Rachel Evans
Excommunication is a formal exclusion from the Christian Church and its sacraments. It is a penalty, or censure, imposed by the Catholic Church on those who have committed serious offenses, such as heresy, apostasy, or schism. The excommunicated are barred from receiving the Eucharist or from taking an active part in the liturgy. It is not meant to obtain justice or satisfaction but to awaken the individual's conscience to repentance. Excommunication is a severe penalty and is only imposed as a last resort. It is not meant to be a permanent exclusion, but rather a corrective measure to encourage the individual to change their behavior and return to the Church.
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What You'll Learn
What does excommunication mean?
Excommunication is a penalty, or a censure, imposed by the Catholic Church. It is a medicinal penalty, not intended to obtain justice or satisfaction, but to encourage the individual to repent and return to normal functioning within the Church. Excommunication is not the same as being kicked out of the Church, but it does deprive the individual of the rights of Church membership and the sacraments. Excommunicated individuals are prohibited from performing acts of governance and from taking an active part in the liturgy.
There are two types of excommunication: latae sententiae excommunication, which takes place automatically upon the commission of a particular crime, and ferendae sententiae excommunication, which is imposed after a bishop has warned a person, but they continue offending. Excommunication can be imposed by a competent authority, such as a bishop, through a canonical process, or it can be automatic, as dictated by canon law.
Some examples of excommunication within the Catholic Church include:
- Bouchard IV of Avesnes, excommunicated in 1216 for violating clerical celibacy
- King Andrew II of Hungary, excommunicated in 1231 for not following the Golden Bull of 1222
- Pope Honorius I
- Saint Athanasius
- Saint Joan of Arc
- Fr. Robert Marrone, excommunicated in 2013 for direct disobedience to orders from the bishop
Excommunication is not unique to the Catholic Church. The Methodist Episcopal Church, for example, also practices excommunication after a trial before a jury of one's peers. The Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection includes "homosexuality, lesbianism, bi-sexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and any attempt to alter one's gender by surgery", as well as remarriage after divorce, among its excommunicable offences.
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Why does the Catholic Church excommunicate people?
Excommunication is a formal exclusion from the Christian Church and its sacraments. It is a penalty, or censure, and is considered the most serious punishment that the Catholic Church can inflict, reserved for grave offenses. The purpose of excommunication is to correct individuals who have committed serious offenses, including heresy, and to maintain the unity of the Church. It is a last resort, and typically only imposed after other attempts at reconciliation have failed.
Excommunication is a medicinal penalty, not an expiatory or vindictive one. It is not meant to obtain justice or satisfaction, but to awaken an individual's conscience to repentance and to reintegrate them within the community. Excommunication is not the same as being kicked out of the Church, but it does severs one from communion with the Church. Excommunicated Catholics are forbidden from receiving the Eucharist or from taking an active part in the liturgy, such as reading or bringing offerings. They are also deprived of a Catholic burial.
There are two types of excommunication: latae sententiae excommunication, which takes place automatically upon the commission of a particular crime, and ferendae sententiae excommunication, which is imposed by a bishop after a person has been warned but continues to offend. Some offenses that can lead to excommunication include heresy, apostasy, schism, misuse of consecrated species, physical violence against the pope, and procuring an abortion.
Excommunication can be imposed by a competent authority, usually a bishop, through a canonical process. In some cases, the local bishop has the authority to remove excommunications, but many bishops delegate this power to their parish priests when it involves a penitent confessing the mortal sin of abortion.
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Who can excommunicate someone?
Excommunication is a penalty, or "censure", in the Catholic Church. It is not meant to obtain justice or satisfaction but to encourage the individual to repent and return to the Church. Excommunication is not meant to be permanent and is not meant to "kick out" members but to encourage them to change their behaviour or attitude.
Excommunication can be imposed by the competent authority, usually a bishop, through a canonical process. In some cases, the Pope may also excommunicate someone, as seen with Pope Innocent III's excommunication of Bouchard IV of Avesnes in 1216. The Pope may also issue a letter stating that someone has incurred automatic excommunication, as seen in 1988 when the Pope sent a letter stating that six men had incurred automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication.
The bishop's authority to excommunicate someone was restricted to those persons who resided in his see. Bishops were also authorized to submit a writ to have an individual imprisoned.
In the case of abortion, the local ordinary (bishop) can remit the excommunication or delegate that authority to the priests of his diocese.
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What happens when someone is excommunicated?
Excommunication is a penalty, or a censure, imposed by the Catholic Church. It is not meant to obtain justice or satisfaction but to act as a "medicinal penalty" that awakens an individual's conscience to repentance. In other words, it is intended to invite the person to change their behaviour or attitude, repent, and return to full communion. Excommunication is the most serious penalty the Catholic Church can inflict and is reserved for grave offences.
There are two types of excommunication: latae sententiae excommunication and ferendae sententiae excommunication. Latae sententiae excommunication, also known as "automatic excommunication", occurs when someone commits an act that is specifically punished in canon law by a penalty of automatic excommunication. Ferendae sententiae excommunication, on the other hand, is imposed by a bishop after warning the individual, but they continue to offend.
