Being Excommunicated/Leaving the Catholic Church

Sean7

Hey, I was wondering how someone went about leaving the church? Has anyone ever heard of it happening in Ireland? I know that a person who simply stops practising a religion has technically left it but i was wondering if an official excommunication is possible?

Sean7

My utmost apologies if I'd bothered to search this forum rather than just post I would have seen the recent thread on a similiar topic. So I will alter my question slightly.

Does anyone know what a person would have to do, in modern times, to be excommunicated by the church? Who was the last person excommunicated does anyone know? Is it even in practice anymore?

jhegarty

Sean7 wrote:

My utmost apologies if I'd bothered to search this forum rather than just post I would have seen the recent thread on a similiar topic. So I will alter my question slightly.

Does anyone know what a person would have to do, in modern times, to be excommunicated by the church? Who was the last person excommunicated does anyone know? Is it even in practice anymore?

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_excommunicated_by_the_Roman_Catholic_Church

maitri

Do you assume that the Catholic Church have different rules in Ireland than in the rest of the world?
When I left the Church (In Norway) I just sent a letter to the local parish asking them to remove me from their register because I no longer believed in the catholic dogmas. Then I got an official letter back stating that I was no longer a formal member of the catholic church, as I had requested.

Official excommunication you get, I think, if you are a catholic that "live in sin" (mostly if you live with someone you are not married to, or if you go aroud preaching heresy e.g.)and the priests therefore deny you communion at church, untill you have "streighetened up" your affaires.

I don't know if I have now answered (some of) your questions.

And I am sorry about my bad English...

Scofflaw

Excommunication is easy. I'm excommunicate on several counts - you become so automatically for certain actions. It's different if you were hoping for a personal excommunication.

See this post.


cordially,
scofflaw

Sean7

Scofflaw wrote:

It's different if you were hoping for a personal excommunication

Yes, I was actually.

Gillo

Do you want to leave or actually be excommunicated?

To leave I imagine you simply write to you local priest or bishop. If you want to actually be excommunicated, you'd have to do something to really pi$$ off the church.

Why do you want to be excommunicated as opposed to just leaving?

Scofflaw

Here you go:

ATHEIST FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA INC - EASY STEPS TO EXCOMMUNICATION

Effectively, get yourself technically excommunicate, and then badger them into accepting the fact. I don't think you get a pin, but you might get some kind of acknowledgement.

cordially,
Scofflaw