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Revision as of 22:06, 27 October 2002 by 131.183.81.100 (talk) (link)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Generally associated with the Roman Catholic church, excommunication is religious censure intended to deprive one of membership of a religious community and, in the Catholic context, preclude the excommunicated from salvation. Excommunication is considered automatic for some sins within the Catholic church, but can also be a formal affair, generally reserved for renegade clerygymen and such.
The word literally means "exclusion from communion"; excommunication involves barring the person from participating in Communion or receiving the Eucharist, and as a consequence losing their status as members. In Eastern Orthodoxy, a person may also be barred from receiving the Eucharist. In this context however, this merely changes the member's classification in the parish from 'faithful' to 'penitent', and is intended to be only temporary.
See also: Shunning