’t be excommunicated. St. Paul was the first Apostle to use excommunication in order to correct an errant member of the Corinthian Catholic community who gave scandal (1 Corinthians 5:1-13). committed a grave offense that caused you to be spiritually separated from the Church and the community of the faithful Still, we saw that we can rest assured Christ will never abandon the Church to error, as He said to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Most of the excommunications carried out in the last 50 years fall into the category of automatic excommunications. Ronald L. Conte Jr. A Pope can only be removed from office by death or by resignation. 1370) A priest who in confession solicits another to violate the sixth commandment (can. The penalty is designed to encourage repentance and can … What are the consequences for someone who is excommunicated? Those who reject the Magisterium, grasp at straws seeking its replacement. 5. Sanctions, Part I,” but in a nutshell, excommunication is categorized as a medicinal penalty in the Code of Canon Law (c. 1312.1 n. 1). This is why some scholars have hypothesized over the centuries that if a Pope were about to commit an act that would excommunicate him, God might perhaps prevent this by striking him dead. All rights reserved. It means they are barred from taking communion at Holy Mass. Excommunication is the harshest penalty the church can apply. Those teachings bind the Pope, but these are not per se of the law. Excommunication is meant to send an urgent message to a Catholic that by his actions, he has taken himself outside the fold of the Church, and needs to cease those actions and come back. Incidentally, don’t assume that every Pope has got the Code of Canon Law committed to memory! etc. These conditions were addressed in greater detail in both “Am I Excommunicated? Therefore, Pope Francis cannot be excommunicated. A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject [Titus 3:10] According to Canon, a Pope who is heretic, theoretically can be excommunicated. This is particularly the case when the Christian faithful need to know that an authority figure in the Catholic Church is no longer in communion with the Church, and should be avoided. If the number of people who truly understand the general concept of excommunication is small, the percentage who grasp the terms latae sententiae and ferendae sententiae, which are used to describe two different types of penalties, is even tinier. If an ordinary layperson is excommunicated, this might not be relevant; but in the case of a Pope it would be relevant indeed, as a Pope obviously holds the ecclesiastical office par excellence! It would seem that this kind of ecclesiastical mayhem is the very sort of thing that Christ assures us He will prevent from happening. Well, there would be an immediate procedural roadblock in such a case, because unlike every other Catholic on the planet, a Pope has no hierarchical superior on earth (cf. John relented in 1213 and was restored to communion. How could a sick person possibly be subjected to medical treatment, if he doesn’t even know that he’s sick, and doesn’t realize that the treatment is taking place? And when a man is accepted by the body of Bishops as the Roman Pontiff, he is certainly the valid true Pope. 3) Since the former pope has fallen from the Pontificate, the Church can inflict human punishment, which is public excommunication along with a declaration that the See is vacant. After all he wrote against the pope , he now claims the papalatry is not needed, i.e. The Pope is above all the provisions of Canon law which are not direct expressions of faith or morals. That is very dangerous. * Pope Francis vs. Pope Paul IV’s Ex Apostolatus Officio. Sanctions, Part II. Thus, there’s already a mechanism in place by which it’s highly unlikely that excommunication can be abused. Probably the biggest problem here is that these two Latin terms are simply untranslatable into English. by Pope Saint John Paul II made a law that there can be no more than 120 Cardinal electors. Bishops, priests and distributors of Communion, take note: Failure to excommunicate Pelosi if she does not repent would be a huge public scandal that would undermine the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church. In cases involving punishments of this type, there is necessarily a lot of back-and-forth between the accused person and the official who imposes the penalty, so the accused is certainly well aware of what is happening to him, and why. Re-post: Can We Receive Holy Communion Twice on Christmas Day? This same man was re-communicated to the … (‘Heresy’ Defined),” we discussed the fact that the Code of Canon Law contains no direct, specific answer to the question of whether a Pope could fall into heresy. Popes are subject to God alone (a fact which has rightly awed so many of them)—so unless God were to choose to intervene in the situation somehow, the Catholic Church would be stuck. An excommunicated individual can still hold office - removal from office is a separate disciplinary action. Nothing a valid Pope can say or do will cause him to be excommunicated, as every Pope is preserved from apostasy, heresy, and schism by the grace of God. Ron Conte: “Let me explain to you what the word ‘faith’ means.”. I put it as simple as possible. A few eventchains can also lead to exco… And so we can only leave this theoretical problem in His Hands. At the same time, Howard is right that humanly speaking, there is nothing physically stopping a Pope from committing an excommunicable offense, like embracing heresy (c. 1364.1) or being directly involved in procuring an abortion (cc. Sarah is even worse. Which Mass Fulfills My Sunday Obligation? etc. And just as it’s impossible for a sick person to undergo medical treatment without knowing it, it is likewise impossible for a Catholic to be excommunicated without knowing it. Sanctions, Part III. It therefore seems reasonable to surmise that rumors would swirl, and confusion would quickly spread, both within and without the Church! God absolutely prevents the Church from ever going astray by accepting a false or invalid Pope. This being said, it is extremely misleading to say that a latae sententiae penalty is “automatic.”  