The effects of excommunication include being barred from receiving the sacraments, such as the Eucharist, and from taking an active part in the liturgy. Excommunicated individuals are also prohibited from performing acts of governance, although these acts can still be valid even if they are not lawful. Additionally, excommunicated Catholics are refused a Catholic burial but remain bound by canonical obligations such as attending Mass.
Excommunication in the Catholic Church is normally resolved by a declaration of repentance, profession of the Creed (if the offence involved heresy), and an Act of Faith or renewal of obedience. The excommunication is then lifted by a priest or bishop.
It is important to note that excommunication does not mean being kicked out of the Church. While it used to have this meaning, today it is a penalty with specific effects. The misunderstanding arises from interpreting the word "excommunication" based on its word origins rather than its current usage.
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Who are some notable people who have been excommunicated?
Excommunication is the harshest penalty available to the Roman Catholic Church, and it means that the excommunicated person must be shunned by their community. Here are some notable people who have been excommunicated:
- Fidel Castro, excommunicated in 1962 by Pope John XXIII, based on a 1949 decree that forbade Catholics from becoming Communists.
- Henry VIII, excommunicated in 1538 by Pope Paul III after demanding an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn.
- Martin Luther, excommunicated by Pope Leo X in 1521 for refusing to recant his heretical teachings, which fuelled the Protestant Reformation.
- Napoleon, excommunicated by Pope Pius VII in 1809 after occupying and annexing Rome.
- Photios I, Patriarch of Constantinople, excommunicated by Pope Nicholas I in 863 for illegally raising himself to the Patriarchal See in violation of church law.
- Fr. Robert Marrone, excommunicated on March 6, 2013, by Bishop Richard Gerard Lennon of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, for direct disobedience to orders from the bishop.
- Fr. Roberto Francisco Daniel, also known as "Father Beto", excommunicated by Bishop Caetano Ferrari of Bauru, Brazil, for refusing to apologize for his statement that love was possible between people of the same sex.
- Fr. Greg Reynolds of Melbourne, Australia, excommunicated in 2013 for celebrating Mass when not permitted, advocating for the ordination of women, and promoting same-sex marriage.
- Fr. Jose Mercau, excommunicated in 2014 as part of the Catholic Church sexual abuse cases scandal.
- Samantha Hudson, a Spanish drag artist, was excommunicated in 2015 by the bishop of Mallorca for a controversial music video about the oppression the LGBTQ+ community faces.
- Fr. Natale Santonocito, parish priest of the San Cesareo Church in the diocese of Tivoli, excommunicated for schism by Monsignor Mauro Parmeggiani, Bishop of Tivoli, on January 28, 2025.
- Bouchard IV of Avesnes, excommunicated in 1216 by Pope Innocent III for violating Clerical celibacy in the Catholic Church.
- King Andrew II of Hungary, excommunicated in 1231 for not following the points of the Golden Bull of 1222, a bill of rights containing new dispositions related to the tithe and hostile practices against Jews and Muslims.
- Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, excommunicated three times, the first by Pope Gregory IX in 1227 for delaying his promise to begin the Fifth Crusade.
- Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor, publicly the most excommunicated individual, with 5 separate excommunications from 3 different Popes.
- Popes Honorius and Leo I.
- Saints Athanasius, Columba, Joan of Arc, Mary Mackillop, and Leo I.
- Juan Perón, excommunicated in 1955 for attempting to legalize divorce and prostitution and expelling two Catholic priests.
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Frequently asked questions
Excommunication is a penalty, or censure, imposed on individuals who have committed serious offenses. It is a formal exclusion from the Church and its sacraments, and it involves the deprivation of any previously held office or ministry. Excommunicated individuals are prohibited from performing acts of governance and are barred from receiving the Eucharist or taking an active part in the liturgy.
There are several offenses that can lead to excommunication, including heresy, apostasy, schism, misuse of consecrated species, physical violence against the Pope, and procuring an abortion. Excommunication can also result from direct and intentional violation of the seal of confession, ordaining a bishop without authorization from the Holy See, or absolution of an accomplice in a sin requiring excommunication.
The authority to excommunicate typically lies with the competent authority, usually a bishop, through a canonical process. In some cases, the local bishop has the authority to remove excommunications, but they may delegate this power to parish priests, especially in cases involving abortion. However, some excommunications are so serious that only the Pope or their delegate can remove the penalty, such as in cases of desecrating the Holy Eucharist.
The effects of excommunication include the loss of certain sacraments and privileges. Excommunicated individuals are prohibited from receiving the Eucharist, taking part in the liturgy, or administering sacramentals. They are also deprived of a Catholic burial. Additionally, excommunication can result in the removal from any previously held office or ministry and the loss of income or privileges granted by the Church.
Yes, excommunication is reversible. It is not meant to be a permanent exclusion from the Church but rather a corrective measure to invite the individual to change their behavior, repent, and return to full communion. The excommunication can be lifted when the person confesses their sin, seeks reconciliation, and receives absolution.
