How to get Excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church?

topmanamillion

Anyone know of a way to do this? That doesn't involve 7 trials or a bit of alone time in the desert.
I'd be really interested in getting excommunicated.
There'd be a novelty factor to it and any excommunication that I got would be framed and have pride of place.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers

I don't think they give out certificates.... Also, you'd still be part of the church. Just not able to receive communion, among other things

pauldla

^^^

What Second_Toughest said. Excommunication doesn't mean 'You are no longer a Catholic', it means 'You're such a bad Catholic that we won't let you receive sacraments (is it all sacraments? I do not know)...but you're still a Catholic'.

Novelty factor, though? You want to be excommunicated for a novelty?

Cabaal

I suppose since the catholic church won't actually allow you to leave for some people it could be considered something if atleast the catholic church viewed them as so bad they won't provide them with services anymore,

dinorebel

Snort coke and keep Nazi memorabilia.

Squall Leonhart

Dara O'Briain once said something along the lines of

"I'm Catholic. I don't believe in god, but, still Catholic. It's the most adhesive religion known to man"

In the eyes of the Catholic church it seems once you've ever been Catholic, you'll always be Catholic!

Lucena

Cabaal wrote: »

I suppose since the catholic church won't actually allow you to leave for some people it could be considered something if atleast the catholic church viewed them as so bad they won't provide them with services anymore,

We're not allowed to leave? Were there not people getting in contact a while back to get removed from the membership list? Or has that changed?

Squall Leonhart

Nope, you're not allowed to leave!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_act_of_defection_from_the_Catholic_Church

In late August 2010, the Holy See confirmed that it was no longer possible to defect formally from the Catholic Church. However, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin declared on 12 October 2010 that it intended to keep a register of those who expressed the wish to defect.

Cabaal

Lucena wrote: »

We're not allowed to leave? Were there not people getting in contact a while back to get removed from the membership list? Or has that changed?

You are referring to countmeout.ie

They closed CountMeOut.ie after church law was changed to frustrate people trying to record their defection. Read more details here.

The catholic church closed that loophole by changing Canon Law (their silly laws)

Lucena

Missed my chance, so!

Ah boll*x, that means I have to go to mass on Sunday. No more lie-ins for Lucena.:(

josey_whale

dinorebel wrote: »

Snort coke and keep Nazi memorabilia.

Unlikely to work either

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-35688401

Kiwi in IE

If you want to cease being a Catholic, don't go to a RCC church, don't use the RCC church for rituals such as marriage, baptism etc, mark down either your new religion or no religion on official forms, census etc. The RCC can continue to 'believe' that you are a Catholic to their hearts content, but at the end of the day if you don't believe in their god, or you actively practice another religion, you are not a Catholic are you? The beliefs of the RCC are non reality based in most areas, so this believing non Catholics to be Catholics nonsense is hardly an inconsistency for them. There is very little point in challenging their non sensical beliefs. It is for you to decide whether or not you are a Catholic, not the RCC. I am not a stamp collector, and if the Irish Stamp Collectors Association decided to declare that I was one, it would not make it so.

eviltwin

What Kiwi said. I haven't practiced my religion in 24 years. I don't care what the church say I am NOT Catholic. The only opinion that matters is your own. Enjoy your lie in.

Mr. CooL ICE

♫♫ You can check in at any time of night, but you can never lee-eave ♫♫

*guitar solo*

Squall Leonhart

Just to clarify, my post above wasn't an instruction or a command!

I am not catholic despite being baptised and confirmed, nor do I accept that people can describe me as one because as a child I was brought up in that faith. I'm an atheist.

Lucena

Oh, I'll be having my lie-in, don't ye worry.

I don't need a bit of paper to tell me I'm not what I already know I'm not.

Hotblack Desiato

In late August 2010, the Holy See confirmed that it was no longer possible to defect formally from the Catholic Church. However, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin declared on 12 October 2010 that it intended to keep a register of those who expressed the wish to defect.

The only thing more loony than deciding that people inducted shortly after birth into your organisation are members forever and can't leave, is keeping a list of people who want to leave, who you accept want to leave, but you won't let leave.

topmanamillion

pauldla wrote: »

^^^

What Second_Toughest said. Excommunication doesn't mean 'You are no longer a Catholic', it means 'You're such a bad Catholic that we won't let you receive sacraments (is it all sacraments? I do not know)...but you're still a Catholic'.

Novelty factor, though? You want to be excommunicated for a novelty?

Absolutely what's so strange about that?
Excommunication is a mad notion that everyone is supposed to fear.
I'm not expecting a certificate but I was thinking maybe there'd be a letter from a bishop or some sort of correspondence if I sought it.

Kiwi in IE

I don't know why anyone would buy into this nonsensical assertion from the RCC that no one is 'allowed to leave'. Of course you are allowed to leave. If you decide not to identify as Catholic, then you have left. Acknowledging the absurd, ridiculous assertion that non Catholics are in fact Catholic, because they say so, is buying into their over inflated perception of the power and influence they have in society.

wokingvoter

topmanamillion wrote: »

Absolutely what's so strange about that?
Excommunication is a mad notion that everyone is supposed to fear.
I'm not expecting a certificate but I was thinking maybe there'd be a letter from a bishop or some sort of correspondence if I sought it.