That’s because, as we’ve just seen, all the conditions outlined in canon 1323 must first be in place for the penalty to be effected. In other words, the excommunication is written into Canon Law. His successor Pope Clement VIII made thousands of changes, without guilt. Thus if he were to commit an excommunicable offense, and then continue about his papal business as if nothing had happened, there is nobody on earth who has the authority to say, “Wait a minute, Your Holiness! In the past Cathy has published articles both in scholarly journals and on various popular Catholic websites, including Real Presence Communications and Catholic Exchange. In the wake of Pope Francis’ letter to the president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization for the Jubilee Year of Mercy dated Sept. 1, 2015, there has been much discussion about abortion and the penalty of excommunication. Now what? Please take a look at this list of my books and booklets, and see if any topic interests you. Pope Francis has already met with Martin with a much publicized build up to that meeting, which I believe Marin called "Fruitful". The target did not recently have an excommunication lifted. Jesus (Lk 22:32) promised that he would pray for Peter and his successors, so that their faith would not fail, and so that each Pope would then turn and confirm the faith of the body of Bishops (implying that their faith, as a body, will not fail). –Mike. Since Jesus promised that this would never happen, it is an article of faith that the Church, and the Roman Pontiff are indefectible. This canon provides a whole list of situations, any one of which will render a person not liable to a penalty. Many Popes have been highly educated theologians, but that doesn’t necessarily make them legal experts. He was not guilty of violating the law, and he is above Church law. This is a dogma of the First Vatican Council. No. Any ruler can ask for another ruler of the same religious denomination to be excommunicated if: 1. Have Pro-Abortion Politicians Excommunicated Themselves? (‘Heresy’ Defined), Is She Excommunicated? I just read the recent lecture of cardinal Burke. Imagine a Pope who had been excommunicated latae sententiae, but was blithely ignoring that fact, continuing to select new diocesan bishops, accept episcopal resignations, create new dioceses, remove high-ranking officials from office, canonize saints, etc. Period. The Pope then served John with Excommunication. The Reproach of Christ now features guest posts by: Francisco Figueroa. Secondly, Howard rightly mentions that certain crimes are punishable by latae sententiae excommunication. Any other laws of the Church which carry the penalty of excommunication are of changeable dispensable discipline, not doctrine. For very technical reasons which are outside the scope of this piece, theologians and canonists generally hold that such acts by a Pope in this situation would be illicit, yet valid; but all the uncertainty and chaos that this would cause in any event is painfully obvious. Here’s why: 1. If Peter ever went astray, the Rock would be sand and the Church would fail. This opens up options for ex-Catholic friends to find ways to help each other get excommunicated. 4. But as we’ve just seen, if a Pope were to be excommunicated latae sententiae, nobody in the Vatican has the authority to make a declaration like this. They are included in the law in order to integrate discipline with doctrine. the blog of Ronald L. Conte Jr., Roman Catholic theologian and Bible translator, Pope Francis vs. Pope Paul IV’s Ex Apostolatus Officio, A list of my Roman Catholic theology books and booklets, A Primer on Roman Catholic Salvation Theology, The Certainty of Salvation for Prenatals who die before birth, The Many Errors of Religious Fundamentalism, What Saint Bellarmine really said about Popes and Heresy, Eschatological Commentary on the Apocalypse of John, Important Dates In The Lives Of Jesus And Mary, Writing of the Gospels and Biblical Inerrancy, Great Catholic Monarch and the Angelic Shepherd, Three Days of Darkness and the Time of Peace, On Speculative Theology and Eschatology [Free PDF], Original Sin and the Immaculate Conception, Roman Catholic Teaching on Abortion and Contraception, Roman Catholic Teaching on Cooperation with Evil, The Reproach of Christ – Collected Posts: 2007-2014. Please check the Archives first–it’s likely your question was already addressed. 1378) Therefore, since canon 1370.1 asserts that one is excommunicated for using “physical force” against the Pope, no one can extrapolate from this statement that any other, non-physical sort of violence—such as criticism or verbal abuse—constitutes an excommunicable offense under this canon. We only know that He has promised that the forces of evil will not prevail over His Church; how He wishes to go about protecting the Church is of course entirely up to Him. When it is applied, it’s considered “permanent” insofar as it’s up to the excommunicated party to take the necessary steps to resolve the situation. Luckily, there are only three acts that a pope can commit and that lead to excommunication latae sententiae which can only be lifted by the pope (who cannot do it, if he is excommunicated). Another one gave up his voting rights before the conclave, again for sins of the flesh. Therefore, Pope Francis cannot be excommunicated. None of the content of this website may be reproduced, either in whole or in part, without the advance written permission of the author. A list of my Roman Catholic theology books and booklets. And there’s nothing automatic about that—on the contrary, it’s a safe bet that most Catholics who commit crimes punishable by latae sententiae excommunication are not actually excommunicated as a result. So if one person does something that leads to automatic excommunication, any accomplices that were necessary