Jonwin wrote:
Your citation is correct in that one may be excommunicated and still be Christian, but they are not a member in good standing of the RC church.
Of course they're not in good standing. They've been excommunicated. That's considerably different from no longer being Catholic, period.
For giggles, here's the definition of excommunication from the Catechism:
The Vatican wrote:
Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them.
...and then, under "Censures"...
The Vatican wrote:
An excommunicated person is forbidden:
to have any ministerial participation in celebrating the sacrifice of the Eucharist or any other ceremonies of worship whatsoever;to celebrate the sacraments or sacramentals and to receive the sacraments;to exercise any ecclesiastical offices, ministries, or functions whatsoever or to place acts of governance.
If the excommunication has been imposed or declared, the offender:
who wishes to act against the prescript of §1, n. 1 must be prevented from doing so, or the liturgical action must be stopped unless a grave cause precludes this;invalidly places acts of governance which are illicit according to the norm of §1, n. 3;is forbidden to benefit from privileges previously granted;cannot acquire validly a dignity, office, or other function in the Church;does not appropriate the benefits of a dignity, office, any function, or pension, which the offender has in the Church.That's it. You're not allowed to partake of the Sacraments, unable to hold Church office and ineligible to receive any benefits from the Church. But nowhere does it say that you're stripped of your basic Catholicism.