What would this letter say? Would it say
"Please please please don't leave! Your contribution has been immeasurable! We only have about a billion members left! I'm personally devastated at the very idea you'd leave , but if your sure your never ever ever ever going to come near us again, then ok, here, your excommunicated. Go right ahead and get yourself a tattoo or get it shaved into your hair so that others will be in awe at your coolness "
Something along those lines?
I can write a letter like that and get the Archbishop to sign it if you like.

pauldla

topmanamillion wrote: »

Absolutely what's so strange about that?
Excommunication is a mad notion that everyone is supposed to fear.
I'm not expecting a certificate but I was thinking maybe there'd be a letter from a bishop or some sort of correspondence if I sought it.

Well I've never heard of somebody seeking to be excommunicated for the novelty, so I regard it as strange. Usually, when the topic comes up on these pages, it's due to people not understanding what exactly excommunication is; it is, basically, the RCC reasserting authority over an errant follower. I'd suppose that you would need to show that you consider the excommunication to be of come consequence for you for it to be pronounced upon you; and as far as I know, you don't get a letter from the Bishop (but I could well be wrong). If you're seeking to be excommunicated for your own amusement, I don't think you're going to get very far; maybe Netflix might be a better option?

magicbastarder

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

I don't know why anyone would buy into this nonsensical assertion from the RCC that no one is 'allowed to leave'. Of course you are allowed to leave. If you decide not to identify as Catholic, then you have left. Acknowledging the absurd, ridiculous assertion that non Catholics are in fact Catholic, because they say so, is buying into their over inflated perception of the power and influence they have in society.

+1
seeking to be excommunicated or somehow officially expelled only gives weight to the rules you supposedly refute.

Hotblack Desiato

That's what I used to think, and then they shut down the process CountMeOut used, and now I wish I hadn't missed the boat

I already know that those ****ers have no power over me. What I want is for them to recognise this. They are already spooked by the large increase in non-church weddings, they know that pressure for secular education is building all the time, if there was a process to 'officially' leave/reject the church/whatever you want to call it, and a significant number of Irish people availed of it, it would seriously weaken their position. And they know this.

Why do you think they stopped it?

There was a post by Atheist Ireland on Twitter a few months back showing that you can commit apostasy still. Technically this means that you leave by joining another religion but some lad was removed from the list of cat lovers by showing that he had become a fully paid member of the Atheist Ireland organisation

Absolam

topmanamillion wrote: »

Absolutely what's so strange about that?
Excommunication is a mad notion that everyone is supposed to fear.
I'm not expecting a certificate but I was thinking maybe there'd be a letter from a bishop or some sort of correspondence if I sought it.

I don't think everyone is supposed to fear it; it's a form of censure. When applied it's supposed to make a Catholic aware that they are at odds with the Church and need to mend their ways (from the Church's point of view).

Kiwi in IE wrote: »

I don't know why anyone would buy into this nonsensical assertion from the RCC that no one is 'allowed to leave'.

The Church doesn't say that no one is 'allowed to leave though'. It says that "the sacramental bond of belonging to the Body of Christ that is the Church, conferred by the baptismal character, is an ontological and permanent bond which is not lost by reason of any act or fact of defection." So not so much that one can't leave as the bond of belonging cannot be lost; even if one 'leaves' (which kind of misses the concept) on returning one is treated as having never left.

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That's what I used to think, and then they shut down the process CountMeOut used, and now I wish I hadn't missed the boat

I wouldn't lose any sleep about it; as far as the Church was concerned an act of defection didn't sever the bond of baptism anyway, so countmeout didn't achieve anything other than letting people feel they achieved something.
That said, I wouldn't have lost any sleep about it in the first place.....

Cabaal

Absolam wrote: »

The Church doesn't say that no one is 'allowed to leave though'. It says that "the sacramental bond of belonging to the Body of Christ that is the Church, conferred by the baptismal character, is an ontological and permanent bond which is not lost by reason of any act or fact of defection." So not so much that one can't leave as the bond of belonging cannot be lost; even if one 'leaves' (which kind of misses the concept) on returning one is treated as having never left.

So what you're saying is the church is like a crazy nutbag ex-girlfriend who thinks the relationship has never ended?

Absolam

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Why do you think they stopped it?

I think it was discussed fully on a couple of other thread a ways back, but there is a whole thing about why on vatican.va The short version is the purpose of the act of defection was to allow people to demonstrate a particular position with regards to the Church that would enable them to engage in a mixed marriage in good faith; the Church altered it's stance on what was required when engaging in a mixed marriage rendering the requirement for an act of defection obsolete. Meanwhile those who had seized on the word 'defection' as appearing to mean something it actually didn't were left feeling hard done by since they couldn't now engage in it. Though to my mind those who did defect should be the ones feeling hard done by since it never meant what they thought it did; a quick repentance and confession and they would have been full on Catholics again with nary a stain on their religious credentials.

Absolam

Cabaal wrote: »

So what you're saying is the church is like a crazy nutbag ex-girlfriend who thinks the relationship has never ended?

Oh no, not at all. The Church knows it can never end..... EVER.

Bristolscale7

Heinous crimes like raping children are not enough to get one excommunicated. Based on the history of the Catholic Church I'd say the best way to get excommunicated is to declare yourself the true Pope and tell your followers that the guy in Rome is Satan's spawn.

vibe666

i think it's an italian thing!

uck51js9zml2yt

topmanamillion wrote: »

Anyone know of a way to do this? That doesn't involve 7 trials or a bit of alone time in the desert.
I'd be really interested in getting excommunicated.
There'd be a novelty factor to it and any excommunication that I got would be framed and have pride of place.

I take it that since you're posting in A&A that you're not catholic so its a mute point really.