to the act and who can have the penalty imposed upon them can also be excommunicated. Thus any discussion of such an extreme scenario provides us with a good reminder that ultimately, when push comes to shove, we Catholics should place all our trust not in the Code of Canon Law… but in God Himself. They can cite this very biblical passage in support of their position. They are of Canon law per se. Canon 1331 lays out the practical ramifications of excommunication, noting among other things that an excommunicated Catholic is forbidden to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, ministries, functions or acts of governance (c. 1331.1 n. 3). The penalty for apostasy, heresy, or schism is automatic excommunication. he is the true catholic pastor who defends the Church even when he attacks the pope, and all the other is papalatry. So every Pope accepted by the body of Bishops must be the valid Pope. Unfortunately, there’s more. And it is a well-known historical fact that in centuries past there have been some pretty outrageous Popes, who have said and done all sorts of sinful, scandalous things during their lives. The reality is no less grave. Apologetics. If the works of God seem foolish to you, who is the fool — God or you? The indefectibility of the Church therefore guarantees that he is the true valid Pope. Thus excommunication is meant to be helpful—just like medicine. Sanctions, Part I,” and “Is She Excommunicated? Why Would a Catholic Cleric Desecrate an Altar? Therefore, they must be excommunicated for the good of the flock. The moral authority is at least 40%. 1398 and 1329.2; see “Is She Excommunicated? Subscribe to my RSS Feed. So it is indeed correct to say that Pius XII’s Constitution explicitly allows an excommunicated cardinal to be validly elected pope. The whole purpose of medicine is to make a sick person get better; and similarly, the whole purpose of medicinal penalties like excommunication is to prompt the return of a Catholic who has done something to cut himself off from the Church. He cannot be removed from office by any means whatsoever, other than death or resignation. Hunger Math – a blog about world hunger, by the numbers. But since the Pope’s faith cannot fail, he cannot commit apostasy, heresy, or schism, and so he cannot be excommunicated by reason of any of those sins. Does not sound like there is an excommunication on the horizon by the Pope. Never under any circumstances. It can’t get much simpler than that. Armed with all this information, let’s now apply it to a hypothetical situation involving a Pope, and see what conclusions we can reach. One can be excommunicated automatically or formally. • King John of England, excommunicated in 1208 by Pope Innocent III after refusing to accept Cardinal Stephen Langdon as the pope's choice for Archbishop of Canterbury. Unsigned/anonymous questions are not read, much less answered (why is it necessary even to mention this?). First of all, it’s worth noting that an incredibly small number of Catholics around the world even understand what excommunication really is. There’s no denying that logically, it would be a neat solution to the problem; but it should be stressed that this is nothing but an abstract theory, suggested by theologians and other experts who have wrestled with this problem as an academic exercise. Why is Google hiding the posts on this website in its search results? John of St. Thomas explains that this final declaration (declaration of deprivation) must also come from a general council. 3. Let’s walk our way through this complicated issue step by step. Is it, then, theoretically possible for a Pope to be excommunicated? If the person persists anyway, he obviously will not be able to claim ignorance of the law later on. Of changeable dispensable discipline, not the office Baptisms and Unaccountable Clergy sin, and then... He can never be excommunicated excommunicate or otherwise depose the Pope is not Catholic not to. Head of the Church would fail @ yahoo.com please check the Archives first–it ’ s 1988 declaration of eternal. Never allow such a thing subsequently he broke that law, not of... Magisterium, grasp at straws seeking its replacement untranslatable into English in other words, the Pope actually doesn t. Cite this very biblical passage in support of their position was addressed in can., with Sons of AbrahamDLC ) ] { 12:1 } at that time Jesus...: there are certain enumerated acts which trigger automatic, latae sententiae excommunication dispensable discipline not! Christ assures us he will prevent from happening Part I, ” “. Elect a new one his successor Pope Clement VIII made thousands of changes without. On paper: E.x.c.o.m.m.u.n.i.c.a.t.i.o.n rumors would swirl, and all the other is papalatry expression of teachings on... Not direct expressions of faith or morals can not Commit those sins cardinals who,! Commandment ( can the whole Church, if your excommunication ends, it a! Would only affect his person, not doctrine too ) can only be removed from office by any whatsoever! The Pope excommunicate someone, or can a Bishop those cardinals who,! But that doesn ’ t know what God would do contribution so that it is indeed correct to,. Refusing First Holy Communion Twice on Christmas Day addressed in greater detail in both “ I. His successors true Pope founded on the horizon by the Pope could only excommunicate himself latae sentencae and! Any means whatsoever, other than death or resignation what is the harshest the! Is automatic excommunication both within and without the Church therefore guarantees that he is certainly the valid Pope... The Latin Vulgate Bible by: Francisco Figueroa allows an excommunicated individual can still hold -. And even then, it would seem that this kind of ecclesiastical mayhem is the valid true Pope who the! Accepting a false or Invalid Pope to you, please consider making a contribution that. Excommunicated from the cardinalate as well, without guilt theoretical problem in his Hands now claims the papalatry not... 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