Rebirth flame Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 ok, i'm taking justice & peace in high school this year, and our teacher says that having an abortion warrants excommunication. I disagreed with her, however. i do not stand for abortion in the least bit, but i feel that God is forgiving enough to excuse us from any mistake we will make. that being said, 1. does abortion warrant excommunication? 2. what kind of actions do? thanks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted March 6, 2004 Share Posted March 6, 2004 In the current canon law, the following mortal sins result in automatic excommunication: By anyone:[list] [*]Procuring a successful abortion [*]Heresy, schism, and/or apostasy [*]Sacrilegious abuse of the consecrated bread or wine [*]Physical violence against the Pope [*]Being absolved (outside the danger of death) by a priest with whom one has had a sinful sexual relationship [/list] By a priest:[list] [*]Absolving someone (outside the danger of death) with whom the priest has had a sinful sexual relationship [*]Direct violation of the confessional seal [/list] By a bishop:[list] [*]Ordaining someone as a bishop without a pontifical mandate [/list] The excommunication extends to accomplices in these acts, and does not apply under certain mitigating factors (e.g., age, compulation, ignorance). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebirth flame Posted March 6, 2004 Author Share Posted March 6, 2004 thanks a bunch PhatPhred!!! i appreciate it!!! God Bless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 You're welcome. P.S. "compulation" should be "compulsion". Don't know how I did that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EcceNovaFacioOmni Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 If you search Excommunication at NewAdvent.org, there is a large list of offenses that can warrant excommunication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mateo el Feo Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 Here are some good links: [url="http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/abortio2.htm"]Abortion/Excommunication topic at EWTN[/url] [url="http://www.catholicherald.com/saunders/98ws/ws981001.htm"]Abortion/Excommunication topic at Arlington Catholic Herald (Fr. William P. Saunders)[/url] [url="http://www.cin.org/mateo/m920918c.html"]Abortion/Excommunication topic at the Catholic Infomation Network (Fr. Mateo)[/url] [url="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=abortion+excommunication+priest"]My Google Search (~3000 sites!)[/url] God bless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebirth flame Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 thanks guys!!! i appreciate it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Huether Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 On the abortion issue. Indeed it does merit excommunication. I believe that even those who are a dirrect influence / support for the one getting the abortion will be excommunicated. Abortion is murder in the highest degree. It is killing an innocent child. Anyway. Hopefully those links cover it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 [quote name='thedude' date='Mar 6 2004, 11:26 PM']If you search Excommunication at NewAdvent.org, there is a large list of offenses that can warrant excommunication.[/quote] There were many more offenses that resulted in excommunication in the prior incarnations of canon law. The old Catholic Encyclopedia was written before the 1917 Code of Canon Law, which in turn was replaced by the 1983 Code of Canon Law now in force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 i could very well be wrong, but i think PhatPhred listed the things that under current cannon law automatically excommunicate you. the larger list would consist of things that if you did you COULD be excommunicated if the Church took actions to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatPhred Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 (edited) [quote name='Jake Huether' date='Mar 7 2004, 12:40 AM']I believe that even those who are a dirrect influence / support for the one getting the abortion will be excommunicated.[/quote] The canonical criterion for being an accomplice (and thus sharing in the excommunication) is "without their assistance, the crime would not have been committed". Of course, this assumes that the accomplice or accomplices are also Catholics, since non-Catholics can't be excommunicated. Edited March 7, 2004 by PhatPhred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aloysius Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 thats cuz non Catholics themselves choose not to be in communion with the CHurch there's no point in excommunicating them. anyway, excommunication does not equal damning someone to hell, you seemed at least implying that when you said, but i think God would have mercy... excommunication means they cannot receive the sacraments, they are essentially no longer Catholic, unless they publicly renounce their previous sins and repent and seek to come back in communion with the Church. so, of course God's mercy is not cut off from them, but they are cut off from the normative means of salvation, the Church. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adeodatus Posted March 7, 2004 Share Posted March 7, 2004 The automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication can't apply to you if you are ignorant about it. For example, if you don't know abortion incurs an automatic excommunication, you aren't automatically excommunicated. If you're reading this right now, then your excuse about ignorance has just vanished..... :abduction: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebirth flame Posted March 7, 2004 Author Share Posted March 7, 2004 thank you all very much!!! i appreciate all the help God Bless!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Huether Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 [quote name='Adeodatus' date='Mar 7 2004, 07:37 AM'] The automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication can't apply to you if you are ignorant about it. For example, if you don't know abortion incurs an automatic excommunication, you aren't automatically excommunicated. If you're reading this right now, then your excuse about ignorance has just vanished..... :abduction: [/quote] Hahahah! That cracks me up. Like I was talking to some nominal Catholics about things of this nature (like the mortality of grave sins resting on your knowledge of them being grave, etc.). And they were like, "stop telling me these things, your going to send me to hell!" LOL! Because, presumably, if they wallow in their ignorance they will get a free trip to heaven. Better to know, and to please God. Then to not know, and please yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now